An engine would rotate and reciprocate the propeller, causing the blades to close on the downstroke and open on the upstroke, which it was hoped would induce lift.
[1] In collaboration with W. P. Kindree, Pitts constructed a 2,700 lb (1,200 kg) prototype with a 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5 engine.
A newsreel of 1928 shows the Sky Car attempting to fly; however rather than take off, it merely jumps up and down.
[2][3] Today, footage of the ill-fated Sky Car is often compiled with footage of the Gerhardt Cycleplane, various ornithopters, cyclogyros and other contraptions, and often cited as examples of early failed flight attempts, though in reality these took place 25 years after the first successful flights by the Wright Brothers.
Famous movies in which the Sky Car can be briefly seen include Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines and Airplane!.