Kellett Autogiro Corporation

Kellett K-2

Kellett XR-10

The Kellett Autogiro Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer from 1929 based in Philadelphia, named after founder W. Wallace Kellett (1891; July 23, 1951).

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

• Kellett K-2
• Kellett K-3
• Kellett K-4
• Kellett KD-1
• Kellett XR-8
• Kellett XR-10
• Kellett KH-15
• Kellett K-25

References

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. p. 2254. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Gunston, Bill (1993). World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 168.