Engineering:Pitcairn PA-1 Fleetwing
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| Pitcairn PA-1 Fleetwing | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pitcairn PA-1 Fleetwing model on display at the EAA Airventure Museum. | |
| Role | Biplane |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Pitcairn Aircraft Company |
| Designer | Agnew E. Larson |
| First flight | 1925 |
| Introduction | 1925 |
The Pitcairn PA-1 Fleetwing (Pitcairn Aviation - One) [1] is the first biplane designed for air racing and commercial airmail service by Pitcairn Aircraft Company.[2]
Design
The Fleetwing biplane featured three cockpits capable carrying four revenue sightseeing passengers. The fuselage used (square and round) steel tubing with fabric covering. The squarish fuselage featured a slanted radiator on the front of the lower cowling[3]
Operational history
The prototype PA-1 crashed after a flight with the control cables rigged backwards. A second aircraft was built shortly afterward.[4][5][6]
Specifications (Pitcairn PA-1 Fleetwing)
Data from Aerofiles
General characteristics
- Capacity: 5
- Length: 25 ft 11 in (7.90 m)
- Wingspan: 38 ft (12 m)
- Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss C-6 , 160 hp (120 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 96 kn (110 mph, 180 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 81 kn (93 mph, 150 km/h)
- Stall speed: 39 kn (45 mph, 72 km/h)
References
 |  |
- ↑ American Aviation Historical Society. AAHS journal, Volume 31.
- ↑ Frank Kingston Smith. Legacy of wings: the story of Harold F. Pitcairn.
- ↑ "Pitcairn". http://www.aerofiles.com/_pitc.html. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ↑ Robert J. Serling. From the captain to the colonel: an informal history of Eastern Airlines.
- ↑ Jack Cox (November 1991). "Harold Armstrongs Pitcairn Fleetwing". Sport Aviation.
- ↑ Smith, Frank (1981). Legacy of Wings; The Harold F. Pitcairn Story. New York: Jason Aronson, Inc.. p. 62-71. ISBN 0876684851.
