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Glen Curtis - wow

Poke

Poke

I’m condescending
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
763
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1,388
From his museum “A bicycle and motorcycle racer, engine expert, aviation pioneer, and overall early engineering wiz, Glenn Curtiss was the embodiment of creative genius and growth mindset. He never let his inability to accomplish a project stop him from reaching towards his goals, and that determination is what led him to becoming The Fastest Man on Earth, The Father of Naval Aviation, and changing the world of aviation. “

I wandered his museum this weekend and it was really interesting and impressive. The wright brothers did nothing compared to him besides run a better marketing campaign and innovation less. Glen did far more for aviation, engines, motorcycles, etc than they did. He built thousands of planes and bikes over dozens of models and they had like 10 planes.

He did more by the age of 30 than all of us combined.

The last motorcycle in my post is a 4 seater that was driven across the country! Both driver and passenger steer.

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  • 1878 Birth in Hammondsport, New York
  • 1898 Marriage
  • 1900 Manufactures Hercules bicycles
  • 1901 Motorcycle designer and racer
  • 1903 American motorcycle champion
  • 1903 Unofficial one-mile motorcycle land speed record64 mph (103 km/h) on Hercules V8 at Yonkers, New York[45]
  • 1904 Thomas Scott Baldwinmounts Curtiss motorcycle engine on a hydrogen-filled dirigible
  • 1904 Set 10-mile world speed record[46]
  • 1904 Invented handlebar throttle control;[47] also credited to the 1867–1869 Roper steam velocipede[48][49]
  • 1905 Created G.H. Curtiss Manufacturing Company, Inc.
  • 1906 Curtiss writes the Wright brothers offering them an aeronautical motor
  • 1907 Curtiss joins Alexander Graham Bell in experimenting in aircraft
  • 1907 Set world motorcycle land speed record of 77.6 mph (124.9 km/h)[50]
  • 1907 Set world motorcycle land speed record at 136.36 mph (219.45 km/h) in his V8 motorcycle in Ormond Beach, Florida[50]
  • 1908 First Army dirigible flight with Curtiss as flight engineer
  • 1908 One of several claimants for the first flight of a powered aircraft controlled by ailerons (manned glider flights with ailerons having been accomplished in 1904, unmanned flights even earlier)[51][52]
  • 1908 Lead designer and pilot of "June Bug" on July 4
  • 1909 Sale of Curtiss's "Golden Flyer" to the New York Aeronautic Society for US$5,000.00, marks the first sale of any aircraft in the U.S., triggers Wright Brothers lawsuits.
  • 1909 Won first international air speed record with 46.5 mph (74.8 km/h) in Rheims, France
  • 1909 First U.S. licensed aircraft manufacturer.
  • 1909 Established first flying school in United States and exhibition company
  • 1910 Long distance flying record of 150 miles (240 km) from Albany, New York to New York City
  • 1910 First simulated bombing runs from an aircraft at Keuka Lake
  • 1910 First firearm use from aircraft, piloted by Curtiss
  • 1910 First radio communication with aircraft in flight in a Curtiss biplane
  • 1910 Curtiss moved to California and set up a shop and flight school at the Los Angeles Motordrome, using the facility for sea plane experiments
  • 1910 Trained Blanche Stuart Scott, the first American female pilot
  • 1910 First successful takeoff from a United States Navy ship (Eugene Burton Ely, using Curtiss Plane)
  • 1911 First landing on a ship (Eugene Burton Ely, using Curtiss Plane) (2 Months later)
  • 1911 The Curtiss School of Aviation, established at Rockwell Field in February
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Glenn H. Curtiss's pilot license
  • 1911 Pilot license #1 issued for his June Bug flight
  • 1911 Ailerons patented
  • 1911 Developed first successful pontoon aircraft in US
  • 1911 Hydroplane A-1 Triad purchased by US. Navy (US Navy's first aircraft)
  • 1911 Developed first retractable landing gear on his hydroaeroplane
  • 1911 His first aircraft sold to U.S. Army on April 27
  • 1911 Created first military flying school
  • 1912 Developed and flew the first flying boat on Lake Keuka
  • 1912 First ship catapult launching on October 12 (Lt. Ellyson)[53]
  • 1912 Created the first flying school in Florida at Miami Beach
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The 1913 Langley Medalawarded to Curtiss
  • 1914 Curtiss made a few short flights in the Langley Aerodrome, as part of an unsuccessful attempt to bypass the Wright Brothers' patent on aircraft
  • 1915 Start production run of "Jennys" and many other models including flying boats
  • 1915 Curtiss started the Atlantic Coast Aeronautical Station on a 20-acre tract east of Newport News (VA) Boat Harbor in the Fall of 1915 with Captain Thomas Scott Baldwinas head.
  • 1917 Opens "Experimental Airplane Factory" in Garden City, Long Island
  • 1919 Curtiss NC-4 flying boat crosses the Atlantic
  • 1919 Commenced private aircraft production with the Oriole
  • 1921 Developed Hialeah, Florida, including Hialeah Park Race Track
  • 1921 Donated his World War I training field to the Navy
  • 1922 Opened Hialeah Park Race Track with his business partner James H. Bright
  • 1923 Developed Miami Springs, Florida and created a flying school and airport
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Tombstone
 
It is true that the Wright brothers' contributions to flight after 1903 really slowed down (and spent the rest of their lives in patent wars), but they were the ones to perfect controllable powered flight, which Curtiss didn't do.
 
