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75-451: Flight activity began in 1926 when Harold Frederick Pitcairn constructed a hangar and a grass airstrip in Horsham, Pennsylvania . The airfield was named after the nearest town Willow Grove, Pennsylvania . At the time, Horsham was a rural township with little significance. From 1926 to 1942 Pitcairn used the airfield for design, construction and testing of a number of aircraft, including

150-554: A Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental category. Per FAR 1.1, the FAA uses the term "gyroplane" for all autogyros, regardless of the type of airworthiness certificate. In 1931, Amelia Earhart (U.S.) flew a Pitcairn PCA-2 to a women's world altitude record of 18,415 ft (5,613 m). Wing Commander Ken Wallis (U.K.) held most of the autogyro world records during his autogyro flying career. These include

225-833: A power push-over (PPO or buntover) causing the death of the pilot and giving gyroplanes, in general, a poor reputation – in contrast to de la Cierva's original intention and early statistics. Most new autogyros are now safe from PPO. In 2002, a Groen Brothers Aviation 's Hawk 4 provided perimeter patrol for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The aircraft completed 67   missions and accumulated 75   hours of maintenance-free flight time during its 90-day operational contract. Worldwide, over 1,000 autogyros are used by authorities for military and law enforcement. The first U.S. police authorities to evaluate an autogyro were

300-601: A 2,000 feet (610 m) runway, hangar, and Aero Club of Pennsylvania clubhouse. His fleet of planes included his Farman Sport, four Curtiss Orioles , a Standard Aircraft Corporation trainer, and two Martinsyde biplanes with enclosed cabins. Pitcairn started working on his first aircraft, the Pitcairn PA-1 Fleetwing , visited with Cierva in Madrid, and then filed his first of thirty rotary-wing patents on 2 March 1925. His Pitcairn PA-2 Sesquiwing won

375-589: A C.8 L.IV with a Wright Whirlwind engine. Arriving in the United States on 11   December 1928 accompanied by Rawson, this autogyro was redesignated C.8W. Subsequently, production of autogyros was licensed to several manufacturers, including the Pitcairn Autogiro Company in the United States and Focke-Wulf of Germany. In 1927, German engineer Engelbert Zaschka invented a combined helicopter and autogyro. The principal advantage of

450-532: A Russian immigrant in the United States, saw a captured German U-boat's Fa   330 gyroglider and was fascinated by its characteristics. At work, he was tasked with the analysis of the British military Rotachute gyro glider designed by an expatriate Austrian, Raoul Hafner . This led him to adapt the design for his purposes and eventually market the Bensen B-7 in 1955. Bensen submitted an improved version,

525-528: A distance of 760 miles (1,220 km), and then on 19 November he was awarded the Atlanta-Miami route, CAM-25. The aircraft he built to carry the mail, his Pitcairn Mailwing , first flew on 17 June. By the end of 1927, Pitcairn's company had sold 23 PA-3 Orowings, 5 Pitcairn PA-4 Fleetwing IIs , and 12 PA-5 Mailwings, flown 20,000 sight-seeing passengers, had 200 flight students, and operated 23 airplanes with 35 pilots. By January 1929, Pitcairn Aviation

600-560: A fixed-wing aircraft. At low airspeeds, the control surfaces became ineffective and could readily lead to loss of control, particularly during landing. In response, de la Cierva developed a direct control rotor hub, which could be tilted in any direction by the pilot. De la Cierva's direct control was first developed on the Cierva C.19 Mk.   V and saw the production on the Cierva C.30 series of 1934. In March 1934, this type of autogyro became

675-691: A flight of 10.5 kilometres (6.5 miles) from Cuatro Vientos airfield to Getafe airfield in about eight minutes, a significant accomplishment for any rotorcraft of the time. Shortly after de la Cierva's success with the C.6, he accepted an offer from Scottish industrialist James   G. Weir to establish the Cierva Autogiro Company in England, following a demonstration of the C.6 before the British Air Ministry at RAE Farnborough , on 20   October 1925. Britain had become

750-551: A helicopter suffers a power failure, the pilot can adjust the collective pitch to keep the rotor spinning generating enough lift to touch down and skid in a relatively soft landing via autorotation of its rotor disc. Some autogyros, such as the Rotorsport MT03, MTO Sport (open tandem), and Calidus (enclosed tandem), and the Magni Gyro M16C (open tandem) & M24 (enclosed side by side) have type approval by

