Pitts Sky Car

{{Infobox aircraft begin | name = Sky Car | image = | caption = | alt = }}{{Infobox aircraft type |type = Ornithopter |national origin = United States |manufacturer = John W. Pitts |design group = |designer = John W. Pitts |first flight = attempted in 1928 |introduced = |retired = |status = |primary user = |more users = |produced = |number built = 1 |program cost = |unit cost = |developed from = |variants with their own articles = |developed into = }}

The Pitts Sky Car was an unsuccessful aircraft designed for vertical take off, by inventor John W. Pitts of Detroit, Michigan.

Pitts filed a United States patent in 1924 for a propeller, "which will cause an immediate vertical lift of any aerial car to which the propeller is attached". This consisted of a "mushroom-shaped" rotor of 60 blades, each hinged at the root. An engine would rotate and reciprocate the propeller, causing the blades to close on the downstroke and open on the upstroke, which it was hoped would induce lift. The patent was granted in October 1926.[http://www.freepatentsonline.com/1602778.pdf United States Patent US1602778: Propeller for Flying Machines], FreePatentsOnline.com

In collaboration with W. P. Kindree, Pitts constructed a {{convert|2,700|lb|kg|abbr=on}} prototype with a {{convert|90|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Curtiss OX-5 engine. A newsreel of 1928 shows the Sky Car attempting to fly; however rather than take off, it merely jumps up and down.[http://www.aerofiles.com/_pa.html AIRCRAFT: Pa to Pi], Aerofiles.com[https://vimeo.com/74124521 Funny inventions – Sky Car], Vimeo]