The Curtiss Models F made up a family of early
flying boats developed in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in the years leading up to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Widely produced, Model Fs saw service with the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
under the designations C-2 through C-5, later reclassified to AB-2 through AB-5. Several examples were exported to
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, and the type was built under license in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
Design and development
In configuration, these were
biplane flying boats powered by a single
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...
mounted amongst the
interplane strut
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...
s and driving a
pusher propeller
In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...
. The pilot and a single passenger sat side by side in an open
cockpit. The wing cellule was derived from the
Model E landplane and was of two-bay, unstaggered, equal-span construction with large
ailerons mounted on the interplane struts and extending past the span of the wings themselves. The earliest examples of this design were built and sold by Curtiss in 1912 without any designation applied to them; the Model F name only coming into use the following year. Confusingly, Curtiss also used the designation Model E to refer to some early machines in this family, although these were quite distinct from Curtiss landplanes that bore this same designation and all but identical to the Model Fs.
Model Fs built from 1918 featured a revised, unequal-span wing that incorporated the ailerons into the upper wing and sponsons on the sides of the hull to improve the aircraft's handling in water. These were known as the Model MF (for Modernised-F), and years later as the Seagull in the postwar civil market.
Operational history
The US Navy initially purchased four of these aircraft in addition to the
Freak Boat (C-1/AB-1) that it had already obtained and which was retrofitted to approximately the same design as the others. One of these, the C-2 became the first aircraft to fly under
automatic control
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
on 30 August
1913
Events January
* January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not venture for the rest of the ...
when fitted with a
gyroscopic
A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in which the axis of rot ...
stabiliser designed by
Elmer Sperry
Elmer Ambrose Sperry Sr. (October 12, 1860 – June 16, 1930) was an American inventor and entrepreneur, most famous for construction, two years after Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe, of the gyrocompass and as founder of the Sperry Gyroscope Company. ...
. The same aircraft (by now redesignated AB-2) then became the first aircraft to be launched by
catapult from a warship while underway when it took off from on 5 November
1915
Events
Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction".
* January ...
, piloted by Captain
Henry C. Mustin, Navy Air Pilot No.3, and Naval Aviator No. 11. Her sister, AB-3, became the first US heavier-than-air aircraft to see military action when launched from the
USS Mississippi on 25 April
1914
This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
on a scouting mission over
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
during the
United States Occupation of Veracruz
The United States occupation of Veracruz (April 21 to November 23, 1914) began with the Battle of Veracruz and lasted for seven months. The incident came in the midst of poor diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, and was r ...
.
The US Navy bought another eight aircraft before the end of 1916, but orders in quantity only came following the type's selection as the Navy's standard flying-boat trainer in April
1917
Events
Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Fo ...
. An initial batch of 144 of the basic F model were ordered, followed by 22 MFs in 1918. Another 80 MFs were produced under license by the
Naval Aircraft Factory
The Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) was established by the United States Navy in 1918 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was created to help solve aircraft supply issues which faced the Navy Department upon the entry of the U.S. into World War I. ...
. This aircraft was especially useful for training because of its favorable
stall recovery, while many other aircraft of the era were likely to stall into a
spin. A small number of Model Es and Fs were also purchased by the US Army.
The Russian Navy purchased two batches of Model Fs in 1913-14 and operated them as part of the Black Sea and Baltic Sea fleets until replaced by the
Model K shortly thereafter. In Italy, the Curtiss representative
Enea Bossi
Enea Bossi Sr. (March 29, 1888January 9, 1963) was an Italian-American aerospace engineer and aviation pioneer. He is best known for designing the Budd BB-1 ''Pioneer'', the first stainless steel aircraft; and the ''Pedaliante'' airplane, dispu ...
secured rights for local license-production of the Type F by the
Zari brothers, who built eight examples at their workshop in
Bovisa
Bovisa (, ) is a district (''quartiere'') of Milan, Italy, located north of the city center, in the Zone 9. The name is supposedly derived from the Italian word ''bove'', meaning ''ox'', as the area developed from an ancient rural settlement.
Hi ...
