AIAA: Pitcairn Field #2 In Pennsylvania To Be Designated a Historic Aerospace Site.

On December 18, 1928, Arthur Rawson, a factory pilot for the Cierva Autogiro Company, and then Harold F. Pitcairn, flew a Cierva C.8W Autogiro from Building #3 at Pitcairn Field #2. The flights marked the first time a rotary-wing aircraft was successfully flown in the U.S.

The autogiro is the predecessor of the modern day helicopter.