Kellett Aircraft Corporation During World War Two
Philadelphia, PA
1929-1973

This page added 1-3-2023.

While visiting the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in September 2022, I came across this autogiro aircraft.  The olive drab paint and the star and bar indicated this was a World War Two era aircraft.  This was new to me and I wanted to learn more about the aircraft and the company that made it.  Author's photo.

This autogiro is a U.S. Army XO-60 with serial number 42-13510.  The information placard with the display told me it was produced by the Kellett Aircraft Corporation of Philadelphia, PA.  Author's photo.

XO-60 serial number 13610 was completed in February 1943.  On October 13, 1944, it had a landing accident at Bowman Field, KY due to mechanical failure.  Author's photo.

Bowman Field was opened in 1919 and was Kentucky's first commercial airport.  During World War Two, Bowman Field was used by the U.S. Army Air Forces as a basic training base for airmen.  It was also the home of the training base for flight surgeons, medical technicians, and flight nurses. Author's photo.

This posed U.S. Army Air Forces World War Two era photo shows flight nurses training at Bowman Field with a C-47 fuselage. 

 For some unknown reason, XO-60 serial number 13610 was stationed at Bowman Field where it had its landing accident. 

 It was then rebuilt and in July 1945, it was stored at Freeman AAF, Seymour, IN.  Author's photo.

After World War Two, Freeman Army Air Force Field in Seymour, IN  was the testing and storage location for captured enemy aircraft.  While XO-60 serial number 13610 was not an enemy aircraft, it was sent to this location for storage.  This is one of the several World War Two Link trainer buildings that still exist at Freeman Field.  This building is home for the Freeman Army Air Field Museum.  Author's photo. 

Kellett utilized the Jacobs Aircraft Engine Company in nearby Pottstown, PA for its engine supplier for the XO-60.  Author's photo.

In May 1946,  XO-60 serial number 13610 was moved and stored with other World War Two aircraft at the former Douglas C-54 plant in Orchard Place, IL.  General Hap Arnold gave the National Air Museum (Currently the National Air and Space Museum) 97 aircraft and allowed them to be stored in the Orchard Place plant.  These aircraft were eventually moved to the Paul E. Gerber Facility in Silver Springs, MD.  In 1947, the City of Chicago acquired 1000 acres of the Douglas plant and surrounding land from the federal government and renamed it O’Hare Field.  The airport code, ORD, which is still used today, is a reference to the original Orchard Place Field.  Author's photo.

This post-World War Two era photo shows several German aircraft in storage at Orchard Place.   During World War Two this factory produced 629 C-54s. 

Besides XO-60 13610, there were also six Kellett YO-60s produced.  This Wild World Photo shows YO-6O 42-13608 during a test flight.  The date of the newspaper in which this clip was published was March 25, 1944.  In July 1945, this particular aircraft went to Kelly AFB in San Antonio, TX for reclamation.  Only XO-60 serial number 13610 was saved from being reclaimed, or scrapped, at the end of the World War Two.  The YO-60s were serial numbers 13604 through 13609.

 In 1929, W. Wallace Kellett and C. Townsend Ludington formed the Kellett Autogiro Corporation in Philadelphia, PA.  The company licensed the patent rights for autogiros from the Autogiro Company of America.  The company's main product was its K-2 and K-3 autogiro.  Only 12 K-2s were produced.  Another four K-3s and one K-4 were produced with larger engines than the K-2.  Two of the original K-2s were converted to K-3s with an engine upgrade.

In 1931 the Army Air Corps purchased a modified Kellett K-2 autogiro.  Testing revealed the unit did not have the performance needed for military applications.  Currently, a Kellett K-2/K3 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Riverside, OH.  It is unknown whether this is the one tested by the Army Air Corps in 1931, or one donated to the museum at a later date.  Author's photo.

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Kellett Aircraft Corporation World War Two Products:  Previous to the beginning of World War Two, Kellett produced seventeen autogiros.  During World War Two the company produced one XO-60 and six YO-60 autogiros.  During World War Two helicopters replaced autogiros as a useful military aircraft.  Kellett produced two XR-8 and two XR-10 helicopters for testing by the Army Air Forces.  They were never put into production.  Therefore, the Kellett Aircraft Corporation only produced 28 aircraft through the end of World War Two.  While not successful as an airframe producer, Kellett Aircraft Corporation produced a number of aircraft parts for both the Army and Navy.  Table 1 shows that the company's main plant had three orders not relating to producing autogiros nor helicopters.  Table 2 shows that the company's Upper Darby, PA plant had one major contract worth $2,056,000 for the construction of airplane vane assemblies.  Total major contracts for both plants totaled $6,426,000. 

Peak employment for the company was 2,800 workers.  On September 12, 1945, the company employed 2,200 workers in several different plants around the Philadelphia, PA area.  With the end of the war, the number of workers was immediately reduced to 700.  According to the company, the end of the war caused the cancellation of $6,000,000 in war contracts.  Table 1 shows that only the XR-10 helicopter contract for $1,282,000 was still open in September 1945.  Table 2 shows the airplane vane assembly contract for $2,056,000 was still open.  The company therefore had a large number of subcontracts with other companies or several contracts less than $50,000 which would not have registered as a major contract.

This Timken Company advertisement shows the Kellett XR-8.  The aircraft started flight tests on August 7, 1944.

The XR-10 was very similar to the XR-8.  Both had the intermeshing main rotors which eliminated the need for a tail rotor.  This is USAAF serial number 45-22793.  Its first flight was after World War Two on April 24, 1947.  It later crashed on October 3, 1949.  A second XR-10 with serial number 45-22793 was cancelled.  The third XR-10 with serial number 45-22794 was started, but construction on this aircraft may not have been completed. 

This is the last aircraft built by the Kellett Aircraft Company.  After World War Two, Kellett was awarded a contract for a heavy lift helicopter.  However, because the company filed for reorganization under the bankruptcy laws, Hughes Tool Company purchased the rights for the XH-17 for $250,000. 

Kellett Aircraft Corporation continued on as an aerospace parts manufacturer until at least 1973.  At that time, the company was located at Willow Grove, PA. 

During World War Two, Kellett published several advertisements in aviation industry magazines.  Several are shown below.

The Kellett Aircraft Corporation Philadelphia, PA Plant Location:  The factory was located at South 58th Street and Grays Road.

This was the location of the main Kellett plant until September 1945 when it closed.  The former plant has since been razed and replaced with a church.  Image courtesy of Google Maps.

This Google Maps street view shows the former plant location from the intersection of south 57th Street and Grays Avenue.