[WWII] Pitcairn PA-26 portable autogyro (USA, fictional)

[copeab]

A larger and more capable version of what I posted earlier in the week.
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Pitcairn PA-26 portable autogyro
Copyright 2012 by Brandon Cope

While the PA-23 was easily portable, it was fragile, unreliable, and had generally poor performance. Additionally, the pilot was completely exposed to the elements and enemy fire The PA-26 was of similar configuration to the PA-23, with a pusher engine and tricycle landing gear. The pilot sat enclosed in a plexiglass and metal strip bubble at the front, with 10 cf (200 lbs) of cargo behind him.

While the PA-26 was sturdy and with sufficient performance, it was much less portable and had double the stall speed of the PA-23. It was also unarmed, but experience with the PA-23 showed that a single machinegun was not a real asset (and sometimes encouraged a pilot to fight things he should have fled from).

Only around 25-30 of the PA-26 were built and, like the PA-23, were mostly deployed in the CBI theater, although a half dozen were used in the Balkans and Greece.

Crew consists of the pilot. The PA-26 uses 4.4 gallons of aviation fuel per hour.

Subassemblies: Small Helicopter Chassis +1, Rotors with folding option +0, three fixed Wheels -2
P&P: 97 kW HP gasoline engines w/97-kW prop, 15 gallon standard tank [Body]
Occ: 1 CS Cargo: 2

Armor
Body: 2/4
Rotors: 2/5
Wheels: 2/3

Equipment
Body: Medium range radio receiver and transmitter.

Statistics
Size: 30'x30'x9'
Payload: 0.25 tons
Lwt: 0.58 tons
Volume: 36
Maint.: 189 hours
Price: $1,100

HT: 10
HP: 28 [body], 16 [rotor], 2 [each wheel]

aSpeed: 135
aAccel: 5
aDecel: 5
aMR: 1
aSR: 1
Stall: 34 mph
Take-off roll: 43 yards. Landing roll: 15 yard

Design Notes
To better match historical autogyros, rotor area was raised to the 1.75 power in stall calculations and 1.5 power in speed calculations. Takeoff was divided by 3 and landing distances by 10.

Variants
Inevitably, attempts were made to give the autogyro an optional armament. Two 100-lb hardpoints were retrofitted under the fuselage and either two 100-lb bombs or two pods with a .30-cal M-2 Browning and 500 rpg were carried (or one of each). The only significant operational use of this version was dropping leaflet bombs encouraging Axis troops to surrender.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by copeab

Only around 25-30 of the PA-26 were built and, like the PA-23, were mostly deployed in the CBI theater, although a half dozen were used in the Balkans and Greece.

These might have been useful in the Southwest Pacific Theatre, too. There's plenty of annoying mountains in New Guinea and the Philippines, and the ability to move even tiny cargoes quickly without an airfield would be invaluable.

[copeab]

Originally Posted by johndallman

These might have been useful in the Southwest Pacific Theatre, too. There's plenty of annoying mountains in New Guinea and the Philippines, and the ability to move even tiny cargoes quickly without an airfield would be invaluable.

Yeah, autogyros would probably be best used as light transports (perhaps two men or 500 lbs). The utility autogyro I posted the other week was aimed at a similar role.