Harlow PJC 2

Development

Max Harlow was an aeronautical engineer and instructor at the Pasadena Junior College. Under his tutelage, the aircraft designated PJC-1 was designed and built as a class project. The PJC-1 first flew on 14 September 1937 at Alhambra, California but it crashed during an extended (more than six turn) spin test with the center of gravity ballasted to the aft limit, as it was going through the certification process—a problem generally laid at the feet the unusually rigorous spin test requirement and the government test pilot, who bailed out of the airplane after the spin "flattened out." The airplane struck the ground, still in the "flat" (longitudinally level) attitude in a bean field near Mines Field (now Los Angeles International Airport) with considerable damage; although repairable, the PJC-1 was never returned to service. PJC students then built a slightly modified airplane, which limited aileron travel with full aft-stick and incorporated a slightly larger vertical stabilizer. This became the PJC-2 model, serial number 1 certified by the FAA on 20 May 1938. It was one of the first, if not the first, airplane designed and built in the U.S. with a stressed-skin semi-monocoque structure—a revolutionary design feature for the time. Harlow saw the potential and formed the Harlow Aircraft Company to build PJC-2 aircraft at Alhambra Airport. Four aircraft were impressed into United States Army Air Forces service with the designation UC-80 in 1942, and used by Civil Aeronautics Administration inspectors after WW II.

Design

The PJC-2 was an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane with conventional low-set tailplane and a retractable tailwheel landing gear. A tandem two-seat version intended as a military trainer was developed as the Harlow PC-5.

Operational History

In 1991, 3 PJC-2s were actively flying.

Variants

PJC-1

Prototype, one built.

PJC-2

One prototype, serial number 1, a Warner Super Scarab radial engine, followed by 10 production airplanes. Most remaining examples have been re-engined with a Warner 165 HP or 185 HP engine.

Specifications Harlow PJC-2

Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2099.

General characteristics

Crew: One

Capacity: Three passengers

Length: 23 ft 4 in (7.11 m)

Wingspan: 35 ft 10 in (10.92 m)

Height: 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m)

Wing area: 185 ft² (17.19 m²)

Empty weight: 1661 lb (753 kg)

Gross weight: 2600 lb (1179 kg)

Powerplant: 1 × Warner Super Scarab SS-50 7-cylinder radial piston engine, 145 hp (108 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 160 mph (257 km/h)

Cruise speed: 140 mph (224 km/h)

Range: 490 miles (788 km)

Service ceiling: 15,500 ft (4725 m)