Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Curtiss | |
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Spouse | Lena Pearl Neff (March 7, 1898 – until his death) |
Children | 2 |
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early as 1904, he began to manufacture engines for airships. In 1908, Curtiss joined the Aerial Experiment Association, a pioneering research group, founded by Alexander Graham Bell at Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia, to build flying machines.
Curtiss won a race at the world's first international air meet in France and made the first long-distance flight in the U.S. His contributions in designing and building aircraft led to the formation of the
Birth and early career
Glenn Curtiss was born in 1878 in
Although his formal education extended only to
He also built a rudimentary camera to study photography.[3]
Marriage and family
On March 7, 1898, Curtiss married Lena Pearl Neff (1879–1951), daughter of Guy L. Neff and Jenny M. Potter, in Hammondsport, New York. They had two children: Carlton N. Curtiss (1901–1902) and Glenn Hammond Curtiss (1912–1969)
Bicycles and motorcycles
Curtiss began his career as a
On January 24, 1907,
Aviation pioneer
Curtiss, motor expert
In 1904, Curtiss became a supplier of engines for the California "aeronaut"
In 1907, Alexander Graham Bell invited Curtiss to develop a suitable engine for heavier-than-air flight experimentation. Bell regarded Curtiss as "the greatest motor expert in the country"[15] and invited Curtiss to join his Aerial Experiment Association (AEA).
AEA aircraft experiments
Between 1908 and 1910, the AEA produced four aircraft, each one an improvement over the last. Curtiss primarily designed the AEA's third aircraft, Aerodrome #3, the famous
The pre-war years
Aviation competitions
After a 1909 fall-out with the AEA, Curtiss joined with
In August 1909, Curtiss took part in the
On May 29, 1910, Curtiss flew from Albany to New York City to make the first long-distance flight between two major cities in the U.S. For this 137-mile (220 km) flight, which he completed in just under four hours including one stop to refuel, he won a $10,000 prize offered by publisher Joseph Pulitzer and was awarded permanent possession of the Scientific American Trophy.[24][25][26]
In June 1910, Curtiss provided a simulated bombing demonstration to naval officers at Hammondsport. Two months later, Lt. Jacob E. Fickel demonstrated the feasibility of shooting at targets on the ground from an aircraft with Curtiss serving as pilot. One month later, in September, he trained Blanche Stuart Scott, who was possibly the first American woman pilot. The fictional character Tom Swift, who first appeared in 1910 in Tom Swift and His Motor Cycle and Tom Swift and His Airship, has been said to have been based on Glenn Curtiss.[27] The Tom Swift books are set in a small town on a lake in upstate New York.[28]
Patent dispute
A patent lawsuit by the Wright brothers against Curtiss in 1909 continued until it was resolved during World War I. Since the last Wright aircraft, the Wright Model L, was a single prototype of a "scouting" aircraft, made in 1916, the
On November 14, 1910, Curtiss demonstration pilot
Through the course of that winter, Curtiss was able to develop a float (pontoon) design that enabled him to take off and land on water. On January 26, 1911, he flew the first seaplane from the water in the United States.[32] Demonstrations of this advanced design were of great interest to the Navy, but more significant, as far as the Navy was concerned, was Eugene Ely successfully landing his Curtiss pusher (the same aircraft used to take off from the Birmingham) on a makeshift platform mounted on the rear deck of the battleship USS Pennsylvania. This was the first arrester-cable landing on a ship and the precursor of modern-day carrier operations. On January 28, 1911, Ellyson took off in a Curtiss "grass cutter" to become the first Naval aviator.[33]
Curtiss custom built floats and adapted them onto a Model D so it could take off and land on water to prove the concept. On February 24, 1911, Curtiss made his first amphibious demonstration at North Island by taking off and alighting on both land and water. Back in Hammondsport, six months later in July 1911, Curtiss sold the U.S. Navy their first aircraft, the A-1 Triad. The A-1, which was primarily a seaplane, was equipped with retractable wheels, also making it the first amphibious aircraft. Curtiss trained the Navy's first pilots and built their first aircraft. For this, he is considered in the US to be "The Father of Naval Aviation". The Triad was immediately recognized as so obviously useful, it was purchased by the U.S. Navy, Russia, Japan, Germany, and Britain. Curtiss won the Collier Trophy for designing this aircraft.[34][35]
Henry Kleckler, considered Curtiss' "right hand man", and a "master innovator and mechanic", was also a native of Hammondsport and worked with Curtiss in developing more efficient engines for the "flying boats" pioneered and developed by Curtiss.[36][37]
