To reduce the development risks, a conventional tail rotor was chosen for anti-torque and yaw control. This machine, the PV-2, single seat, single rotor helicopter, was built as a technology demonstrator of several advanced concepts in the undeveloped VTOL field.
| Type | Single Place Helicopter |
| Engine | Frankling 4-Cyl Air-Cooled |
| Horsepower | 90 |
| Rotor Diameter | 25 ft |
| Fuselage Length | 21.5 ft |
| Gross Weight | 1,000 lb |
| Maximum Speed | 100 mph |
| Cruising Speed | 80 mph |
| Range | 150 Miles |
The machine featured the first dynamically balanced rotor blades, a rigid tail rotor with a tension-torsion pitch change system, an overhead stick, and a full cyclic and collective rotor pitch control. The first flight was on 11 April 1943. Frank Piasecki was the test pilot, teaching himself to fly the PV-2 helicopter with only 14 hours of previous flying time in a fixed wing airplane. On 20 October 1943, he demonstrated the machine’s precise finger-tip control characteristics before military and commercial operators in Washington, D.C. It was the second successful helicopter to fly in the U.S. and is now displayed at the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center in West Chester, PA.
