| Sky Car | |
|---|---|
| Role | Ornithopter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | John W. Pitts |
| Designer | John W. Pitts |
| First flight | attempted in 1928 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Pitts Sky Car was an unsuccessful aircraft designed for vertical take off, by inventor John W. Pitts of Detroit, Michigan.
Pitts filed a United States patent in 1924 for a propeller, "which will cause an immediate vertical lift of any aerial car to which the propeller is attached". This consisted of a "mushroom-shaped" rotor of 60 blades, each hinged at the root. An engine would rotate and reciprocate the propeller, causing the blades to close on the downstroke and open on the upstroke, which it was hoped would induce lift. The patent was granted in October 1926.[1]
In collaboration with W. P. Kindree, Pitts constructed a 2,700 lb (1,200 kg) prototype with a 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5 engine. A newsreel of 1928 shows the Sky Car attempting to fly; however rather than take off, it merely jumps up and down.[2][3]