Mikel said:
It is true that the Wright brothers' contributions to flight after 1903 really slowed down (and spent the rest of their lives in patent wars), but they were the ones to perfect controllable powered flight, which Curtiss didn't do.
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After Glenn died and one Wright brother died the remaining wright brother went on a years long campaign to push their legacy. That campaign was so successful that history didn’t wright much about others at the time. They only built a few planes, how did they perfect anything with only a hand full of models? Glenn was building multiple new models a year, each one with improvements. I stood looking at them, it was neat to see the evolution.
 
Poke said:
After Glenn died and one Wright brother died the remaining wright brother went on a years long campaign to push their legacy. That campaign was so successful that history didn’t wright much about others at the time.
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Successful indeed :laughing:

They only built a few planes, how did they perfect anything with only a hand full of models? Glenn was building multiple new models a year, each one with improvements.
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Sure, Glenn Curtiss greatly contributed to flight until he died. But before the Wright brothers, no one had managed more than short uncontrolled hops. The Wright brothers could put a machine in the air, make it go in the direction/altitude they desired, and land it wherever they desired (within reason). NO ONE came close to doing that before the Wright brothers. I think you are doing Curtiss a disservice by amplifiying his merits at the expense of the Wrights. They supplemented each other.
 
Cool, thanks. It was so interesting I want to dig deeper and see the timeline.
 
Check out David McCullough"s book on the Wright brothers. You will find it interesting.
 
Really cool, I would love to check it out sometime.

In this area there is a great museum and I highly recommend you come and check it out.

I was blown away last year and plan on going back this year.

It is the "Wheels in Time Museum" in Maggie Valley, NC

wheelsthroughtime.com

Wheels Through Time Museum

Wheels Through Time Museum is home to the world’s premier collection of rare American motorcycles, memorabilia, and a distinct array of unique “one-off” American automobiles. Located just 5 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Maggie Valley, North Carolina our museum houses a collection of over...
wheelsthroughtime.com wheelsthroughtime.com
 
crispins said:
Really cool, I would love to check it out sometime.

In this area there is a great museum and I highly recommend you come and check it out.

I was blown away last year and plan on going back this year.

It is the "Wheels in Time Museum" in Maggie Valley, NC

wheelsthroughtime.com

Wheels Through Time Museum

Wheels Through Time Museum is home to the world’s premier collection of rare American motorcycles, memorabilia, and a distinct array of unique “one-off” American automobiles. Located just 5 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Maggie Valley, North Carolina our museum houses a collection of over...
wheelsthroughtime.com wheelsthroughtime.com
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This is an alright museum. I've been.

Was also at the curits museum recently.
also excellent.
bunk said:
Radial
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before we all called the the wankel a rotary we had radial looking engines that spun the cylinders round with the prop bolted to the crankcase and the crankshaft bolted to the firewall, and we called them rotary engines.
 
Poke said:
So it is rotary?"
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No. It’s a radial. The cylinders are arranged in a radial configuration around the crankshaft.

There are more modern radial engines with your typical fixed crankcases, and some earlier ones where the crankcase and propeller all rotated together.

The biggest one (stationary crankcase) I can think of off the top of my head is 985 cubic inches out of 18 cylinders arranged in three rows of 9.
 
DirtRoads said:
No. It’s a radial. The cylinders are arranged in a radial configuration around the crankshaft.

There are more modern radial engines with your typical fixed crankcases, and some earlier ones where the crankcase and propeller all rotated together.

The biggest one (stationary crankcase) I can think of off the top of my head is 985 cubic inches out of 18 cylinders arranged in three rows of 9.
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They had some big early ones 18 and 24 cyl. All offset so the heads spiraled. On 1 crank
 


They were still called rotary engines. Not sure if that one is or isn't, but there were radial looking engines called rotaries.
 
87manche said:


They were still called rotary engines. Not sure if that one is or isn't, but there were radial looking engines called rotaries.
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So the feds called them rotary radials on the tests iirc. It’s a two name name. Everyone just calls them radials in practice with no distinction between the two.
 
airandspace.si.edu

Gnome Type N Rotary Engine

Type: Rotary, 9 cylindersPower rating: 123 kw (165 hp) at 1,350 rpmDisplacement: 15.9 L (970.38 cu in.)Bore and Stroke: 115 mm (4.53 in.) x 170 mm (6.69 in.)Weight: 132 kg (290 lb)The first successful rotary engine is generally attributed to the American F.O.
airandspace.si.edu airandspace.si.edu

Type: Rotary, 9 cylinders Power rating: 123 kw (165 hp) at 1,350 rpm Displacement: 15.9 L (970.38 cu in.) Bore and Stroke: 115 mm (4.53 in.) x 170 mm (6.69 in.) Weight: 132 kg (290 lb)
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:flipoff2:
 
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