Wilcox ran an airport, located NE of Tulsa in Verdigris, that consisted of associated hangars and an office on 300 acres. William Collier built a number of planes there, reportedly including the 1930 T-12, until he relocated to Kansas.
The T-12-1 Sport Trainer was possibly first registred N550V.
T-12-1 Sport Trainer
Engine: 110hp Warner Scarab (originally a Siemens)
Wingspan: 31’6″
Length: 21’7″
Seats: 2
In 1928 Wilford visited Europe, and while there acquired the patent rights for the United States of a rotary wing aircraft conceived by a German named Rieseler. In 1929 Wilford began building his own gyroplanes.
The idea behind this American/German partnership was a scheme for feathering the pitch of the blades rotating round the hub instead of the blade flapping system which La Cierva employed in his autogyros. The feathering control, operated through a system of cams, affected only the lateral parts of the circle described by the rotor.
Wind-tunnel tests proved the effectiveness of the idea.
A Fleet XOZ-1 was modified to an autogiro configuration by the Pennsylvania Aircraft Syndicate, with a four-bladed autogiro rotor, held aloft over the forward cockpit by four steel struts, replacing the upper wing. The lower wing was retained and supports added, and the wheeled undercarriage was replaced by twin floats. The two-bladed wooden airscrew was retained, as were the two open, tandem cockpits. Wingspan was 8.33m.
The first Wilford gyroplane (X794W) made successful first flight on August 5, 1931 at Paoli, Pennsylvania, piloted by Frank P. Brown. The original model had an engine of only 85hp.
As a result of these tests, various improvements were later made, such as a much more powerful engine, increase in the size of the rotor, and extension of pitch control to the four quadrants of the circle described by it.
A single-seat open-cockpit autogiro the ship made hundreds of successful flights before its crash in 1935, killing pilot Joseph McCormick. Model designation from initials of Wilford and German aero engineers Walter Reiseler and Walter Kreiser, upon whose patented 1927 designs the ship was based. A second version in 1934, for USN and NACA tests, was built up from a Fleet N2Y-1 fuselage and tail group as Pennsylvania XOZ-1 (8602). It proved very successful, when tested by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, but nothing tangible ever materialized.
WRK Gyroplane
Number of seats: 1
Engine: 1 x ACE Mark III 85hp, repowered with 165hp Jacobs
Wingspan: 7.01m
Rotor diameter: 9.14m
Height: 3.05m
Weight fully loaded: 816kg
Max. speed: 190km/h
Min. speed: 50km/h
Wiley Post Aircraft Corp was founded in Oklahoma City in 1935 to build Model A (ATC 2-478, ATC 561), cheap two-seat aircraft. Designed by Ross Holmes and Glenn Stearman and powered by a 40hp Straughn AL-1000 converted Model A Ford engine, the first example was built by Straughan Aircraft. Reportedly was first developed as a parasol monoplane at Cessna factory. The ATC was issued in 1934.
One prototype (NX12561) and two production Model As were built in 1931-32 (N11919 and NC12582). Originally price at $1,438, it was $1,692 in 1935.
One 60hp experimental B NX493N was built.
Wiley Post acquired rights to Straughan assets 1935, and transferred production to Oklahoma City. Thirteen Model As built before company liquidated after Wiley Post’s death.
Engine: 40hp Straughn AL-1000 (converted Ford A)
Wingspan: 28’6″
Length: 19’9″
Useful load: 393 lb
Max speed: 82 mph
Cruise speed: 70 mph
Stall: 28 mph
Range: 110 mi
Seats: 2
One of four machines built Leutnant Karl Wildt (1882 – 1932) in Germany. Shown it at the “Bayerische Fliegerschule” at Oberwiesenfeld bei München, pilot and passenger are Bavarian officers.
Helmut Wilden designed the VoWi 8 two-seat lightweight sporting aircraft which first flew in 1974.
Ray Wilcoxsen of Indiana, USA, built in 1930 an aircraft for the light plane market, powered by a rebuilt Henderson motor cycle engine.
Wilcoxsen received a Commerce Department permit to fly the plane and planned to sell complete aircraft for $960 and plans for homebuilders.
