| PCA-2 | |
|---|---|
| PCA-2 | |
| Role | Utility autogyro |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company |
| Designer | Harold F. Pitcairn |
| First flight | 1931 |
| Number built | 20–30 |
The Pitcairn PCA-2 was an autogyro developed in the United States in the early 1930s,[1] Harold F. Pitcairn's first autogyro design to sell in quantity. It had a conventional design for its day – an airplane-like fuselage with two open cockpits in tandem, and an engine mounted tractor-fashion in the nose.[2] The lift by the four-blade main rotor was augmented by stubby, low-set monoplane wings that also carried the control surfaces.[2] The wingtips featured considerable dihedral to act as winglets for added stability.[2]
The PCA-2 was the first rotary-wing aircraft to achieve type certification in the United States[3] and was used in a number of high-profile activities including a landing on the White House lawn[4][5] and the first flight across the United States in a rotorcraft. This latter feat was attempted by Amelia Earhart, flying for the Beech-Nut food company, but was actually accomplished by John M. Miller who completed his flight nine days before Earhart on 28 May 1931, in his PCA-2 named Missing Link.[6] Learning of Miller's achievement upon her arrival in California, Earhart set out to turn her flight into a round-trip record by flying east again, but abandoned the attempt after three crashes.[6] Earhart set an altitude record in a PCA-2 on 8 April 1931 with a height of 18,415 ft (5,615 m).[2][3][4] This record was broken in another PCA-2 by Lewis Yancey who flew to 21,500 ft (6,600 m) on 25 September 1932.[3][7]
In 1931, the Detroit News made history when they bought a PCA-2 for use as a news aircraft due to it ability to fly well at low altitude, land and take off from restricted spaces and semi-hover for better camera shots. This PCA-2 was the ancestor of today's news helicopters.[8] In May 1933, Scripps donated the autogyro to the Henry Ford Museum.[9]
The Champion spark plug company operated a PCA-2 as a promotional machine in 1931 and 32 as Miss Champion.[4] It was flown over 6,500 miles in the 1931 Ford National Reliability Air Tour. This machine was restored to flying condition in 1982 by Steve Pitcairn, Harold's son.[4] In 2005, he donated it to the EAA AirVenture Museum.[4] Other PCA-2s are preserved at The Henry Ford[4][10] and the Canada Aviation Museum.[11]
Data from "Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Specifications"
General characteristics
Performance
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