Around this time, Curtiss met retired British naval officer John Cyril Porte, who was looking for a partner to produce an aircraft with him to win the Daily Mail prize for the first transatlantic crossing. In 1912, Curtiss produced the two-seat Flying Fish, a larger craft that became classified as a flying boat because the hull sat in the water; it featured an innovative notch (known as a "step") in the hull that Porte recommended for breaking clear of the water at takeoff. Curtiss correctly surmised that this configuration was more suited to building a larger long-distance craft that could operate from water, and was also more stable when operating from a choppy surface. With the backing of Rodman Wanamaker, Porte and Curtiss produced the America in 1914, a larger flying boat with two engines, for the transatlantic crossing.[38]
World War I and later
World War I
With the start of World War I, Porte returned to service in the Royal Navy, which subsequently purchased several models of the America, now called the H-4, from Curtiss. Porte licensed and further developed the designs, constructing a range of Felixstowe long-range patrol aircraft, and from his experience passed along improvements to the hull to Curtiss. The later British designs were sold to the U.S. forces, or built by Curtiss as the F5L. The Curtiss factory also built a total of 68 "Large Americas", which evolved into the H-12, the only American designed and built aircraft to see combat in World War I.[39][40][41]
As 1916 approached, the United States was feared to be drawn into the conflict. The Army's
In 1917, the U.S. Navy commissioned Curtiss to design a long-range, four-engined flying boat large enough to hold a crew of five, which became known as the
Post-World War I
Peace brought cancellation of wartime contracts. In September 1920, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company underwent a financial reorganization. Glenn Curtiss cashed out his stock in the company for $32 million and retired to Florida.[44] He continued on as a director of the company, but served only as an adviser on design. Clement M. Keys gained control of the company, which later became the nucleus of a large group of aviation companies.[45]
Later years
Curtiss and his family moved to Florida in the 1920s, where he founded 18 corporations, served on civic commissions, and donated extensive land and water rights. He co-developed the city of
His frequent hunting trips into the Florida Everglades led to a final invention, the Adams Motor "Bungalo", a forerunner of the modern recreational vehicle trailer (named after his business partner and half-brother, G. Carl Adams). Curtiss later developed this into a larger, more elaborate fifth-wheel vehicle, which he manufactured and sold under the name Aerocar. Shortly before his death, he designed a tailless aircraft with a V-shaped wing and tricycle landing gear that he hoped could be sold in the price range of a family car.[48]
The Wright Aeronautical Corporation, a successor to the original Wright Company, ultimately merged with the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company on July 5, 1929, forming the Curtiss-Wright company, shortly before Curtiss's death.[34]
Controversies
Curtiss, working with the head of the Smithsonian Institution Charles Walcott, sought to discredit the Wrights and rehabilitate the reputation of Samuel Langley, a former head of the Smithsonian, who failed in his attempt at powered flight. Secretly, Curtiss extensively modified Langley's 1903 aerodrome (aircraft) then demonstrated in 1914 that it could fly. In turn, the Smithsonian endorsed the false statement that "Professor Samuel P. Langley had actually designed and built the first man-carrying flying machine capable of sustained flight." Walcott ordered the plane modified by Curtiss to be returned to its original 1903 condition before going on display at the Smithsonian to cover up the deception. In 1928 the Smithsonian Board of Regents reversed its position and acknowledged that the Wright Brothers deserved the credit for the first flight.[49][50]
Death
Traveling to Rochester to contest a lawsuit brought by former business partner August Herring, Curtiss suffered an attack of appendicitis in court. He died on July 23, 1930, in Buffalo, New York,[46] of complications from an appendectomy. His funeral service was held at St. James Episcopal Church in his home town, Hammondsport, with interment in the family plot at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Hammondsport.[51]
Awards and honors
By an act of Congress on March 1, 1933, Curtiss was posthumously awarded the
Other Curtiss honors include: Naval Aviation Hall of Honor; OX-5 Aviation Pioneers Hall of Fame; Empire State Aviation Hall of Fame; Niagara Frontier Aviation and Space Hall of Fame; International Air & Space Hall of Fame; Long Island Air & Space Hall of Fame; Great Floridians 2000; Steuben County (NY) Hall of Fame; Hammondsport School Lifetime Achievements Wall of Fame; Florida Aviation Hall of Fame; Smithsonian Institution Langley Medal; Top 100 Stars of Aerospace and Aviation; Doctor of Science (honoris causa), University of Miami.[57]
The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport is dedicated to Curtiss' life and work. Curtiss' famed airplane appeared on a 1918 issue U. S. airmail stamp. along with fifteen other US airmail stamps, (including the first air mail stamps), and on the stamps of at least 17 other countries.[58] Curtiss himself appeared on the cover of Time in 1924.