Engine: Henderson motorcycle, 27 hp at 3000 rpm
Wingspan: 27 ft 3 in
Length: 14 ft 6 in
Empty weight: 280 lb
Fuel capacity: 7 USG
Max speed: 76 mph
Mr. Wilcox is now engaged at the factory of Moore and Morgen automobile body manufactures, 600 W. Fifth Street, here in the City of New York, building two more aeroplanes, which will be ready to try out at Garden City, L. 1., in about two or three weeks. Louis Strang has purchased one of these machine for $4,500. An effort is being made to have the other one ready for the International Aviation Meet at Belmont Park, L. 1., to defend the Cup won by Glen Curtis at Rheims. The machine which Wilcox has called the “White Ghost” will be operated by a professional aviator who has taken part in aero races abroad.
The Wilcox Aeroplane is modelled upon the Farnam style, but has a large number of decided improvements which, according to Captain Baldwin, make it the steadiest aeroplane on the field. Wilcox has formed a stock company for the purpose of building aeroplanes and has registered his machines in the United States Aeronautic Reserve in which about one thousand aeroplanes have been recorded. Aviators making the above registration, agree to give the use of their machines to the Government as scouts, absolutely free, should there be any wars.
Built in 1910 by Phillip W. Wilcox, the White Ghost was a two-place open cockpit biplane powered by a 50hp Rinek engine.
In 1910 Philip W. Wilcox built his first aeroplane as the required thesis in the Civil Engineering Department, in the University carpenter shop and christened it, “The Columbia.” At the end of the spring term, the machine was taken out to Garden City, L. 1., and assembled at the Triaca School of Aviation. This work required about a month for completion. After the aeroplane had been put together, an engine from the Eastern Cordage Cos., weighing 275 pounds and developing fifty horsepower, was installed. The engine was constructed of cast iron cylinders pressed in macadamite.
The finishing touches on the aeroplane were completed about the fifteenth of June and the machine was taken out for a trial. But the engine refused to work on account of water leaking into the cylinders. Two new cylinders were then obtained from the Eastern Cordage Cos., and preparations made for another trial. Louis Strang, the famous automobile driver, who has become an enthusiastic aviator, was engaged to make the flight. The performance, however, was a failure, due to lack of speed, caused by trouble with the radiator. In running around the field, one of the wheels ran into a stump and the aeroplane was damaged to the extent of $400, Strang escaped from injury, only by a miracle.
It required three or four weeks to make the necessary repairs and get the machine ready for another flight. The next attempt was made by C. K. Hamilton. Owing to a defect in the running gear the machine collapsed after running about 200 feet, causing another smash-up. Hamilton, however, escaped any serious injury. After this unsuccessful flight, the design of the running gear was changed from the Farman style to the Curtis type.
After making this change Wilcox decided to try out the machine himself. The aeroplane went up like a bird to a height of one hundred or more feet and flew about three-fourths of a mile, circled, returned to the field and made a beautiful landing near the starting point Wilcox was so overcome with this successful flight and excitement, that he had to be dragged from the machine by Captain Baldwin, Clifford B. Harmon, Mr, Fairchilds and a number of other noted aviators who had witnessed the flight.
On the morning of June 26, Wilcox made another flight, but after he had reached a height of fifty feet, the propeller was caught by a wire and broken. The machine descended without damage. The necessary repairs were made, and another attempt was made on the afternoon of the same day. Due to lack of experience in guiding the aeroplane, the machine was overturned by the wind, fell to the ground and was broken to splinters, Wilcox escaped injury only by some mysterious chance.
In 1931 Joe W Wilbur of Exeter NH., USA built a two place, open cockpit, monoplane N998M c/n M-2A. Powered by an 80hp Anzani, it was sold on 15 March 1937 and relocated in New Jersey. It was scrapped on 17 March 1938.
In 1964 Fritz Wigal built an experimental open-frame, single place, autogyro, N3W. The engine could be pivoted to direct prop blast against a 4-bladed stub rotor located above the main rotor.
Engine: McCulloch O-100, 72hp
Rotor diameter: 20’0″
Empty weight: 320 lb
Gross weight: 570 lb
Useful load: 250 lb
Max speed: 75 mph
Cruise speed: 60 mph
Min speed: 15 mph
Take-off run: 100 ft
Seats: 1
All Aero 