Glenn Curtiss

Early Life and Career

Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer. He started his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles.

The Aerial Experiment Association

In 1907, Curtiss joined the Aerial Experiment Association, a research group founded by Alexander Graham Bell in Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia. On July 4, 1908, he flew nearly a mile with the AEA June Bug, marking the first public flight in North America. He earned a prize from Scientific American.

Achievements in Aviation

Curtiss won an important race in 1909, the Gordon Bennett Trophy (aeroplanes), at the world's first international air meet in France, the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne. In 1910, he made the first long-distance flight across New York state.

His designs helped create the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, which later became part of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. His work advanced aviation for both civilian and military use.

Birth and early career

Glenn Curtiss was born in 1878 in Hammondsport, New York. This town is on Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. He only finished eighth grade, but he was good with machines. His first job was at the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company, which later became the Eastman Kodak Company, in Rochester, New York. There, he made a "stencil machine" that made work ten times faster. The company used his idea. He also made a simple camera to try photography.

Marriage and family

On March 7, 1898, Curtiss married Lena Pearl Neff in Hammondsport, New York. Lena was the daughter of Guy L. Neff and Jenny M. Potter. They had two children named Carlton N. Curtiss and Glenn Hammond Curtiss.

Bicycles and motorcycles

Glenn Curtiss began his career working with bicycles and then became interested in motorcycles. He built his own motorcycles using engines he designed. In 1903, he set a speed record by riding a motorcycle at 64 miles per hour.

In 1907, Curtiss set an unofficial world speed record of 136 miles per hour on a special V-8 powered motorcycle he built himself. This record lasted until 1930. His motorcycle is now displayed in the Smithsonian Institution. His success in racing helped him become famous for making high-performance motorcycles and engines.

Aviation pioneer

Curtiss, motor expert

In 1904, Curtiss started making engines for airships. He was inspired by Tom Baldwin. That year, Baldwin’s California Arrow used Curtiss’s engine and became the first successful dirigible in America.

In 1907, Alexander Graham Bell asked Curtiss to make an engine for experimental airplanes. Bell also invited him to join the Aerial Experiment Association.

AEA aircraft experiments

From 1908 to 1910, the AEA built four airplanes that got better each time. Curtiss designed and flew the June Bug. In 1908, he won a big prize for the first public heavier-than-air flight in America. In 1911, he got the first U.S. pilot license.

The pre-war years

After leaving the AEA, Curtiss helped start the Herring-Curtiss Company. He flew far distances, won races, and showed how airplanes could be used for training pilots. In 1909, he won a race in France and later flew 137 miles from Albany to New York City.

Patent dispute

The Wright Brothers sued Curtiss over airplane patents. The disagreement lasted until World War I.

Naval aviation

In 1910, Eugene Ely took off from a ship in a Curtiss airplane. This started naval aviation. Curtiss made seaplanes that could land on and take off from water. He trained Navy pilots and built airplanes for the U.S. Navy and other countries. He won the Collier Trophy for his designs. He also worked with John Cyril Porte to make bigger flying boats for long trips.

World War I and later

World War I

When World War I began, the Royal Navy bought several of Curtiss's aircraft. One of these, the H-4, helped create new long-range patrol planes called Felixstowe aircraft. Curtiss also built 68 special planes called "Large Americas." These evolved into the H-12, the only American-made plane to fight in the war.

As the United States got ready for the war, Curtiss designed the JN-4 "Jenny." This was a simple two-seat training plane for the Army, and there was a seaplane version for the Navy. These planes became very famous. Thousands were sold to the militaries of the United States, Canada, and Britain. The Curtiss company grew quickly and hired thousands of workers.

In 1917, the U.S. Navy asked Curtiss to design a big flying boat that could travel long distances. This plane was called the Curtiss NC. It was large enough for a crew of five. In 1919, one of these planes, the NC-4, became the first to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Two other NC planes tried the same journey but could not finish. The NC-4 is now displayed in the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.

Post-World War I

After the war ended, many wartime contracts were cancelled. In 1920, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company reorganized financially. Glenn Curtiss sold his stock for $32 million and retired to Florida. He advised the company but no longer worked there every day. Another businessman, Clement M. Keys, took control of the company.

Later years

Curtiss moved his family to Florida in the 1920s. There, he started many businesses and helped develop cities such as Hialeah, Opa-locka, and Miami Springs. He built a home there. His love for hunting in the Florida Everglades inspired him to invent a small motor trailer called the Adams Motor "Bungalo." This was an early version of today's recreational vehicle trailer. He later created a larger version called the Aerocar. Just before he passed away, he designed a new type of airplane with a unique wing shape. He hoped to sell it for about the same price as a family car.

Eventually, the Wright Aeronautical Corporation merged with the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company on July 5, 1929, forming the Curtiss-Wright company, shortly before Curtiss died.

Controversies

Glenn Curtiss worked with Charles Walcott, the head of the Smithsonian Institution. They wanted to support the reputation of Samuel Langley. Langley had tried to make a flying machine but it did not work. In 1914, Curtiss changed Langley's 1903 aircraft, called the aerodrome, to make it fly. Because of this, the Smithsonian said Langley had made the first flying machine that could carry a person. Walcott asked to change the aircraft back to how it looked in 1903 to hide what happened. Later, in 1928, the Smithsonian said the Wright Brothers had the first successful flight.

Main article: Wright brothers and Smithsonian feud

Death

Glenn Curtiss went to Rochester for a court case with his old business partner August Herring. While there, he got very sick with appendicitis. He died on July 23, 1930, in Buffalo, New York from problems after an appendectomy. His funeral was held at St. James Episcopal Church in his hometown, Hammondsport, and he was buried there in the family plot.

Awards and honors

Glenn Curtiss received many honors after he died. In 1933, he was given the Distinguished Flying Cross. It is now kept at the Smithsonian Institution. He was added to several halls of fame, like the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1964 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990.

Many places and things remember Curtiss. Airports, schools, streets, and a museum in Hammondsport, New York, carry his name. His airplane was even featured on a U.S. stamp in 1918.

Timeline

Glenn Hammond Curtiss was an important person in the early days of flying and motorcycling. He began by racing and building bicycles. Then he moved on to motorcycles. By 1904, he was making engines for airships. His V8 engine helped his Curtiss V-8 motorcycle set a world speed record for all kinds of vehicles. This record stayed until 1911.