There is a Curtiss Avenue in Hammondsport, NY, along with the Glenn Curtiss Elementary School. Carson, CA has Glenn Hammond Curtiss Middle School and Glenn Curtiss Street. Glenn H. Curtiss Road is in San Diego, CA, and Glenn Curtiss Boulevard in East Meadow/Uniondale, NY (Long Island). Glenn Curtiss Drive is in Addison, TX, and Curtiss Parkway in Miami Springs, FL. Buffalo, NY has a Curtiss Park and a Curtis Parkway (named for Glenn despite the incorrect spelling). The Curtiss E-Library in Hialeah, FL was originally the Lua A. Curtiss Branch Library, named for Glenn's mother.[60]
Timeline
Glenn Curtiss Timeline
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See also
- Charles M. Olmsted
- American Trans-Oceanic Company
- Curtiss Model D
- Curtiss Model T
- Curtiss Autoplane
- Schneider Trophy
- Curtiss & Bright
- Opa-locka Company
Notes
Citations
- ^ "The Story of Glenn Hammond Curtiss - Part 1". The Curtiss Mansion and Gardens. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ISBN 9781596139268. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Roseberry 1972, p. 10.
- ^ C. R. Roseberry, Glenn Curtiss: Pioneer of Flight, 1991, p. 10
- ^ Post, August. "The Evolution of a Flying-Man", The Century: A Popular Quarterly, Volume 81, 1911, pp. 13–14. Retrieved: July 20, 2010.
- ISBN 0-559-64105-2. Retrieved: July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Glenn Curtiss". Popular Science, March 1927, p. 130. ISSN 0161-7370.
- ^ Harvey 2005, p. 254.
- ^ Scientific American, Volume 96, Number 6, February 1907, p. 128
- ^ House 2003, p. 40.
- ^ Roseberry 1972, p. 57.
- ^ "Curtiss V-8 Motorcycle". Archived September 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Collections. Retrieved: February 24, 2011.
- ^ Hatch 2007, p. 36.
- ^ Roseberry 1972, p. 41.
- ^ Roseberry 1972, p. 71.
- ^ "Glenn H. Curtiss". centennialofflight.net, 2003. Retrieved: July 20, 2009.
- ^ Casey 1981, p. 38.
- ^ "Aeroplane Factory for This Country" (PDF). The New York Times. March 4, 1909. p. 9. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ Carroll Grey 2013, "Cicero Flying Field"
- ^ Casey 1981, pp. 65–67.
- ^ Roseberry 1972, p. 320.
- ^ "Forty-eight Years Back; Some Notable Aviation Anniversaries: Recollections of the Early Certificate-holders". Flight, January 4, 1952.
- ^ Casey 1981, p. 50.
- ^ Roseberry, 1991, pp. 139, 207, 278
- ^ Molson, 1995, p. 4
- ^ Mitchell, 2001, p. 7
- ^ Dizer 1982, p. 35.
- ^ Karenko, J. P. "Tom Swift and his Motorcycle". tomswift.info, August 1, 2006. Retrieved: September 8, 2009.
- ISBN 978-1-4767-2875-9.
- ^ a b Curtiss, 1922, pp. 117-118
- ^ Mitchell, 2001, pp. 62, 66, 68
- ^ Roseberry 1972, p. 314.
- ^ Curtiss, 1922, p. 241
- ^ a b "The Curtiss Company". US Centennial of Flight Commemoration, 2003. Retrieved: January 28, 2011.
- ^ "Taft Believes in Aeroplanes; Other "Bird" News". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. February 4, 1912. p. 15 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Mitchell, 2001, p. 121
- ^ Casey, 1981, p. 125
- ^ "Hammondsport, N.Y. Launching of Rodman Wanamaker's trans-Atlantic flyer 'America'". British Pathé. June 22, 1914. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Molson, 1995, pp. 5, 33
- ^ Mitchell2001, pp. 94
- ^ Roseberry, 1991, pp. 380, 411
- ^ Mitchell, 2001, p. 80
- ^ Roseberry, 1991, pp. 395-397
- ^ Rosenberry 1972, p. 429.
- ^ Studer 1937, p. 352.
- ^ a b "The Life and Times of Glenn Hammond Curtiss". aviation-history.com. Retrieved: July 20, 2010.
