10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. PA7-S mailwing: FlugKerl2· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Pitcairn PA-6 Mailwing NC15307 Old Rhinebeck,NY MDF 2143: NiD.29· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. Pitcairn PA-8 Mailwing NC10753 during airshow at Geneseo, NY, MDF 0840: NiD.29· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. Pitcairn pa-5 mailwing National Air and Space Museum photo Don Ramey Logan: Don Ramey Logan· CC BY 4.0
- 5. 1930 Pitcairn PA-7S Sport Mailwing - NC95W, EAA Aviation Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, US julesvernex2: Jules Verne Times Two· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 6. Pitcairn Mailwing at Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum: FossilDS· CC0
- 7. Pitcairn Mailwing PA-5 forward structure photo NACA Aircraft Circular No.62: NACA Aircraft Circular· Public domain
- 8. Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing Aero Digest November 1927: Aero Digest Magazine· Attribution
- 9. Pitcairn PA-6 Mailwing NC644E: Unknown author Unknown author· CC0
- 10. Pitcairn PA-6 Super Mailwing Le Document aéronautique March,1929: Le Document aéronautique· Public domain
what is it?
The Pitcairn Mailwing family is a series of American mail carrier and three-seat sport utility biplane aircraft produced from 1927 to 1931.
base stats
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 99 years ago, in 1927.
- Top speed is 1.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1927
- introduced
- 1927
- number built
- 106
- role
- mail carrier and sport
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- Pitcairn Aircraft Company
- engines
- 1× Wright J-6 Whirlwind
- crew
- 1
- length
- 7.2 m
- height
- 2.9 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,383 kg
- top speed
- 241 km/h
- cruise speed
- 180 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 5,486 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q2533014, Wikipedia: Pitcairn Mailwing (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.