Miss Pittsburgh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miss Pittsburgh is a history-making airplane that made the first airmail flight from from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cleveland, Ohio on April 21, 1927.[1] It was an OX-5 powered Waco 9 airplane that was restored by OX 5 Aviation Pioneers and now hangs at Pittsburgh International Airport Landside Terminal.
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[edit] Design
Miss Pittsburgh was a Waco 9 aircraft, designed by Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio. There were two others Waco 9 aircraft - Miss Youngstown and Miss McKeesport. It was powered by an OX-5 engine, used in World War I for training aircraft. Its wingspan was 29.6 feet and it was 23 feet long.
The wings were made of spruce and the sides of the plane were cloth stretched over metal tubing. It had no radio or brakes.
[edit] Performance
Miss Pittsburgh could carry up to 800 pounds and flew at a speed of nearly 100 miles per hour at a flight altitude of 1,000 to 5,000 feet.
[edit] History
Miss Pittsburgh was first owned by Clifford Ball and made her virgin airmail flight around noon, April 21, 1927, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cleveland, Ohio. Clifford Ball was awarded the Contract Air Mail No. 11 for this flight and expanded his airmail service (Skyline Transportation Company), buying the two other Waco 9 aircraft and founding Cliff Ball Mail Line that later bore names of Pennsylvania Airlines, Pennsylvania Central Airline, Capital Airlines and finally became a part of United Airlines.
Around 1960 Miss Pittsburgh was being used for advertising in Florida. In 1993, the OX 5 Pioneers rediscovered the plane in the Rhinebeck NY Aerodrome. They raised money and worked with the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics to have it returned to Pittsburgh and refurbished.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- OX 5 AVIATION PIONEERS HONORED AT THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT
- Greg Latshaw, Pilot led effort to restore 'Miss Pittsburgh', Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Thursday, July 6, 2006
- The Aviation Foundation, Aeroclub Pittsburgh
- CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-11
- Clifford Ball Airline
