Pitcairn PCA-02 Autogyro

 The Pitcairn PCA-2 was an autogyro developed in the United States in the early 1930s.

It was Harold F. Pitcairn’s first autogyro designed 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.

The lift by the four-blade main rotor was augmented by stubby, low-set monoplane wings that also carried the control surfaces.

The wingtips featured considerable dihedral that acted as winglets for added stability.

Variants

PCA-2

Major production version

PCA-3

Version with Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine and 48-ft (14.63-m) rotor (1 built)

PA-21

Version with Wright R-975-E2 engine

OP-1

Reconnaissance autogyro (1931); two aircraft acquired by the United States Navy (USN) in 1931 for trials, with limited success.

Specifications

Crew

One pilot

Capacity

2 passengers

Length

23 ft 1 in (7.04 m)

Wingspan

30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)

Airfoil

NACA M-3 mod

Empty weight

2,233 lb (1,013 kg)

Gross weight

3,000 lb (1,361 kg)

Powerplant

1 × Wright R-975 (J6-9) 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 330 hp (250 kW)

Main rotor diameter

45 ft 0 in (13.72 m)

Main rotor area

1,580 sq ft (147 m2) 4-bladed wire braced rotor

Propellers

2-bladed fixed pitch wooden propeller

Performance

Maximum speed

120 mph (190 km/h, 100 kn)

Range

290 mi (470 km, 250 nmi)

Service ceiling

15,010 ft (4,575 m)

Maximum glide ratio

4.8.