The Aviation Foundation

TAF donated $5,000 to The Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA, to fund and display one of the original five airmail aircraft, “Miss Pittsburgh,” a Waco 9 single-engine tailwheel aircraft that is currently suspended from the ceiling of the (KPIT) Pittsburgh International Airport Passenger Terminal.]

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The Weaver Aircraft Co. began in 1920 in Troy, Ohio. Not long after the name was changed to the WACO Aircraft Company, that company lasted until 1947. Miss Pittsburgh is a WACO 9 biplane. This model first flew in 1925 and incorporated some design improvements over previous models. A major improvement was that the fuselage and tail were constructed using steel tubing rather than wood, providing better strength and rigidity. 270 Model 9's were built from 1925 to 1926.  They had two cockpits, one two-place cockpit in the front and the pilot's single-seat cockpit in the rear. They were powered by the venerable Curtiss OX-5 eight-cylinder engine, producing 90 HP.  The top speed was 90 MPH, and the cruise speed was 65 MPH. Its handling characteristics found it sluggish in roll control due to the fact that it only had ailerons on the upper wings. Pilots compensated for this by leading with the rudder when banking to make turns.

These early aircraft had only rudimentary flight instruments and no radios. Pilots navigated by following roads or railroads, and they also used dead reckoning for cross-country travel. Forced landings were not an uncommon occurrence. When bad weather set in, pilots were forced to land on any suitable terrain available. The engine only had a single magneto to fire the spark plugs. Modern aircraft have two for redundancy. 

There are only a handful of these planes in existence today.  We are fortunate that one of these rare airplanes from a bygone era is displayed at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Records indicate that there may be only two Model 9's still flying today.