825-678: A helicopter with the Cierva W.5 . In a failed attempt to win funds available from the Dorsey-Logan Act for rotorcraft development, Pitcairn developed the PA-36. He subcontracted the Luscombe Aircraft Company to build the fuselage, while his Autogiro Company built the rotor control system. Referred to as the Pitcairn Whirlwing, the aircraft was being tested by October 1939. Demonstrations were made to

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900-723: A key role in the development of the autogyro and founded the Autogiro Company of America . He patented a number of innovations relating to rotary wing aircraft . He was born on 20 December 1897 in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania , and started attending the Academy of the New Church at the age of six. Pitcairn's start in aviation was as an apprentice at Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company , in Hammondsport , during

975-669: A pair of Degtyaryov machine guns, and six RS-82 rockets or four FAB-100 bombs . The Avro Rota autogyro, a military version of the Cierva C.30, was used by the Royal Air Force to calibrate coastal radar stations during and after the Battle of Britain . In World War II, Germany pioneered a very small gyroglider rotor kite , the Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 "Bachstelze" (wagtail), towed by U-boats to provide aerial surveillance. The Imperial Japanese Army developed

1050-411: A rear-mounted engine and propeller in a pusher configuration . An autogyro is characterized by a free-spinning rotor that turns because of the passage of air through the rotor from below. The downward component of the total aerodynamic reaction of the rotor gives lift to the vehicle, sustaining it in the air. A separate propeller provides forward thrust and can be placed in a puller configuration, with

1125-522: A safe landing, validating de la Cierva's efforts to produce an aircraft that could be flown safely at low airspeeds. De la Cierva developed his C.6 model with the assistance of Spain's Military Aviation establishment, having expended all his funds on the development and construction of the first five prototypes. The C.6 first flew in February 1925, piloted by Captain Joaquín Loriga , including

1200-819: A search for the Loch Ness Monster , as well as an appearance in the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice . Three different autogyro designs have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration for commercial production: the Umbaugh U-18/ Air & Space 18A of 1965, the Avian 2/180 Gyroplane of 1967, and the McCulloch J-2 of 1972. All have been commercial failures, for various reasons. The Kaman KSA-100 SAVER (Stowable Aircrew Vehicle Escape Rotorseat)

1275-490: A small research and development staff. On 26 October 1936, Pitcairn delivered his AC-35 to win the Department of Commerce competition for a rotary aircraft capable of flying 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), take off from a 30 square feet (2.8 × 10  km ) area, then fold its wings in a "roadable" configuration. Then in 1938, Cierva Autogiro announced it was abandoning the autogiro business, concentrating on developing

1350-498: A variety of engines. McCulloch drone engines, Rotax marine engines, Subaru automobile engines, and other designs have been used in Bensen-type designs. The rotor is mounted atop the vertical mast. The rotor system of all Bensen-type autogyros is of a two-blade teetering design. There are some disadvantages associated with this rotor design, but the simplicity of the rotor design lends itself to ease of assembly and maintenance and

1425-655: Is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift . While similar to a helicopter rotor in appearance, the autogyro's unpowered rotor disc must have air flowing upward across it to make it rotate. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller . It was originally named the autogiro by its Spanish inventor and engineer, Juan de la Cierva , in his attempt to create an aircraft that could fly safely at low speeds. He first flew one on 9 January 1923, at Cuatro Vientos Airport in Madrid . The aircraft resembled

1500-553: Is an aircraft-stowable gyroplane escape device designed and built for the United States Navy . Designed to be installed in naval combat aircraft as part of the ejection sequence, only one example was built and it did not enter service. It was powered by a Williams WRC-19 turbofan making it the first jet-powered autogyro. The basic Bensen Gyrocopter design is a simple frame of square aluminium or galvanized steel tubing, reinforced with triangles of lighter tubing. It

1575-430: Is arranged so that the stress falls on the tubes, or special fittings, not the bolts. A   front-to-back keel mounts a steerable nosewheel, seat, engine, and vertical stabilizer. Outlying mainwheels are mounted on an axle. Some versions may mount seaplane-style floats for water operations. Bensen-type autogyros use a pusher configuration for simplicity and to increase visibility for the pilot. Power can be supplied by

