Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-14
WINDMILL" PLANE
AT BOILING FIELD
Head of Pitcairn Aviation Ex.
plains Autogyro to Army
Officers.

The Capital had its first glimpse Of
the Cierva Autogyro. or WINDMILL
plane. whose principal lifting power is
four vanes mounted vertically above the
wings, when Harold F. Pitcairn, presi-
dent Of Pitcairn Aviation, stopped off in
the Capital for a short while yesterday
afternoon on q 300-mile trip from Phil
adelphia to Langley Field, Va. The long
flight of the autogyrc is believed to be
a record for such machines. The long
est flight heretofore is believed to be the
26-mile crossing of the English Channel.
The strengthening craft dropped un-
heralded out of the hay sky yesterday
afternoon. Pumping itself in an almost
vertical landing, upon Boiling Field.
Pitcairn was greeted by Maj. Howard
G. Davidson, commandant of the field,
and in a few minutes Maj. Gen. James
E. Fechet, chief of The Air Corps. and
Brig. Gen. w. e. Gilmore, new assistant
chief of the Air Corps, were on the field
for an inspection Of the craft. Pit
cairn gave complete demonstration Of
the machine, taking OF and landing
and explaining the intricacies of its OPP
Grafton.
Pitcairn left Philadelphia at 12:45
O'Clock and made the trip to the Cap
ital in an hour and IS minutes The
$50 miles from Boiling to Langley also
was made in an hour and As minutes,
Pitcairn arriving there after a fight
through hazy weather at 6:15 o'clock.
While Pitcairn flew alone in the auto
giro. another plane accompanying him
carried the mechanic who has worked
on the autogiro since it h2S been In
the United States.
The windmill" machine is the only
one Of its kind. and was made in Eng
land. It embodies both helicopter and
orthodox plane features, having in
addition to its four-vaned vertical lift
| ing apparatus, regular propeller
mounted on the nose, which serves to
pull the craft along. The present model
has no way of starting the vanes in
| motion. other than taxing about the
take-off field and letting the vanes
catch up from air pressure. Other
autogiroS Pitcairn says, will have a
| mechanical starting apparatus for the
| lifting vanes and will embody other
| Improvements growing out of flights
with the first machine.
From almost lowering. the craft can
| pick up to a speed Of about ITO miles
an hour, Pitcairn says. It handles just
| like an ordinary plane, In flight.
A new model Is under construction
| in this country.
Pitcairn is in Langley Field today
showing his strange machine to the
| the foremost aviation men in the coun-
try. who are attending the National
advisory committee for aeronautics exc
cutive committee conference there.
Harry F. Guggenhein1, president OF
the Guggenheim Foundation for the
| Promotion of Aeronautics, also stopped
of at Boiling Field yesterday afternoon
| en- route to Langley Field.
He arrived in Col. Chas. A. Lindberg's
blue and orange Curtiss Falcon, which
| had been borrowed by Lieut. James
Doolittle for the trip from New York to
| the Capital Guggenheim left the plane
here and took the boat last night fol
Old Point Comfort. Va, while Doolittle
continued on in Col. Lindbergh's plane
He will pick up Guggenheim late today
and take him back to Mitchell Field
| New York.