Pitcairn Mailwing

Short description: American 1920s three-seat mail and utility biplane

Mailwing

PA-8 Mailwing in flight

General information
National origin| United States
Manufacturer| Pitcairn Aircraft Company
Designer|

Agnew E. Larsen

Management and usage| United States Post Office Department

Number built| 106
History
Introduction date| 1927
First flight| 1927
Developed from| Pitcairn PA-4 Fleetwing II
PA-6 Super Mailwing NC15307 at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

The Pitcairn Mailwing family is a series of American mail carrier and three-seat sport utility biplane aircraft produced from 1927 to 1931.

## Contents

* 1 Design and development
* 2 Variants
* 3 Operators
* 4 Survivors and aircraft on display
* 5 Specifications (PA-7M Super Mailwing)
* 6 See also
* 6.1 Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
* 6.2 Related lists
* 7 References
* 7.1 Citations
* 7.2 Bibliography

## 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

Pitcairn Mailwing PA-5, at the National Air and Space Museum PA-7S Super Sport Mailwing

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-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

Template:Canada

* Royal Canadian Air Force one PA-5 Mailwing for experimental use by Station Flight, CFB Borden[3]

United States

* 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[Usurped!]

## Survivors and aircraft on display

* PA-5 c/n 1 NC2895 on display at the National 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 currently owned and operated by the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Rockland, Maine
* 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)

Pitcairn PA-7 Sport Mailwing 3-view from Aero Digest April, 1930

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)

* Alexander Eaglerock
* American Eagle A-101
* Brunner-Winkle Bird
* Buhl-Verville CA-3 Airster
* Command-Aire 3C3
* Parks P-1
* Spartan C3
* Stearman C2 and C3
* Swallow New Swallow
* Travel Air 2000 and 4000
* Waco 10

### Related lists

* List of aircraft
* List of civil aircraft

## References

### Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Juptner, Joseph P. (1963). U.S. Civil Aircraft Vol.2. Los Angeles: Aero Publishers. pp. 279–81.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Eckland, K.O.. "Pitcairn". http://aerofiles.com/_pitc.html. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
3. ↑ "Pitcairn Mailwing". https://caspir.warplane.com/asrc/acn/200001030/. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
4. ↑ "Pitcairn". http://www.nationalaviation.org/pitcairn-harold/. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
5. ↑ Grey, C.G., ed (1931). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1931. London: Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd. p. 307c.

### Bibliography

* "Pitcairn Mailwing". airminded.net. http://www.airminded.net/mwing/mwing.html. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
* "U.S. Air Mail Service – 90th Anniversary". Antiqueairfield.com. http://www.antiqueairfield.com/features/us_airmail.html. Retrieved 2008-10-20.

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