The Pitcairn PA-3 Orowing is an early Pitcairn biplane designed for light commercial use in the early 1920s when aircraft production rates did not meet demand for airmail, training, and passenger aircraft.[2]
Development
The Orowing was the first production aircraft from Pitcairn. Pitcairn purchased surplus Curtiss Oriole wings and mated them to production fuselages. The name "Orowing" is a mix of the PA-2 "Sesquiwing" and the Curtiss "Oriole". The initial production run also was powered by 250 surplus Curtiss OX-5 engines.[3]
Design
The three place Biplane was made of welded steel tube fuselage with an OX-5 engine. The aircraft featured dual controls for flight instruction. The wings were purchased from Curtiss and were the same design as a Curtiss Oriole.[4][5]
Operational history
Most Orrowing production was sold to Pitcairn Aviation for flight training and charters.