This beautiful airplane landed twice at Tucson. Both times it was piloted by Albert C. Carl carrying A.K. Owen as passenger. Based at Reading, PA, its first visit was on Sunday, September 9, 1928. Carl and Owen were westbound from Lordsburg, NM to Los Angeles, CA. Their second visit was on Friday, September 21, 1928 at 8:00AM. They arrived from Phoenix, AZ and stayed on the ground for ten minutes before heading east toward El Paso, TX. Below, from the Cox article (cited, left sidebar), an in-flight profile.

Pitcairn Fleetwing C3261, 1991 (Source: Sport Aviation Magazine)

In 1928, the National Air Races were held in Los Angeles from September 9-16. Flown by A.K. Owen, C3261 placed 20th, well out of the money, in the Transcontinental Class A Race from New York to Los Angeles, a distance of 2,939 miles. According to the Aircraft Yearbook for 1929 (pp. 429ff.), which documented the 1928 NAR, neither Carl nor Owen competed in or placed in any other event.

Pitcairn Fleetwing C3261, 1991 (Source: Sport Aviation Magazine)

This airplane is unique among Register aircraft, because it is still registered with the FAA and it is still flying. According to the Cox article, it was manufactured as serial number 5 under "Group 2 Approval" #2-21.

It was purchased by Mr. Owen with an OX-5 engine of 90HP on October 15, 1927. It was painted with "The City of Reading" on the fuselage. The Cox article goes into much detail regarding the history and restoration/rebuilding of the airplane. At right, an image of the workmanlike cockpit of C3251.

Below, a starboard profile of C3261 on the ground. The airplane left the factory painted black and AN orange-yellow, simiar to these colors.

Pitcairn Fleetwing C3261, 1991 (Source: Sport Aviation Magazine)

UPDATE: The airplane was reported as crashed as of September, 2012. It suffered a power loss on takeoff. The owner/pilot was banged up, but recovering. The plane will need a fairly extensive restoration to get it flying again. 

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 05/27/10 REVISED: 01/25/13