One of only two surviving examples of this type. Retired in 1932 by Champion it wound up in a barn gathering dust until rescued by Steve Pitcairn, the designer's son, in 1982. He had Miss Champion restored to flying condition and flew her to Oshkosh in 1986. In September 2005, it joined the permanent collection of the EAA AirVenture Museum, where it is now on display as a prized example of early rotary-winged flight.

After being restored by Steve Pitcairn, one of the first public demonstration flights was at the 1986 EAA Convention, as seen here. In September 2005 Mr. Pitcairn donated this aircraft to the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, WI. where it is on display.

Built in 1931 for the Champion Spark Plug Company. Flown by Captain Lewis Yancey 1931-32 in demonstration flights, one of them being a flight over the Gulf of Mexico from Havana, Cuba to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It was then on display at the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry until it was sold off after WW2. It was eventually discovered in a barn and was acquired by Steve Pitcairn, who restored it to flying condition. Steve is seen in the slide taxiing out for takeoff at the 1986 EAA Convention, which was one of the first public flying displays of it after restoration.

Johnny Miller flew his black autogyro across the United States in May 1931, arriving in San Diego on 28 May and beating Amelia Earhart in sister ship NC10780. Miller landed at Mines Field on 30 May. Photo from: Los Angeles Times / University of California, Los Angeles

Amelia Earhart flew NC10780 from Newark to Oakland in May and June 1931, handing out Beech-Nut chewing gum at each of her many stops, and Johnny Miller in sister ship NC10781 beat her to become the first person to fly across the USA in an autogyro. She then made hers a return trip, but crashed NC10780 in Detroit. NC10780 ended up in Norway as LN-EAD. Photo from: Purdue University Libraries

1931-built Pitcairn PCA-2 used by the Champion Spark Plug company pre-war in publicity flights.

1931-built Autogyro preserved at the Dearborn Museum near Detroit.