Moving on from the Biplane Hawks and racers covered in the last post in this series it is now time to take a look at Curtiss' first monoplane fighter to make a mark in the Second World War, the P-36. Development This stocky fighter first took to the skies in 1935 and while a Curtiss … Continue reading Curtiss Story Part 7 – P-36/Hawk 75
Following on from my previous post looking at WW1 Aero Engines, attention now turns to some of those units used to power the interwar aircraft. These interwar power plants helped aviation design make the transition from the fragile biplane fighters of World War One, right through to the legendary Schneider racers. Armstrong Siddeley LYNX - … Continue reading Aero Engines of History Part 3: 1920-1936 The Interwar Years
We have already seen Glenn Curtiss’ rise to a leading light in the US aviation business. From pioneering Pushers to fighting flying boats and training up a nations pilots in the Jenny and Standard. https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/6686664101/in/photolist-bbSUh6-bbptXX-bbptk2-aDSyL3-aDNEtk-8DHFjA-8cTJBq-7ZzTtn-7ZzTsT-7ZzTsB-7ZzTs6-7ZzTrn-7ZD4JC-7ZzTiF-7ZzThV-7ZzTai-7ZD4u5-7ZzT8P-7ZD4sN-7ZD4rG-7ZzT86-7ZD4qo-7ZzT7a-7Xn6cq-7Xn6bW-7XiRLR-7Xn6bj-7Xn6b9-7Xn6aG-7Xn6ad-7Xn69W-7Xn69j-7XiRJR-7Xn68y-7Xn68Q-7Xn67N-7XiRHK-7Xn67q-7Xn677-7XiRGt-7Xn667-7XiRGi-7Xn65S-7XiRFB-7XmBs3-7XmBrG-7XmBr5-7XinVx-7XmBqC-7XinUZ The 1920s represented a crucial time for the Curtiss company. Mr Curtiss himself retired from the company in September 1920, … Continue reading The Curtiss Story Part 6: The Racers and the Biplane Hawks
Following the high-pressure sales and production figures that Curtiss had become used to during the years of the First World War it was expected that the company would still be flooded with orders both at home and abroad once the fighting ended. Curtiss saw their military order numbers drop sharply from November 1918, as did … Continue reading The Curtiss Story Part 5: The 1920s
Flying boats aside Curtiss, and american aviation in general had made very limited progress during the First World War as in fighting and legal action distracted many of the leading figures for the duration. As outlined briefly in my initial Curtiss post, outlining the rise to success of Glenn Curtiss himself, a number of successful … Continue reading The Curtiss Story Part 4 – The JN-4 “Jenny”
Glenn Curtiss had made great advances in aviation by the 1910’s despite countless legal battles with the Wright Brothers over his Pusher designs. His experimental flying boats had led to plenty of industry recognition and it wasn’t long before the navy took an interest in these designs. The First World War would see the flying … Continue reading The Curtiss Story Part 3: First World War Flying Boats
Following on from my introduction to Mr. Curtiss himself I wanted to feature a modern day operator of Curtiss types to offer a pilots insight into flying and operating these special machines. I was lucky enough to be able to catch a few words from Kermit Weeks, who operates a number of Curtiss types at … Continue reading The Curtiss Story Part 2: Curtiss According to Kermit – Kermit Weeks on flying Curtiss Aircraft
Glenn Curtiss was born on the 21st May 1878. Curtiss always had a keen interest in engineering and innovation. He opened up the first Curtiss factory, manufacturing motorcycles, in 1901. This obviously draws a comparison to the Bicycle building Wright Brothers,with whom Curtiss would have long drawn out legal battles and ill-feeling in the years … Continue reading The Curtiss Story Part 1 – Glenn Curtiss & the Early Years
This years Flying Legends display saw the UK debut of the Fighter Collection's latest Curtiss Hawk. Joining the P-40F, P-40C and Hawk 75 was the newly restored P-36C, the american production variant of the Hawk 75. The sight of two P-36 variants performing low passes together across the grass at Duxford was something I never … Continue reading Airshow Moments 2015 #10 – A Legendary Curtiss
The second weekend in July has cemented itself over the years as an incredibly special time of year for historic aviation enthusiasts. It is around this time each year that Duxford in Cambridgeshire begins welcoming all manner of aeroplanes and pilots from all over the world. Together they form what has to be the greatest … Continue reading Flying Legends 2015
Warbird Tails 