Glenn Curtiss

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. His innovative work helped shape the early days of flying.

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

Curtiss also 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. He made the first long-distance flight across New York state in 1910. His designs, such as the use of ailerons, 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, especially in the years before and during World War II.

Birth and early career

Glenn Curtiss was born in 1878 in Hammondsport, New York, a town located on Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. Despite only completing eighth grade, he showed an early talent for mechanics. At his first job at the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company (later the Eastman Kodak Company) in Rochester, New York, he invented a "stencil machine" that sped up work by ten times, and the company used his idea. He also created a simple camera to explore photography.

Marriage and family

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

Bicycles and motorcycles

Glenn Curtiss started his career working with bicycles and later became interested in motorcycles. He built his own motorcycles using engines he designed, and 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 stood until 1930, and his motorcycle is now displayed in the Smithsonian Institution. His success in racing helped make him famous for making high-performance motorcycles and engines.

Aviation pioneer

Curtiss, motor expert

In 1904, Curtiss began making engines for airships, inspired by Tom Baldwin. That same year, Baldwin’s California Arrow, using Curtiss’s engine, became the first successful dirigible in America.

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

AEA aircraft experiments

From 1908 to 1910, the AEA built four improving aircraft. Curtiss designed and flew the June Bug, winning a major trophy in 1908 for the first public heavier-than-air flight in America. In 1911, he earned the first U.S. pilot license.

The pre-war years

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

Patent dispute

The Wright Brothers sued Curtiss over aircraft patents, but the dispute lasted until World War I.

Naval aviation

In 1910, Eugene Ely took off from a ship using a Curtiss airplane, starting naval aviation. Curtiss developed seaplanes that could land and take off from water, training Navy pilots and building aircraft for the U.S. Navy and other countries. He earned the Collier Trophy for his designs. He also worked with John Cyril Porte to develop larger flying boats for long-distance flights.

World War I and later

World War I

When World War I began, the Royal Navy bought several of Curtiss's aircraft, and one of them, the H-4, was used to develop new long-range patrol planes called Felixstowe aircraft. Curtiss also built 68 special planes called "Large Americas," which evolved into the H-12—the only American-made plane to fight in the war.

As the United States prepared for possible involvement in the war, Curtiss designed the JN-4 "Jenny," a simple two-seat training plane for the Army, and a seaplane version for the Navy. These planes became very famous, and thousands were sold to the militaries of the United States, Canada, and Britain. The Curtiss company grew quickly, employing thousands of workers.

In 1917, the U.S. Navy asked Curtiss to design a big flying boat that could travel long distances. This plane, called the Curtiss NC, 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, where he advised the company but no longer played an active role in its daily operations. Another businessman, Clement M. Keys, took control of the company.

Later years

Curtiss moved his family to Florida in the 1920s, where he started many businesses, helped develop cities such as Hialeah, Opa-locka, and Miami Springs, and 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," which 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 that he hoped to sell 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, to challenge the achievements of the Wright Brothers and support the reputation of Samuel Langley. Langley, a former head of the Smithsonian, had failed in his attempt to create a powered flying machine. In 1914, Curtiss secretly made big changes to Langley's 1903 aircraft, called the aerodrome, and showed that it could fly. Because of this, the Smithsonian wrongly claimed that Langley had created the first flying machine that could carry a person and fly for a long time. Walcott asked that the aircraft be changed back to look like it did in 1903 before being displayed at the Smithsonian to hide what had happened. Later, in 1928, the Smithsonian changed its mind and gave credit to the Wright Brothers for the first successful flight.

Main article: Wright brothers and Smithsonian feud

Death

Glenn Curtiss traveled to Rochester to contest a lawsuit brought by his former business partner August Herring. During the court proceedings, he suffered an attack of appendicitis. He passed away on July 23, 1930, in Buffalo, New York due to complications from an appendectomy. His funeral service was held at St. James Episcopal Church in his hometown, Hammondsport, and he was buried in the family plot at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Hammondsport.

Awards and honors

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

Many places and items remember Curtiss, too. For example, airports, schools, streets, and even a museum in Hammondsport, New York, carry his name. His airplane was also featured on a U.S. stamp in 1918.

Timeline

Glenn Hammond Curtiss was an important figure in the early days of flying and motorcycling. He started by racing and building bicycles before moving 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, a record that stood until 1911.