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1650-440: Is one of the reasons for its popularity. Aircraft-quality birch was specified in early Bensen designs, and a wood/steel composite is used in the world-speed-record-holding Wallis design. Gyroplane rotor blades are made from other materials such as aluminium and GRP -based composite. Bensen's success triggered several other designs, some of them fatally flawed with an offset between the centre of gravity and thrust line, risking

1725-615: The Air Force Reserve Command disestablished the 913th Airlift Wing at the collocated Willow Grove ARS, and redistributed its C-130 Hercules aircraft to other active duty Air Force and Air Force Reserve units. On February 29, 2008, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania released a report detailing a plan for a joint interagency installation (JII), with a mission of national defense, homeland security and emergency preparedness. On November 13, 2009, Pennsylvania dropped

1800-675: The Army Air Forces Materiel Command a reduced royalty "on machines and equipment supplied to the United States Government by our licensees, we will reduce our royalty from 5% on the basis of fully-equipped machines to eighty-five one-hundredths of one per cent (.85%) of the [government] contract price." The arrangement included the period of the war plus six months. At the time, the Autogiro Company of America held 164 patents, including

1875-719: The Bensen B-8M , for testing to the United States Air Force , which designated it the X-25. The B-8M was designed to use surplus McCulloch engines used on flying unmanned target drones . Ken Wallis developed a miniature autogyro craft, the Wallis autogyro , in England in the 1960s, and autogyros built similar to Wallis' design appeared for many years. Ken Wallis' designs have been used in various scenarios, including military training, police reconnaissance, and in

1950-699: The John Scott Medal for inventing and developing the autogyro respectively. By the end of the year, Pitcairn had produced 24 PCA-2s and 17 Pitcairn PAA-1s . On 1 March 1932, the Pitcairn PA-18 was ready for flight testing. Then on 19 October 1932, Pitcairn introduced the largest autogyro ever built, the Pitcairn PA-19 , complete with cabin. Pitcairn then began testing his Pitcairn PA-22 , with direct control of lateral and longitude movement. According to Frank Kingston Smith Sr. , "For

2025-570: The Kayaba Ka-1 autogyro for reconnaissance, artillery-spotting, and anti-submarine uses. The Ka-1 was based on the Kellett KD-1 first imported to Japan in 1938. The craft was initially developed for use as an observation platform and for artillery spotting duties. The army liked the craft's short take-off span, and especially its low maintenance requirements. Production began in 1941, with the machines assigned to artillery units for spotting

2100-691: The Mailwing which was used by the United States Postal Service . After the start of World War II , the United States purchased the property, under threat of eminent domain and launched a classified anti-submarine warfare program at the base. In January 1943, the base was commissioned Naval Air Station Willow Grove. Following WWII and into the Cold War , it became an operational and training base for aviation activities of

2175-702: The Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. In 1923, while acting as the president of Owosso Sugar Company, Harold purchased a Farman Sport for his personal use. Pitcairn founded Pitcairn Aviation (later to become Eastern Air Lines ), and Pitcairn Aircraft Company which manufactured efficient airmail biplanes, and autogyros. Pitcairn hired Jim Ray as his chief pilot, and Agnew E. Larsen as his chief engineer, who in turn hired Harlan D. Fowler . On 2 November 1924, Pitcairn opened Pitcairn Field, located on his farm in Bryn Athyn. It included

2250-556: The Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces such as United States Navy Reserve , Marine Corps Reserve , Air Force Reserve , Air National Guard , United States Army Reserve and Pennsylvania National Guard . In 1994, the base was renamed Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove to reflect these joint operations. As part of its joint recruitment efforts, the base was an annual host to one of

2325-530: The Tomball, Texas , police, on a $ 40,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice together with city funds, costing much less than a helicopter to buy ($ 75,000) and operate ($ 50/hour). Although it is able to land in 40-knot crosswinds, a minor accident happened when the rotor was not kept under control in a wind gust. Since 2009, several projects in Iraqi Kurdistan have been realized. In 2010,

Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove - Misplaced Pages Continue

2400-804: The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under British Civil Airworthiness Requirements CAP643 Section   T. Others operate under a permit to fly issued by the Popular Flying Association similar to the   U.S. experimental aircraft certification. However, the CAA's assertion that autogyros have a poor safety record means that a permit to fly will be granted only to existing types of an autogyro. All new types of autogyro must be submitted for full type approval under CAP643 Section   T. The CAA allows gyro flight over congested areas. In 2005,

