Autogyro manufacturers - who's who?

[Bernard]

The first autogyro, the forerunner of the helicopter, was developed and built in Great Britain in 1930 by the Spanish Juan de la Cierva. This is a Cierva C.30A aka Avro 671.




In 1928 Cierva founded the Autogiro Company of America and licensed Harold Fredrick Pitcairn for building autogiros. They became the well-known PCA series named after him. Another aircraft manufacturer, W. Wallace Kellett, acquired a license from Pitcairn to develop his own Autogiro models.

Because I am showing a few of these aircraft here, I thought it was important to position the manufacturers more clearly. To be honest, I had a bit of trouble at first!


"Golden Hawaii" package includes a Kellett KD-1C repainted with "Aloha Gazette" logos. The authors have added a building of this fictious newspaper in vincinity of Honolulu John Rodgers Field.




I added a small AI pattern traffic from the roof of this building. Obvisouly the texture painter didn't knew exactly the name of the aircraft manufacturer!




The Kellett over Pearl Harbour and Ford Island.




The same package also includes a Kellett KD-1B. This autogiro of Eastern Airlines did air mail flights between Philadelphia Main Post Office and Camden Airport. I presented these flights in my thread in 2020: calclassic.proboards.com/thread/9984/kellet-autogyro


Bernard

[nmlw]

Interesting type of aircraft. I have never seen one, but have heard of them.

[Bernard]

End of May 1931, Amelia Earhart achieved a transcontinental flight from Newark to Oakland with the Pitcairn PCA-2, labled "Beech-Nut" to promote this food company's chewing gums.




Following the flight and all the press, it was determined that she would attempt a transcontinental flight in an autogyro and establish that record as well. Unfortunately for Amelia there was another pilot with the same ambition that started on the journey before her.


John "Johnny" Miller also flew with the Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro named "Missing Link" from Willow Grove to San Diego Naval Station.




Earhart had made her departure under the same grand affair as always as Miller had left quietly without any fanfare or grandeur. It is almost ironic that both aviators had airshow stops, publicity stunts and neither knew of the others intentions at the start of their separate quests. How poor communication was obvisouly back then! Needless to say that she and her sponsor were extremely disappointed to learn that Miller had beaten her, and resolved to try to beat his west-to-east performance.


Bernard

[nmlw]

Interesting Bernard, Thanks.

[wolfgang69]

Nice pictures, and interesting history. Thanks, Bernard! 

[Al]

Thanks Bernard for adding some detail to something I only new a little about.

Al

[Bernard]

The Detroit News operated a Pitcairn Autogiro from 1931 to 1933. The novel aircraft carried a large, swiveling camera to take aerial photos of newsworthy events and transported reporters for quickly developing stories. However, it ultimately proved more useful as an advertisement for the paper. The autogiro made over 700 flights before it was donated to Henry Ford's museum in Dearborn.

The publisher of The Detroit News, William Edmund Scripps, was an avid aviator and promoted aviation through his father's newspaper. In 1913, Scripps flew a Curtis Model F flying boat underneath the original Belle Isle Bridge. In 1929 Amelia Earhart, at the request of Scripps, flew an experimental glider at his property in Lake Orion, MI. Scripps became a glider enthusiast and formed his own company (Gliders, Inc.). He began his venture by manufacturing a primary type glider.


The autogiro taking off from Detroit City Airport where it was based,




flying over Belle Isle and its Aquarium,




as well as Edward C. Moore's Ford factory.




While following the airplane over Detroit, I discovered this unexpected "Uniroyal" advertising



A kind of Easter Tire ...


Bernard

[nmlw]

Good information and nice pictures of the Detroit News autogyro.