The Pitcairn Mailwing family is a series of American mail carrier and three-seat sport utility biplane aircraft produced from 1927 to 1931.
| Mailwing | |
|---|---|
 PA-8 Mailwing in flight | |
| General information | |
| Type | Mail carrier and sport |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Pitcairn Aircraft Company |
| Designer | |
| Primary user | United States Post Office Department |
| Number built | 106 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1927 |
| First flight | 1927 |
| Developed from | Pitcairn PA-4 Fleetwing II |
Design and development
The Pitcairn Mailwings were developed to carry air mail for the United States Post Office Department. Of simple and robust construction, they had relatively benign flying characteristics.[1]
They were constructed using chrome-moly steel tube and square-section spruce spars with spruce and plywood built-up ribs. The fuselage was faired using wooden formers and covered with fabric. The tail sections were built up from steel tube and fabric-covered. The Pitcairn Mailwing had a ground-adjustable fin and in-flight adjustable tailplane.[1]
The undercarriage was of outrigger type with Oleo-Spring shock absorbers and disc brakes on the mainwheels. All versions looked very similar and changes were minor, with several fuselage extensions being the most obvious.[1]
The mail was carried in a fireproof metal-lined compartment forward of the pilot's cockpit. The Mailwings were flown extensively by the U.S. Air Mail service from 1927 until the end of dedicated Air-Mail routes.[1]
Pitcairn also built the same aircraft in sport versions for private use. These aircraft had the mail compartment removed, and a side-by-side two-seat cockpit was fitted.[1]
Variants
Data from: Aerofiles : Pitcairn[2]
- PA-5 - original production version of 1927 with Wright J-5-9 engine; ATC 18 (32 built)
- PA-5 Mailwing - mail carrier version
- PA-5 Sport Mailwing - sport version with seats for two passengers
- PA-6 - 1928 production version with Wright J-5-9 engine; ATC 2-22 (early), 92 (late) (53 built)
- PA-6 Super Mailwing - mail carrier version
- PA-6B Super Mailwing - (1 converted from PA-6)
- PA-6 Sport Mailwing - sport version with seats for two passengers
- PA-6 Super Mailwing - mail carrier version
- PA-7 - 1929 production version with Wright J-6 engine; ATC 196
- PA-7A Sport Mailwing
- PA-7M Super Mailwing - mail carrier version (12 built)
- PA-7S Super Sport Mailwing (15 built)
- PA-8 - 1930 production version with Wright J-6 engine; ATC 364
- PA-8M Super Mailwing - mail carrier version (6 built)
Operators
- Royal Canadian Air Force one PA-5 Mailwing for experimental use by Station Flight, CFB Borden[3]
- United States Post Office Department
- Howard Hughes owned a PA-5 Mailwing with a chrome plated engine.
- Felix du Pont owned a PA-5 with gold plated rocker covers.[4]
- Steve McQueen owned a PA-8
Survivors and aircraft on display
- PA-5 c/n 1 NC2895 on display at the Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC
- PA-5 c/n 9 NC3835 currently on display at the Shannon Air Museum, Fredericksburg, VA
- PA-6 c/n 48 NC548K currently on display at the Eagles Mere Air Museum, Laporte, PA
- PA-7S c/n 147 NC95W on display at the EAA Aviation Museum, Oshkosh, WI
- PA-7S c/n 151 NC13158
- PA-6 c/n 159 NC15307 on display at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, Poughkeepsie, NY
- PA-8 c/n 164 NC10753
- PA-8 c/n 162 NC10751 on display at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum, Horsham, PA
Specifications (PA-7M Super Mailwing)
Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1931,[5] Aerofiles: Pitcairn[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: mail compartment 40 cu ft (1.1 m3) / 550 lb (250 kg) payload
- Length: 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m)
- Upper wingspan: 33 ft (10 m)
- Lower wingspan: 30 ft (9.1 m)
- Height: 9 ft 6.5 in (2.908 m)
- Wing area: 243.5 sq ft (22.62 m2)
- Airfoil: Pitcairn No.1
- Empty weight: 1,820 lb (826 kg)
- Gross weight: 3,050 lb (1,383 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 60 US gal (50 imp gal; 230 L)
- Powerplant: 1 × Wright J-6 Whirlwind 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 220 hp (160 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed Standard steel propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 150 mph (240 km/h, 130 kn)
- Landing speed: 57 mph (50 kn; 92 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 112 mph (180 km/h, 97 kn) (PA-5)[2]
- Stall speed: 45 mph (72 km/h, 39 kn) (PA-5)[2]
- Range: 520 mi (840 km, 450 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,500 m) (PA-5)[2]
- Rate of climb: 1,100 ft/min (5.6 m/s) (PA-5)[2]
- Wing loading: 12.1 lb/sq ft (59 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 13.8 lb/hp (8.4 kg/kW)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
(Partial listing, only covers most numerous types)
Related lists
References
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