2475-473: The fixed-wing aircraft of the day, with a front-mounted engine and propeller. The term Autogiro became trademarked by the Cierva Autogiro Company . De la Cierva's Autogiro is considered the predecessor of the modern helicopter . The term gyrocopter (derived from helicopter) was used by E.   Burke Wilford who developed the Reiseler Kreiser feathering rotor equipped gyroplane in

2550-591: The 1926 National Air Races in both the efficiency race, and the high-speed race. With that success, Pitcairn continued work on helicopters, on the Pitcairn-Brewer engine, developing an air-mail line, running a flight school at Hallowell/Willow Grove Pitcairn Field No. 2, and then developing the Pitcairn PA-3 Orowing . On 28 January 1927, Pitcairn was awarded Contract Air Mail Route 19, CAM-19, an overnight mail route from New York to Atlanta,

2625-564: The 1930s by major newspapers , and by the United States Postal Service for the mail service between cities in the northeast. During the Winter War of 1939–1940, the Red Army Air Force used armed Kamov A-7 autogyros to provide fire correction for artillery batteries , carrying out   20 combat flights. The A-7 was the first rotary-wing aircraft designed for combat, armed with one 7.62×54mmR PV-1 machine gun ,

2700-753: The Athyn factory, and the Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company. He was awarded the Collier Trophy in 1930 for the "development and application of the Autogiro and the demonstration of its possibilities with a view to its use for safe aerial transport." USA President Hoover awarded the trophy on the lawn of the White House in 1931, where a Pitcairn PCA-2 landed as the first aircraft ever. In 1931 Cierva and Pitcairn won

2775-542: The Bensen " Gyrocopter ". Its main advantages are the simplicity and lightness of its construction and the unobstructed visibility. It was developed by Igor Bensen in the decades following World War II, who also founded the Popular Rotorcraft Association (PRA) to help it become more widespread. Less common today is the tractor configuration. In this version, the engine and propeller are located at

2850-670: The CAA issued a mandatory permit directive (MPD) which restricted operations for single-seat autogyros and were subsequently integrated into CAP643 Issue 3 published on 12   August 2005. The restrictions are concerned with the offset between the centre of gravity and thrust line and apply to all aircraft unless evidence is presented to the CAA that the CG/Thrust Line offset is less than 2 inches (5 cm) in either direction. The restrictions are summarised as follows: These restrictions do not apply to autogyros with type approval under CAA CAP643 Section T, which are subject to

2925-584: The German pilot couple Melanie and Andreas Stützfor undertook the first world tour by autogyro, in which they flew several different gyroplane types in Europe, southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and South America. The adventure was documented in the book "WELTFLUG – The Gyroplane Dream" and in the film "Weltflug.tv –The Gyrocopter World Tour". While autogyros are not helicopters, helicopters are capable of autorotation . If

3000-580: The U.S. would reside with Pitcairn Aeronautics, Inc., which was later renamed Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company of America, Inc. (PCA). Licenses were granted to Buhl Aircraft Company and Kellett Autogiro Corporation in 1931. On 12 June 1929, Pitcairn sold Pitcairn Aviation, Inc. to the Curtiss - Keys Group for $ 2.5 million. The deal included the air-mail route, the fixed base operations at New York, Richmond, Greensboro, Spartanburg, Atlanta, and Miami, while Pitcairn retained his Willow Grove flying field,

3075-458: The Zaschka machine is its ability to remain motionless in the air for any length of time and to descend in a vertical line so that a landing could be accomplished on the flat roof of a large house. In appearance, the machine does not differ much from the ordinary monoplane, but the carrying wings revolve around the body. Development of the autogyro continued in the search for a means to accelerate

Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove - Misplaced Pages Continue

3150-490: The autogyro ( autogiro in Spanish), in 1923. His first three designs ( C.1 , C.2 , and C.3 ) were unstable because of aerodynamic and structural deficiencies in their rotors. His fourth design, the C.4 , made the first documented flight of an autogyro on 17   January 1923, piloted by Alejandro Gomez Spencer at Cuatro Vientos airfield in Madrid, Spain (9   January according to de la Cierva). De la Cierva had fitted

