Kellett Autogiro Corporation

The Kellett Autogiro Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer from 1929 based in Philadelphia, named after founder W. Wallace Kellett.

Kellett Autogiro Corporation
IndustryAerospace
Founded1929
FounderW. Wallace Kellett
Headquarters
Philadelphia 
,
United States of America 
Kellett XR-10

History

The Kellett Autogiro Corporation was formed in 1929 after it acquired a licence from Pitcairn-Cierva to build autogiros. The first three designed were all typical Cierva designs and the more advanced KD-1 was similar to the contemporary Cierva C.30. The KD-1/G-1 was the first practical rotary-wing aircraft used by the United States Army. The company stopped building autogyros in the late 1940s and switched to the design of helicopters. In the 1950s it built some ultra-light helicopters the RH-1 to test some rotor features and its last design the K-25 was an experimental convertiplane using tilt-rotors.

Aircraft
Model name First flight Number built Type
Kellett K-2 1931 12 Utility autogyro
Kellett K-3 4-6 Re-engined version of K-2
Kellett K-4 1 Re-engined version of K-2
Kellett KD-1 1934 Utility autogyro
Kellett XR-8 1944 2 Single engine intermeshing rotor prototype military helicopter
Kellett XR-10 1947 2 Twin engine intermeshing rotor prototype military helicopter
Kellett KH-15[1] 1954 Flying platform
Kellett K-25[2] Twin engine convertiplane

References
  1. "Known as Stable Mable" FLIGHT, 2 November 1956, p. 727
  2. "Projected Convertiplane" FLIGHT, 21 March 1958, p. 397.

Bibliography
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. p. 2254.
  • Gunston, Bill (1993). World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 168.
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