- ^ "The Glenn Curtiss House". Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary. via nps.gov. Retrieved: July 20, 2010.
- ^ "V-Shaped Plane Has Low Landing Speed". Popular Science, March 1931.
- ISBN 978-1-4767-2874-2.
- ^ The Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum (2020). "The Wright-Smithsonian Feud: The Wright Flyer: From Invention to Icon". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
- ^ Champlin, 1989, pp. 122-123
- ISBN 978-1-57864-397-4.
- ^ Glenn Curtiss at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
- ^ Glenn Curtiss at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame
- ^ "Glenn H. Curtiss Collection" Archived April 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. National Air and Space Museum – Documents. Retrieved: April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Glenn H. Curtiss Collection". Archived February 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved: January 28, 2014.
- ^ House, Kirk, "Glenn Curtiss -- Hall of Fame Guy" Steuben Echoes 42:3, August 2016
- ^ House, Kirk, "Curtiss Airplanes on American Stamps", Steuben Echoes 45:1 February 2019
- ^ See also: famous invert
- ^ House, Kirk, "Steuben County People on the Maps of two Worlds", Steuben Echoes 44:4, November 2018.
- ^ House 2003, pp. 31–32.
- ^ "History". Curtiss Motorcycles. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ "Glenn Curtiss" Archived August 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. nationalaviation.org. Retrieved: May 30, 2011.
- ^ Johnson, Paul F. "Roper Steam Velocipede". Archived April 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved: May 30, 2011.
- ^ Girdler, Allan. "First Fired, First Forgotten". Cycle World (Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.), Volume 37, Issue 2, February 1998, pp. 62–70. ISSN 0011-4286.
- ^ a b de Cet 2003, p. 116.
- ^ Parkin, John H. Bell and Baldwin: Their Development of Aerodromes and Hydrodromes at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1964, pg. 65.
- ^ Ransom, Sylvia and Jeff, James. World Power at the Wayback Machine (archived August 1, 2011(Calendar)) Bibb County, Georgia, U.S.: Bibb County School District. April 2002, pp. 106-107.
- ^ Studer 1937, p. 258.
- ^ House 2003, p. 213.
Bibliography
- "At Dayton". Time, October 13, 1924.
- Casey, Louis S (1981). Curtiss, the Hammondsport Era, 1907-1915. New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 978-0-51754-5652.
- Champlin, Charles (1989). Back there where the past was : a small-town boyhood. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-81560-6123.
- Curtiss, Glenn (1922). The Curtiss Aviation Book 1912. New York: Fredericj A. Stokes Company.
- de Cet, Mirco. The Illustrated Directory of Motorcycles. St. Paul: Minnesota: MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company, 2002. ISBN 978-0-7603-1417-3.
- Dizer, John T. Tom Swift & Company. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing, 1982. ISBN 0-89950-024-2.
- FitzGerald-Bush, Frank S. A Dream of Araby: Glenn Curtiss and the Founding of Opa-locka. Opa-locka, Florida: South Florida Archaeological Museum, 1976.
- Harvey, Steve. It Started with a Steamboat: An American Saga. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2005. ISBN 978-1-4208-4943-1.
- ISBN 978-1-59921-1459..
- House, Kirk W. (2003). Hell-Rider to King of the Air. SAE International. ISBN 9780-7-68081-343.
- Mitchell, Charles R (2001). Glenn H. Curtiss, aviation pioneer. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. ISBN 978-0-73850-5190.
- Molson, K. M (1995). The Curtiss HS flying boats. Ottawa: National Aviation Museum. ISBN 978-0-66012-0157.
- Roseberry, By C. R. (1991). Glenn Curtiss: Pioneer of Flight. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-81560-2644.
- Shulman, Seth. (2002). Unlocking the Sky: Glenn Hammond Curtiss and the Race to Invent the Airplane. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06184-6939..
- "Speed Limit". Time, October 29, 1923.
- Studer, Clara. Sky Storming Yankee: The Life of Glenn Curtiss. New York: Stackpole Sons, 1937.
- Trimble, William F. Hero of the Air: Glenn Curtiss and the Birth of Naval Aviation. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-59114-879-1.
External links
- The Curtiss Aviation Book by Glenn Curtiss and Augustus Post
- U.S. Government Centennial of Flight – Glenn Curtiss
- Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY
- National Aviation Hall of Fame: Glenn Curtiss Archived August 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 26, 2011
- Works by Glenn Curtiss at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)