3225-581: The beginning of German invasion in USSR June 1941, the Soviet Air Force organized new courses for training Kamov A-7 aircrew and ground support staff. In August 1941, per the decision of the chief artillery directorate of the Red Army , based on the trained flight group and five combat-ready A-7 autogyros, the 1st autogyro artillery spotting aircraft squadron was formed, which was included in

3300-553: The court computed the compensation to be paid by the government. Finally, in 1978, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of that ruling. The U.S. had to pay $ 32,048,738 in compensation. On April 23, 1960 he died from a gunshot to the head at his home CairnCrest in Bryn Athyn Pennsylvania , shortly after a birthday celebration for his brother, Raymond Pitcairn . More sympathetic sources and

3375-403: The engine and propeller at the front of the fuselage, or in a pusher configuration, with the engine and propeller at the rear of the fuselage. Whereas a helicopter works by forcing the rotor blades through the air, drawing air from above, the autogyro rotor blade generates lift in the same way as a glider 's wing, by changing the angle of the air as the air moves upward and backward relative to

3450-540: The facility was to be designated Willow Grove Air National Guard Base, or Horsham Air Guard Station per source. A handful of National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers remained, and the Air Force maintained administrative offices on the property. The surplus land with the runways was turned over to Horsham Township for redevelopment. Horsham and other adjoining townships in Montgomery and Bucks Counties were debating

3525-543: The fall of shells. These carried two crewmen: a pilot and a spotter. Later, the Japanese Army commissioned two small aircraft carriers intended for coastal antisubmarine (ASW) duties. The spotter's position on the Ka-1 was modified to carry one small depth charge. Ka-1 ASW autogyros operated from shore bases as well as the two small carriers. They appear to have been responsible for at least one submarine sinking. With

3600-635: The first rotorcraft to take off and land on the deck of a ship, when a C.30 performed trials on board the Spanish navy seaplane tender Dédalo off Valencia. Later that year, during the leftist Asturias revolt in October, an autogyro made a reconnaissance flight for the loyal troops, marking the first military employment of a rotorcraft. When improvements in helicopters made them practical, autogyros became largely neglected. Also, they were susceptible to ground resonance . They were, however, used in

3675-672: The first autogyro was handed over to the Kurdish Minister of Interiors, Mr. Karim Sinjari. The project for the interior ministry was to train pilots to control and monitor the approach and takeoff paths of the airports in Erbil , Sulaymaniyah , and Dohuk to prevent terrorist encroachments. The gyroplane pilots also form the backbone of the pilot crew of the Kurdish police, who are trained to pilot on Eurocopter EC 120 B helicopters. In   18 months from 2009 to 2010,

3750-415: The first half of the twentieth century. Gyroplane was later adopted as a trademark by Bensen Aircraft . The success of the Autogiro garnered the interest of industrialists and under license from de la Cierva in the 1920s and 1930s, the Pitcairn & Kellett companies made further innovations. Late-model autogyros patterned after Etienne Dormoy 's Buhl A-1 Autogyro and Igor Bensen 's designs feature

3825-461: The first rotorcraft crossing of the English Channel followed by a tour of Europe. United States industrialist Harold Frederick Pitcairn , on learning of the successful flights of the autogyro, visited de la Cierva in Spain. In 1928, he visited him again, in England, after taking a C.8 L.IV test flight piloted by Arthur H.   C.   A. Rawson. Being particularly impressed with the autogyro's safe vertical descent capability, Pitcairn purchased

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3900-417: The first time, a Pitcairn Autogiro would have no stubby wings, no ailerons, no elevators, just a rudder. All pitch and roll control would be provided by the 'orientable hub,' a swivelling spindle controlled by an upside-down stick hanging from the cabin ceiling." At the end of 1933, Pitcairn was forced to close his Willow Grove factory, end all commercial operations, and terminate his work force, keeping only

3975-429: The front of the aircraft, ahead of the pilot and rotor mast. This was the primary configuration in early autogyros but became less common. Nonetheless, the tractor configuration has some advantages compared to a pusher, namely greater yaw stability (as the center of mass is farther away from the rudder), and greater ease in aligning the center of thrust with the center of mass to prevent "bunting" (engine thrust overwhelming

