Kellett KD-1

what is it?

The Kellett KD-1 is a 1930s American autogyro built by the Kellett Autogiro Company. It had the distinction of being the first practical rotary-wing aircraft used by the United States Army and inaugurated the first scheduled air-mail service using a rotary-wing aircraft.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 engine · 12.2 m main rotor

base stats

• speed 201 km/htop speed
• range 322 kmwithout refuelling
• size 1,018 kgmax take-off weight

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 92 years ago, in 1934.
• 🏎️Top speed is 1.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Rotor of 12.2 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

spec sheet

first flight

1934

number built

—

role

autogyro

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Kellett Autogiro Corporation

engines

1× Jacobs L-4MA

crew

2

length

8.8 m

rotor diameter

12.2 m

height

3.1 m

max take-off weight

1,018 kg

top speed

201 km/h

range

322 km

ceiling

4,267 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.