pitcairn

There may be some confusion about the identity of this autogyro. The famous 'Miss Champion' autogyro operated by the Champion Spark Plug Company was PCA-2 NC11609 c/n B-27. It was bought as a promotional machine in 1931 and '32, and was flown over 6,500 miles in the 1931 Ford National Reliability Air Tour. This machine was restored to flying condition in 1982 by Steve Pitcairn, Harold's son. In 2005, he donated it to the EAA AirVenture Museum, where many photos can be found online clearly showing the tail number as NC11609. The aircraft in the above photo was the PCA-2 owned by King Baird, which may be indeed be NC11608 c/n B-26, but the only other photo I could find of Baird's aircraft (damaged) does not clearly show the reg number, nor does the photo above. To further confuse things, the famous Golden Years database lists NC11608 c/n B-26 as Miss Champion, not NC11609 c/n B-27. Further info appreciated.

Perhaps this is the Emily McCoy described in The Ogden standard., June 10, 1916, 4 P.M. CITY EDITION, MAGAZINE SECTION (Image 23) chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85058396/1916-06-10/ed-... She was returning to the Pitcairn Islands as a graduate nurse and able to bring medical expertise to the remote location. She left fifteen years earlier hoping to gain such expertise, after her mother died in the absence of medical care.

Another photograph of her is in The North Platte semi-weekly tribune., August 25, 1916, Image 2, "QUEEN OF PITCAIRN ISLAND".

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