4050-447: The key patent 2,380,582 for fixed-spindle cyclic and collective pitch conjoint-systems in one rotor hub. Licensees included United Aircraft 's Sikorsky R-4 supplied to the army in May 1942. In 1943, Pitcairn sold Pitcairn Field to the U.S. Navy, which converted it into the Willow Grove Naval Air Station . Pitcairn, and Autogiro Company of America engineers, helped Firestone build their Firestone XR-9 single seat helicopter, and

4125-524: The largest air shows on the East Coast until 2006. NASJRB Willow Grove was home to the following: The base was home to the following military aviation units: On May 28, 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure commission recommended that the base be closed as part of the 2005 BRAC round , that the tenant Air Force Reserve Command airlift wing be inactivated and that Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve flying units relocate to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey as tenant units. On September 30, 2007,

4200-423: The military in October 1940, and then again at several military bases in February 1941. However, by this time, the military wanted an aircraft that could hover . During WWII , Pitcairn formed the Pitcairn-Larsen Autogiro Company with Agnew E. Larsen to develop seven PA-39s for the Royal Navy . These were PA-18 airframes retrofitted with the direct-control, jump-takeoff rotor system. On 22 July 1943 offered

4275-418: The nature of this redevelopment. In September 2015, the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority worked on an "economic development conveyance" (EDC) application to acquire the base. An EDC transfer is one way for the Navy to dispose of federal surplus property. Harold Frederick Pitcairn Harold Frederick Pitcairn (June 20, 1897 – April 23, 1960) was an American aviation inventor and pioneer. He played

4350-438: The operating limits specified in the type approval. A certificated autogyro must meet mandated stability and control criteria; in the United States these are outlined in Federal Aviation Regulations Part 27: Airworthiness Standards: Normal Category Rotorcraft . The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issues a Standard Airworthiness Certificate to qualified autogyros. Amateur-built or kit-built aircraft are operated under

4425-509: The overhead rotor, autogyros are generally not capable of vertical takeoff (except in a strong headwind). A few types such as the Air & Space 18A have shown short takeoff or landing. Pitch control is achieved by tilting the rotor fore and aft , and roll control is by tilting the rotor laterally. The tilt of the rotor can be effected by utilizing a tilting hub ( Cierva ), a swashplate ( Air & Space 18A ), or servo-flaps. A rudder provides yaw control. On pusher configuration autogyros,

4500-456: The pitch control). Juan de la Cierva was a Spanish engineer , inventor, pilot, and aeronautical enthusiast. In 1921, he participated in a design competition to develop a bomber for the Spanish military. De la Cierva designed a three-engined aircraft, but during an early test flight, the bomber stalled and crashed. De la Cierva was troubled by the stall phenomenon and vowed to develop an aircraft that could fly safely at low airspeeds. The result

4575-438: The plan for the JII based on the gradual removal of the 111th Fighter Wing. Since then it is planned that a portion of the base will be used for the National Guard and other Reserve Component military personnel. The airfield shut down on March 31, 2011; VP-64, VR-52, and a C-12 detachment were transferred to McGuire Air Force Base. On September 15, 2011, the base was closed. The Pennsylvania Air National Guard took custody, and

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4650-499: The police report said the death was accidental and was caused by a faulty Savage Model 1907 0.32 automatic pistol. Pitcairn was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1977, 17 years after his death, the Supreme Court of the United States awarded Pitcairn $ 32 million from the US government for rotorcraft control surfaces patents used by military rotorcraft. Autogyro An autogyro (from Greek αὐτός and γύρος , "self-turning"), or gyroplane ,

4725-413: The rotor before takeoff (called prerotating). Rotor drives initially took the form of a rope wrapped around the rotor axle and then pulled by a team of men to accelerate the rotor – this was followed by a long taxi to bring the rotor up to speed sufficient for takeoff. The next innovation was flaps on the tail to redirect the propeller slipstream into the rotor while on the ground. This design

4800-405: The rotor blade. The free-spinning blades turn by autorotation ; the rotor blades are angled so that they not only give lift, but the angle of the blades causes the lift to accelerate the blades' rotation rate until the rotor turns at a stable speed with the drag force and the thrust force in balance. Because the craft must be moving forward with respect to the surrounding air to force air through

