Harold Frederick Pitcairn: Difference between revisions

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Pitcairn's start in aviation was as an apprentice at [[Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company]], in [[Hammondsport]], during the summer of 1914.<ref>{{cite book|title=A history in the making: 80 turbulent years in the American general aviation Industry|last=Pattillo|first=Donald M.|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional|year=1998|edition=1st}}</ref> He then attended the [[Curtiss Flying School]], in [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]], during the summer of 1916.<ref name=AviationHOF>{{cite web|title=Harold Pitcairn|url=http://www.nationalaviation.org/pitcairn-harold/|publisher=The National Aviation Hall of Fame|access-date=5 April 2011}}</ref><ref name=fs/>{{rp|24-30}}
Pitcairn's start in aviation was as an apprentice at [[Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company]], in [[Hammondsport]], during the summer of 1914.<ref>{{cite book|title=A history in the making: 80 turbulent years in the American general aviation Industry|last=Pattillo|first=Donald M.|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional|year=1998|edition=1st}}</ref> He then attended the [[Curtiss Flying School]], in [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]], during the summer of 1916.<ref name=AviationHOF>{{cite web|title=Harold Pitcairn|url=http://www.nationalaviation.org/pitcairn-harold/|publisher=The National Aviation Hall of Fame|access-date=5 April 2011}}</ref><ref name=fs/>{{rp|24-30}}


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 the [[Pittsburgh Plate Glass]] Company.<ref name=fs/>{{rp|31-36}}
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 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.<ref name=fs/>{{rp|31-36,38,43}}


Pitcairn founded [[Pitcairn Aviation]] (later to become [[Eastern Airlines]]), and [[Pitcairn Aircraft Company]] which manufactured efficient airmail biplanes, and autogyros. He bought the right to license [[Juan de la Cierva]]'s patents in the United States for $300,000 in 1929.<ref name=charLeg/>
Pitcairn founded [[Pitcairn Aviation]] (later to become [[Eastern Airlines]]), and [[Pitcairn Aircraft Company]] which manufactured efficient airmail biplanes, and autogyros. He bought the right to license [[Juan de la Cierva]]'s patents in the United States for $300,000 in 1929.<ref name=charLeg/>

Revision as of 20:00, 2 April 2021

Harold Frederick Pitcairn
Pitcairn in 1930 with the Collier Trophy at the White House
BornJune 20, 1897
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
DiedApril 23, 1960(1960-04-23) (aged 62)
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
OccupationAviation designer
SpouseClara Davis
ChildrenJoel, John, Charis, Stephen, Robert, Judith, Bruce, Edward
Parents
Official nameHarold F. Pitcairn
TypeRoadside
DesignatedApril 29, 1972[1]
LocationBuck & Tomlinson Rds., Bryn Athyn
A Pitcairn Mailwing displayed at the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

Harold Frederick Pitcairn (June 20, 1897 – April 23, 1960) was an American aviation inventor and pioneer. He played 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.[2]

Biography

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.[2][3]

Pitcairn's start in aviation was as an apprentice at Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, in Hammondsport, during the summer of 1914.[4] He then attended the Curtiss Flying School, in Newport News, during the summer of 1916.[5][3]: 24–30 

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 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.[3]: 31–36, 38, 43 

Pitcairn founded Pitcairn Aviation (later to become Eastern Airlines), and Pitcairn Aircraft Company which manufactured efficient airmail biplanes, and autogyros. He bought the right to license Juan de la Cierva's patents in the United States for $300,000 in 1929.[6]

He was awarded the Collier Trophy in 1930 for development of the autogyro.[7] 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.[6]

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.[6][2][8][3]: 332–333 

Legacy

More sympathetic sources and the police report said the death was accidental and was caused by a faulty Savage Model 1907 0.32 automatic pistol.[9] Pitcairn was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1995.[5] 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.[6][10]

See Also

References

  1. ^ "PHMC Harold F. Pitcairn". Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Harold Pitcairn Takes Life At 62. Plane and Autogiro Pioneer Shoots Himself at Home in Philadelphia Suburb". Associated Press in the New York Times. April 24, 1960. Harold F. Pitcairn, noted aviation pioneer, took his life with a single pistol shot early today. Only a few hours before he had been notably gay at a party celebrating the seventy-fifth birthday of his brother Raymond. ...
  3. ^ a b c d Smith, Frank (1981). Legacy of Wings; The Harold F. Pitcairn Story. New York: Jason Aronson, Inc. p. 18,20. ISBN 0876684851.
  4. ^ Pattillo, Donald M. (1998). A history in the making: 80 turbulent years in the American general aviation Industry (1st ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional.
  5. ^ a b "Harold Pitcairn". The National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d Charnov, Bruce H. Cierva, Pitcairn and the Legacy of Rotary-Wing Flight Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Hofstra University. Accessed: 22 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Collier Trophy". Retrieved 2007-10-11.
  8. ^ Charnov, Bruce H. (5–8 October 2020). The Life and Mysterious Death of Harold F. Pitcairn: Was it Suicide?. Vertical Flight Society’s 76th Annual Forum. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  9. ^ Frank K. Smith. Legacy of Wings, The Harold Pitcairn Story.
  10. ^ "Rotorcraft pioneers". Retrieved 23 January 2011.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harold_Frederick_Pitcairn&oldid=1015667465"