Miss Champion Still Coming To Oshkosh, But Not In Time For EAA AirVenture

Plans to ferry the Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Champion to Oshkosh in time for EAA AirVenture 2005 had to be canceled this week by aircraft owner Steve Pitcairn due to family circumstances. In February, Pitcairn had announced his plans to donate the rare 1931 autogiro to EAA to take its place alongside EAA's restored and airworthy Pitcairn Mailwing and PA-39 autogiro in the Pitcairn Aviation Hangar at historic Pioneer Airport. That will now have to wait until late August or early September, he said.

Pitcairn's father, Harold, built the first PCA-2 in 1930 through a licensing agreement with inventor of the autogiro, Spanish aviation pioneer Juan de la Cierva. The PCA-2 (for Pitcairn Cierva Autogiro, Model 2) was the first commercially licensed autogiro in the United States. A total of 20 were built.