4875-414: The rotor of the C.4 with flapping hinges to attach each rotor blade to the hub. The flapping hinges allowed each rotor blade to flap, or move up and down, to compensate for dissymmetry of lift , the difference in lift produced between the right and left sides of the rotor as the autogyro moves forward. Three days later, the engine failed shortly after takeoff and the aircraft descended slowly and steeply to

4950-457: The rotor relative to the airframe, or only do so in one dimension, and have conventional control surfaces to vary the remaining degrees of freedom). The rudder pedals provide yaw control, and the throttle controls engine power. Secondary flight controls include the rotor transmission clutch, also known as a pre-rotator, which when engaged drives the rotor to start it spinning before takeoff, and collective pitch to reduce blade pitch before driving

5025-421: The rotor. Collective pitch controls are not usually fitted to autogyros but can be found on the Air & Space 18A , McCulloch J-2 and the Westermayer Tragschrauber, and can provide near VTOL performance. Modern autogyros typically follow one of two basic configurations. The most common design is the pusher configuration, where the engine and propeller are located behind the pilot and rotor mast, such as in

5100-457: The rudder is typically placed in the propeller slipstream to maximize yaw control at low airspeed (but not always, as seen in the McCulloch J-2 , with twin rudders placed outboard of the propeller arc). There are three primary flight controls: control stick, rudder pedals , and throttle . Typically, the control stick is termed the cyclic and tilts the rotor in the desired direction to provide pitch and roll control (some autogyros do not tilt

5175-430: The strength of the 24th Army of the Soviet Air Force , combat active in the area around Elnya near Smolensk . From 30   August to 5   October 1941 the autogyros made   19 combat sorties for artillery spotting. Not one autogyro was lost in action, while the unit was disbanded in 1942 due to the shortage of serviceable aircraft. The autogyro was resurrected after World War   II when Dr. Igor Bensen ,

5250-439: The subsequent two seat XR-9B. Noting that Bell Helicopter was infringing Autogiro Company of America patents, Pitcairn filed suit against the United States of America on 21 September 1951, since the government undertook legal responsibility for any patent infringement in their contracts. In 1967, the United States Court of Claims found the government liable for patent infringement. It took 10 more years of litigation before

5325-479: The summer of 1914. He then attended the Curtiss Flying School , in Newport News , during the summer of 1916. After the death of his father, Harold enrolled in the Wharton School of Business , but enlisted in the United States Army Air Service after the United States entry into WWI . He received flight training at Rich Field , but received an honorable discharge with the end of the war. He then married Clara Davis on 21 January 1919, and became employed with

5400-406: The world centre of autogyro development. A crash in February 1926, caused by blade root failure, led to an improvement in rotor hub design. A drag hinge was added in conjunction with the flapping hinge to allow each blade to move fore and aft and relieve in-plane stresses, generated as a byproduct of the flapping motion. This development led to the Cierva C.8, which, on 18   September 1928, made

5475-691: Was first tested on a C.19 in 1929. Efforts in 1930 had shown that the development of a light and efficient mechanical transmission was not a trivial undertaking. In 1932 the Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania , United States solved this problem with a transmission driven by the engine. Buhl Aircraft Company produced its Buhl A-1 , the first autogyro with a propulsive rear motor, designed by Etienne Dormoy and meant for aerial observation (motor behind pilot and camera). It had its maiden flight on 15   December 1931. De la Cierva's early autogyros were fitted with fixed rotor hubs, small fixed wings, and control surfaces like those of

5550-405: Was the first successful rotorcraft, which he named autogiro in 1923. De la Cierva's autogiro used an airplane fuselage with a forward-mounted propeller and engine, an un-powered rotor mounted on a mast, and a horizontal and vertical stabilizer. His aircraft became the predecessor of the modern helicopter . After four years of experimentation, de la Cierva invented the first practical rotorcraft

5625-592: Was the fourth largest mail carrier in terms of income, and the third largest interms of miles flown. After test flying a Cierva C.8 in England first, Pitcairn purchased one modified to use a Wright J-5 engine. On 18 December 1928, Pitcairn made the first flight on an autogyro in America at his Bryn Athyn field. On 14 February 1929, Pitcairn then bought the U.S. rights to Juan de la Cierva 's inventions and patents for $ 300,000. The Pitcairn and Cierva entities would collaborate technically, while all resulting patents in

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