The Kellett K-2 was a two-seat

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...

developed in the United States in the early 1930s. Later examples were designated K-3 and K-4 when equipped with more powerful engines. K-3 NC 12691 is seen in the 1934 movie, ''

It Happened One Night ''It Happened One Night'' is a 1934 pre-Code American romantic comedy film with elements of screwball comedy directed and co-produced by Frank Capra, in collaboration with Harry Cohn, in which a pampered socialite ( Claudette Colbert) tr ...

''.

Design and development

In design, it was similar to the

Cierva The Cierva Autogiro Company was a British firm established in 1926 to develop the autogyro. The company was set up to further the designs of Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish engineer and pilot, with the financial backing of James George Weir, a Scott ...

and

Pitcairn The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four is ...

autogyros of the day; an airplane-like fuselage with a nose-mounted engine, surmounted by a rotor mast. Like some of Cierva's designs, the K-2 also featured stubby fixed wings for additional lift, also as a mount for

ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

for lateral control. The pilot and a single passenger sat side by side in an open cockpit, although a folding canopy (similar to that of a convertible automobile) was available as an optional extra. The first flight took place on April 24, 1931, and certification by the Department of Commerce was granted on May 27. Kellett built a batch of 12 K-2s, and the type was evaluated by the United States Army as a slow-flying reconnaissance machine to observe enemy troop movements. Its performance was, however, judged to be too limited for military use. The K-3 of 1932 was virtually identical, but featured a Kinner engine in place of the original Continental Motors unit. One of these machines (c/n 18, registration NR12615) became the first rotary-wing aircraft to fly in the Antarctica, when taken there on

Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

's second Antarctic expedition in 1933-34. It crashed in Antarctica on September 28, 1934 and was left there. Two K-3s were also sold to the Japanese War Office. A K-2 (c/n 2, originally registered NC10767) was discovered derelict in a barn and restored to flying condition by Al Letcher of Mojave in 2002. This machine had been used in the Army evaluation of 1931, and in 2008 is displayed at the

National Museum of the United States Air Force The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...

Variants

* K-2 - original version with 165-170 hp Continental A-70 7-cyl. radial engine (12 built) ** K-2A - version with

Continental R-670 The Continental R-670 (factory designation W670) was a seven-cylinder four-cycle radial aircraft engine produced by Continental displacing 668 cubic inches (11 litres) and a dry weight of . Horsepower varied from 210 to 240 at 2,200 rpm. The en ...

engine (four converted from K-2) * K-3 - version with

Kinner C-5 The Kinner C-5 was an American five cylinder radial engine for small general and sport aircraft of the 1930s. Design and development The C-5 was a development of the earlier R-5 with greater power and dimensions. The main change was the increas ...

engine (four built, plus two converted from K-2) * K-4 - version with

(one converted from K-2)

Specifications (K-3)

References

Notes

Bibliography

*
Kellett K-2/K-3 Autogiro
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