Autogiro Flies over DC

Item

Item sets
Mall Histories
Washington
Title
Autogiro Flies over DC
Creator
Paramount News
Date
19 December 1928
Description
In December 1928, Harold F. Pitcairn piloted an autogiro from Philadelphia to Washington, DC to introduce this new aircraft to Americans. It was reportedly the first extended autogiro flight in the US. Pitcairn was an airplane manufacturer. Paramount Pictures captured the flight over the Mall in this newsreel. It was part of Pitcairn's marketing efforts to sell autogiros as personal aircraft to the public and policymakers.
Format
Moving Image
Temporal Coverage
1920-1949
Source
Department of the Air Force via National Archives.
View original
Transcription
“Gyro” Flies to Capitol! Philadelphia, Pa. Gyroplane with
whirling wings for lifting power, makes first long flight in U.S. H.F.Pitcairn pilots craft on 135-mile hop. [00:23] Over Washington! ‘Flying windmill’, designed for small landing spaces, hovers above Lincoln Memorial. [00:41] Washington’s strangest visitor gets an aerial view of Washington Monument and the Capitol.
Event Type
DC History