Eastern Rotorcraft Corp Z-9

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Geoff-R

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Does anyone have any information on this Ayres helicopter project? Did it fly? On the FAA website N4014A is registered as a fixed wing aircraft. Photo is at the Wings of Freedom Museum. The sign board says it dates from 1979.

Thanks

Geoff
 

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  • N4014A Ayres Corp S2R-R3S Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum 53786791936_2a36d2f988_o.jpg
    N4014A Ayres Corp S2R-R3S Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum 53786791936_2a36d2f988_o.jpg
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What's Ayres ?,the company of Turbo-Thrush ?.
 
I think the museum has got the wrong information displayed both in terms of name and date, which caught me out.

Looking back at FAA records N4014A was registered to Eastern Rotorcraft Corp 13th April 1959. The Model name is given as a Z-9 with construction number 1. N4014A was cancelled 19th March 1971.

The address of Eastern Rotorcraft Corp is given as Doylestown, PA, which probably explains why it has ended up in a museum in PA.

I now see mention of the Eastern Rotorcraft Corp Z-8 on this thread

Little-known American Helicopter Prototypes & Projects​

It was a flying kite rotorcraft that flew in 1948.

N4014A was used again for an Ayres S2R-R3S fixed wing aircraft in 1979 - no connection to the aircraft in the museum.

Best Regards

Geoff
 
Also found out that two Fa 330s were loaned by the US Air Force to Eastern Rotorcraft Corp. for flight testing, maybe in 1946 or 1947. These tests probably helped with the development of the Z-8.
 
Geoff-R said:
N4014A was used again for an Ayres S2R-R3S fixed wing aircraft in 1979 - no connection to the aircraft in the museum.
Click to expand...
Now THAT explains why this would-be Ayres helicopter had a designation looking suspiciously like that of a cropduster... I had plans to do some digging some time, so thank you for sorting out the mess!
So in other words, this museum got the whole thing totally wrong... A MUSEUM??? Dear me... Some curator they have...

Searching through my own database for Eastern Rotorcraft, here is what I found:
Eastern Rotorcraft Corp., Doylestown, PA (staffed by former members of Pitcairn); later in Neshaminy, Bucks County, PA (mail address at Willow Grove, PA) (partners: J. P. Perry & J. R. Huber)
Z-8 1946 1 N69131 (c/n 1) Powerless single-seat rotary wing glider, a "flying kite" requiring tow for sustained flight. Built by Harris Campbell, Jack Marsh, Dick Huber, and J. P. Perry. Registered with J. R. Huber from Warrington, PA.
Z-9 1959 1 N4014A (c/n 1) Rotorcraft, no data.
Click to expand...
So the museum machine is indeed the Z-9, not the Z-8, and was flown in 1959.
 
True. I even was thinking yesterday to write that if someone shown me those two pictures from museum, I would say that it is from the 1950's - based on the rotorhead style, blades, way the truss is welded, and style of handles, cables, even painting.

I am trying to corroborate somehow that it can be that very helicopter, but so far no luck.
 
Confirmed:
1999_v45_n3_summer_p49_trim.jpg

That one found in volume 55, no 3 on page 49 of the Vertiflite mag.

Below is the description indicating its owner and place of storage - Mr Paul Kopczynski (or in my mother tongue - Paweł Kopczyński) [From Vertiflite vol 45, no 4 page 5]

1999_v45_n04_p5.jpg

Summary has been updated:
https://rotorcraft.info/fe/acft/1574
 
Last edited:
The Z-8 was a different bird. It was enclosed, for a start. Sorry I can't provide a better quality picture.
 

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  • Eastern Rotorcraft Z-8.jpg
    Eastern Rotorcraft Z-8.jpg
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Thank you for all for the clarification. There is so much misleading information out there and in the minds of the volunteers that helped with this exhibit. Delineating between real and fake was not easy on this one. The information on the signage in the museum has been corrected. Thank you again.
 
WOFAM said:
Thank you for all for the clarification. There is so much misleading information out there and in the minds of the volunteers that helped with this exhibit. Delineating between real and fake was not easy on this one. The information on the signage in the museum has been corrected. Thank you again.
Click to expand...
Post for us more, bigger and more detailed pictures of it please ;)
 

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