Pitcairn Mailwing
American 1920s three-seat mail and utility biplane
title: "Pitcairn Mailwing" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1920s-united-states-mailplanes", "pitcairn-aircraft", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "biplanes", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1927"] description: "American 1920s three-seat mail and utility biplane" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcairn_Mailwing" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American 1920s three-seat mail and utility biplane ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mailwing |
| image | File:Pitcairn PA-8 Mailwing NC10753 during airshow at Geneseo, NY, MDF 0840.jpg |
| caption | PA-8 Mailwing in flight |
| type | Mail carrier and sport |
| national_origin | United States |
| manufacturer | Pitcairn Aircraft Company |
| designer | Agnew E. Larsen |
| first_flight | 1927 |
| introduction | 1927 |
| primary_user | United States Post Office Department |
| number_built | 106 |
| developed_from | Pitcairn PA-4 Fleetwing II |
| :: |
|name= Mailwing |image= File:Pitcairn PA-8 Mailwing NC10753 during airshow at Geneseo, NY, MDF 0840.jpg |caption=PA-8 Mailwing in flight |type=Mail carrier and sport |national_origin=United States |manufacturer=Pitcairn Aircraft Company |designer=Agnew E. Larsen |first_flight=1927 |introduction=1927 |retired= |status= |primary_user= United States Post Office Department |number_built=106 |developed_from=Pitcairn PA-4 Fleetwing II |variants= ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Pitcairn_PA-6_Mailwing_NC15307_Old_Rhinebeck,NY_MDF_2143.jpg" caption="PA-6 Super Mailwing NC15307 at [[Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome"] ::
The Pitcairn Mailwing family is a series of American mail carrier and three-seat sport utility biplane aircraft produced from 1927 to 1931.
Design and development
The Pitcairn Mailwings were developed to carry air mail for the United States Post Office Department. Of simple and robust construction, they had relatively benign flying characteristics.
They were constructed using chrome-moly steel tube and square-section spruce spars with spruce and plywood built-up ribs. The fuselage was faired using wooden formers and covered with fabric. The tail sections were built up from steel tube and fabric-covered. The Pitcairn Mailwing had a ground-adjustable fin and in-flight adjustable tailplane.
The undercarriage was of outrigger type with Oleo-Spring shock absorbers and disc brakes on the mainwheels. All versions looked very similar and changes were minor, with several fuselage extensions being the most obvious.
The mail was carried in a fireproof metal-lined compartment forward of the pilot's cockpit. The Mailwings were flown extensively by the U.S. Air Mail service from 1927 until the end of dedicated Air-Mail routes.
Pitcairn also built the same aircraft in sport versions for private use. These aircraft had the mail compartment removed, and a side-by-side two-seat cockpit was fitted.
Variants
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Pitcairn_pa-5_mailwing_National_Air_and_Space_Museum_photo_D_Ramey_Logan.jpg" caption="Pitcairn Mailwing PA-5, at the [[National Air and Space Museum"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/PA7-S_mailwing.jpg" caption="PA-7S Super Sport Mailwing"] ::
Data from: Aerofiles : Pitcairn
- PA-5 - original production version of 1927 with Wright J-5-9 engine; ATC 18 (32 built)
- PA-5 Mailwing - mail carrier version
- PA-5 Sport Mailwing - sport version with seats for two passengers
- PA-6 - 1928 production version with Wright J-5-9 engine; ATC 2-22 (early), 92 (late) (53 built)
- PA-6 Super Mailwing - mail carrier version
- PA-6B Super Mailwing - (1 converted from PA-6)
- PA-6 Sport Mailwing - sport version with seats for two passengers
- PA-6 Super Mailwing - mail carrier version
- PA-7 - 1929 production version with Wright J-6 engine; ATC 196
- PA-7A Sport Mailwing
- PA-7M Super Mailwing - mail carrier version (12 built)
- PA-7S Super Sport Mailwing (15 built)
- PA-8 - 1930 production version with Wright J-6 engine; ATC 364
- PA-8M Super Mailwing - mail carrier version (6 built)
Operators
;
- Royal Canadian Air Force one PA-5 Mailwing for experimental use by Station Flight, CFB Borden ;
- United States Post Office Department
- Howard Hughes owned a PA-5 Mailwing with a chrome plated engine.
- Felix du Pont owned a PA-5 with gold plated rocker covers.
- Steve McQueen owned a
Survivors and aircraft on display
- PA-5 c/n 1 NC2895 on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC
- PA-5 c/n 9 NC3835 currently on display at the Shannon Air Museum, Fredericksburg, VA
- PA-6 c/n 48 NC548K currently on display at the Eagles Mere Air Museum, Laporte, PA
- PA-7S c/n 147 NC95W on display at the EAA Aviation Museum, Oshkosh, WI
- PA-7S c/n 151 NC13158 currently owned and operated by the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Rockland, Maine
- PA-6 c/n 159 NC15307 on display at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, Poughkeepsie, NY
- PA-8 c/n 164 NC10753
- PA-8 c/n 162 NC10751 on display at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum, Horsham, PA
Specifications (PA-7M Super Mailwing)
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Pitcairn_PA-7_Sport_Mailwing_3-view_Aero_Digest_April,1930.png" caption="Pitcairn PA-7 Sport Mailwing 3-view from Aero Digest April, 1930"] ::
|ref=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1931, Aerofiles: Pitcairn |prime units?=imp General characteristics
|crew=1 |capacity=mail compartment 40 cuft / 550 lb payload |length ft=23 |length in=9 |upper span ft=33 |lower span ft=30 |height ft=9 |height in=6.5 |wing area sqft=243.5 |airfoil=Pitcairn No.1 |empty weight lb=1820 |gross weight lb=3050 |max takeoff weight lb= |max takeoff weight note= |fuel capacity=60 USgal |more general= Powerplant
|eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Wright J-6 Whirlwind |eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine |eng1 hp=220
|prop blade number=2 |prop name=Standard steel propeller |prop dia m= |prop dia ft= |prop dia in= |prop dia note= Performance
|max speed mph=150 |max speed note=** **
- Landing speed: 57 mph |cruise speed mph=112 |cruise speed note=(PA-5) |stall speed mph=45 |stall speed note=(PA-5) |never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed kts= |never exceed speed note= |range miles=520 |range note= |ferry range km= |ferry range miles= |ferry range nmi= |ferry range note= |endurance= |ceiling ft=18000 |ceiling note=(PA-5) |climb rate ftmin=1100 |climb rate note=(PA-5) |time to altitude= |wing loading lb/sqft=12.1 |fuel consumption kg/km= |fuel consumption lb/mi= |power/mass=13.8 lb/hp |more performance=
References
Citations
Bibliography
References
- Juptner, Joseph P.. (1963). "U.S. Civil Aircraft Vol.2". Aero Publishers.
- "Pitcairn Mailwing".
- "Pitcairn".
- (1931). "Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1931". Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd.
- "Pitcairn".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::