Aeronautics: For Sale: Autogiros

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The principal objection to the autogiro as it stands today must be considered without thought of the element of safety in the craft. It is the three-fold interlocking item of price, speed, fuel cost. The autogiro flies somewhat slower and at a greater fuel consumption than an ordinary airplane of the same price. However, the designers declare that the possibilities of streamlining and other refinements have barely been touched. Inventor. Chubby, wealthy Juan de la Cierva, 37, is son of a Spanish statesman and lawyer. His father has been Minister of War, Minister of the Interior, last week was appointed Minister of Public Works in the newly formed Aznar Cabinet. The younger de la Cierva, at 15, built with two young friends what he believes was the first successful airplane ever to be constructed in Spain. In 1919 he built the second tri-motor in the world. It flew well, but a test pilot unaccustomed to such craft banked it too low, side slipped it into a heap of wreckage. Then it was that Senor de la Cierva determined that aviation would need a ship that could be flown slow as well as fast, low as well as high, in safety. In all the crack-ups that attended experimentation — and they were not numerous — no one was seriously hurt, not even before de la Cierva learned how to build a rotor that would not fly itself to pieces. Promoter. In sharp contrast to the flamboyant, drum-beating promoter who caused the disastrous aviation "boom" of three years ago, stands Harold F. Pitcairn, 34. Lean, conservative, outwardly humorless, he is third son of the late John Pitcairn, founder of Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. The elder Pitcairn, a follower of the Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, gave land near the family home at Bryn Athyn, Pa. for the beautiful Swedenborgian Cathedral (New Jerusalem Church) which now stands there. All of the family maintain a lively interest in the church, and Harold received part of his schooling in its academy. Like de la Cierva, Harold Pitcairn learned to fly as a youngster, but he did not engage seriously in aviation until 1924. He founded Pit cairn Aircraft Co. at Willow Grove, Pa., and in 1925 went to Spain to discuss the autogiro with de la Cierva. In 1928 he brought the first autogiro to the U. S. and with part of the fortune which he realized from sale of his profitable New York-Atlanta airmail route to the Curtiss-Keys group, he purchased the right to develop the autogiro in. this country. Thereafter he and the inventor worked silently and exceedingly hard—and practically solely with Pitcairn money—to bring the autogiro to a point of commercial feasibility. They formed Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Co., now Autogiro Co. of America, for engineering and development and to license other companies to manufacture the autogiro for sale. At present there are two licensees—Pitcairn Aircraft Inc. of Willow Grove, Pa. and Kellett Aircraft Co. of Philadelphia. Other companies are said to be negotiating for rights. The autogiros sold were built by Pitcairn. They are special three-place jobs, powered with a Wright 300 h. p. J-6 motor and capable of 125 m. p. h. The sale price was $15,000. The light two-place sport model to be offered the public will be somewhat slower, will cost between $6,000 and $7,000.