The most powerful of the six C.8s constructed was the two-seat C.8W fitted with a 220 horsepower Wright Whirlwind J-5. Cierva had equipped the aircraft with an American engine at the request of its buyer, Harold Pitcairn. As a teenager, Pitcairn had developed a fascination with the possibilities of rotary-wing aircraft and had avidly followed news of Cierva's progress. In 1924, he had established
During the 1920s William J. Powell led a small group of black air enthusiasts in Los Angeles. He established the Bessie Coleman Flying Club in 1929 and sponsored the first all-black air show on Labor Day 1931. As part of his effort to make aviation accessible to African American students, he taught classes on aeronautics at the Bessie Coleman Flying Club. This flight computer was among the equipme
The sides of the box show a repeating scene of a balloon over a town and trees. Printing done in white, pink, black, red, and yellow paints on a blue background. 'Clayton's Ascent' is printed in the sky next to the balloons. Bottom of the box is stitched to the bottom edge of the sides, though this may not be original. Lid has a scene of horses and a carriage in front of a building and trees. Ther