North American Rotorwerks Pitbull Ultralight
The North American Rotorwerks Pitbull Ultralight is an American autogyro, designed and produced by North American Rotorwerks of Tukwila, Washington. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction, but by 2013 production had been suspended. Design and development. The Pitbull Ultralight was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of , although the aircraft has a standard empty weight of . It features a single main rotor, a single-seat open cockpit with a windshield, conventional landing gear and a  twin cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, single-ignition Rotax 447 engine in tractor configuration. The dual ignition Rotax 503 and the Subaru EA81 automotive conversion are both optional. The aircraft fuselage is made from bolted-together square aluminum tubing, with the engine mount made from 6061-T6 aluminium. The down-struts are made from 4130 steel tubing. Its diameter Fleck rotor has a chord of and is made from extruded aluminum. The landing gear is made from 4130 steel tubing and the tailplane is strut-braced. An electric pre-rotator is standard, while a bubble canopy for year-round flying  is optional. With its empty weight of and a gross weight of , the useful load is . The aircraft is intended to resemble the autogyros of the 1930s and as such it uses a radial engine-style round cowling, rounded rudder, barrel-shaped fuselage and other antique styling details. Operational history. By January 2013 five examples had been registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.