Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-47

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J CURTISS AIRCRAFT 1907-1947 PETER M. BOWERS

PUTNAM LONDON

The tiny F9C-2 Sparrowhawks achieved fame out of all proportion to their numbers and perfonnance because of their unique function as auxiliaries to the US Navy airships Akron and Macon. Although open-cockpit biplanes in the old tradition, they were representative of the new era in being the first production Curliss aeroplanes of all-metal construction.

CONTENTS Introduction. BY THE SAME AUTHOR

Boeing Aircraji since 1916

Glenn H. Curtiss and the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) Curtiss Companies and Accomplishments1909-14 World War I The Jenny The Postwar Decade-1919-29 The Racers-I920-25 The Hawk Tlie Falcon Biplane Expansion, Merger and Depression

Bowers, Peter M Curtiss aircraft, 1907-1947. 1. Curtiss airplanes

I. Title 629.133'34 TL686.Cj ISDN 0-370-10029-8

© Peter M. Bowers 1979

ISBN 0 370100298

© Peter M. Bowers 1979 Printed in Great Britain for Putnam & Company Ltd

9 Bow Street, London, WC2E 7AL by BAS Printers Limited, Over Wallop, Hampshire Set in Monophoto Times First Published 1979

Entering a New Era-1930-39. St Louis Production World War II The P-40 The End of the Line Unverified Curtiss Aircraft Designations Appendix I-Type Certificates Issued to Commercial Curtiss Aeroplanes, 1927-46 Appendix II-United States Civil Registrations of Curtiss Aircraft, 1927-77 Appendix III-Civil Registrations of Exported Curtiss Aircraft, from 1920 Appendix IV-Serial Numbers of US Army Aircraft Designed or Built by Curtiss, 1909-46 Appendix V-Serial Numbers of US Navy Aircraft Designed or Built by Curtiss, 1917-45 . Appendix VI-Serial Numbers of British and Commonwealth Military Aircraft Designed or Built by Curtiss, 1914-45 Appendix VII-US Army McCook Field and Wright Field P-Numbcrs applied to Curtiss Aeroplanes Index of Aircraft

21 30 68 143 167 223 240 285 314 319 374 415 474 505 512 513 520 566 578 592

602

619 625

Introduction Organization of this Book Because of several changes in the aeroplane designation systems used by Curtiss, the overlap of many long-production models, and the desirability of treating certain large 'families' of aeroplanes separately from their contemporaries, this book does not present the Curtiss aeroplanes in strict

sequential order. The easily recognized chronological and technological periods that divide the history of aviation make the organization of this book along similar lines logical and simple. Presentation of the material within the chapters varies according to the nature of the subject; some aeroplanes are presented alphabetically by Curtiss name or letter designation, some are in sequence of Curtiss model number, while others are in the sequence of US Army and Navy designations. Where applicablc, the aeroplanes are identified by both Curtiss and customcr designations. Non-technical data such as registrations and serial numbers, and approved type certificates, appear in appendices.

Aircraft Technical Data and Sources The presentation of aeroplane specifications and performance figures

that follow the text are not uniform throughout nor are complete data presented for every basic model and variant listed. Structural and armament details are presented only when necessary to point out significant transitions. Space and cost considerations of this volume due to

the great numbers of similar models covered are only partial reasons for abbreviating data and reducing near and actual duplication of data. In the matter ofspecifications and performance, photographs and the aeroplane's placc in time often make the type of construction and the equipment obvious. Complete data were seldom accumulated on experimental and custom types in the very early days and to the end of World War I. In some cases, parts of two existing machines would be put together to try a new

configuration; a single test flight might then prove the combination undesirable and it would be abandoned with no data being recorded. Some custom variations of standard models incorporated changes that altered

The photographs used throughout this book have been gathered from many sources, many of which are acknowledged beneath each individual photograph. While a great number of the photographs were taken by Curtiss photographers at Curtiss factories, not one of these was obtained directly from Curtiss sources for use in this book. Since tbe closing oftbe aeroplane division of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation in 1947, such material has been in storage inaccessible to researchers. The Curtiss factory photos used are copic!> made by thc US Army, Navy, or N from 1907 to 1914 by Mr E. T. Benner. These independent photogwphs provide the principal record of the work done during thal period, This re!>ults in the reappearance of some familiar photographs, as only one or two views ofcertain old aeroplanes arc known to exist und the sume views have been used to illustrate the particular aeroplanes for m,lIly years.

For this book photographic qUlllily has occasionally been Sllcrificed to a small degree in order to present a different view of a single aeroplane that ha!'> previously been represented only by its one 'best' photograph. Photographic coverage by other agencies improved in the late 19208 as aircraft came into the hands of private and commercial organi7.