,
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. The first of these was demonstrated to the Italian Navy on
Lake Como on 22 September 1914. The Model F was adopted by
Regia Marina
The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...
on the battleship
''Dante Alighieri'', cruisers
''Amalfi'' and
''San Marco'', and the
seaplane tender ''Elba''.
Rogers Airlines operated a postwar fleet of ten Curtiss Seagulls as late as 1927. The aircraft flew routes out of Miami and Nassau in the winter months and returned to upstate New York for maintenance and barnstorming in the summer.
Variants
;Model E
:Designation sometime erroneously applied to certain early members of this family.
;Model F
:Standard production model from 1912 onwards, received this designation 1914, and given numerical designation of Model 7 in 1930.
;
White & Thompson 100 hp Curtiss Flying Boat
:Improved version of the Model F flown in March 1913 - Curtiss inter-wing ailerons replaced by ailerons on the upper wing trailing edge.
;White & Thompson Bass-Curtiss Airboat
:Major reconstruction of a Model F fitted with an
Anzani
Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1877–1956), which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy.
Overview
From his native Italy, An ...
engine in June 1914.
;Sperry-Curtiss
:Amphibious version of Model E for
Lawrence Sperry
Lawrence Burst Sperry (21 December 1892, Chicago, Illinois, United States – December 13, 1923, English Channel) was an aviation pioneer who invented the autopilot and the artificial horizon.
Biography
He was the third son of the gyrocompa ...
.
;School Machine
:Trainer with nose boarding ramp.
;Sport Boat
:Three-seat deluxe version.
;Reid Hydroaeroplane
:Custom version for
Marshall Reid
Marshall Earle Reid (August 31, 1887 – December 5, 1955) was an early aviator.
Biography
He was born on August 31, 1887, in Philadelphia to Josephine Elizabeth Myers and Marshall Earl Reid Sr.
On May 4, 1912, he started from Hempstead, L ...
with shoulder-yoke aileron controls.
;Model FL
:Model F fitted with wings from
Curtiss Model L. Single example, also designated Model 7 built 1917.
[
;Model BAT
:Tractor-engined prototype for MF, later designated Model 13 in Curtiss sequence.
;Model BAP
:Pusher-engined prototype for MF similar to BAT, later designated Model 14 in Curtiss sequence.
;Model MF
:Modernised version of 1914, production standard from 1918 onwards, later designated Model 18
;Cox-Klemin CK-14
:Model MFs rebuilt and modified to use 180 hp Hispano Suiza engine
;Seagull
:Postwar civil version of MF with two additional seats, later designated Model 25. Approximately 16 sold.][
;Crane
:Amphibious version of Seagull, later designated Model 20.][
;Judson Triplane
:Enlarged custom triplane version.
;McCormick Flying Boat
:Enlarged, five-seat custom version for ]Harold Fowler McCormick
Harold Fowler McCormick (May 2, 1872 – October 16, 1941) was an American businessman. He was chairman of the board of International Harvester Company and a member of the McCormick family. In 1948 he was awarded the Henry Laurence Gantt Medal b ...
.
Operators
;
* Brazilian Naval Aviation
Brazilian Naval Aviation ( pt, Aviação Naval Brasileira; AvN) is the air arm of the Brazilian Navy operating from ships and from shore installations.
History
The Brazilian Naval Aviation branch was organized in August 1916, after creation of ...
;
* Regia Marina
The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...
;
* Walsh Brothers Flying School, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, 5 aircraft used to train pilots for the Royal Flying Corps
;
* Ottoman Navy - one Model F
;
* Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...
- received two batches of Model Fs in 1913-14.
;
* White and Thompson
The Norman Thompson Flight Company was a British aircraft manufacturer specialising in the construction of flying boats. It was formed as the White and Thompson Company in 1912, and designed and built the Norman Thompson NT.4 patrol aircraft a ...
- one Model F
;
* United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
* United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
* American Trans-Oceanic Company
American Trans-Oceanic Company was an airline based in the United States.
History
Rodman Wanamaker published a letter in 1916 stating the founding of the American Trans-Oceanic Company to capitalize on the 1914 effort to fly across the Atlan ...
Specifications (1917 Model F)
Survivors
* The engine and radiator of a Model F are preserved at the Cradle of Aviation Museum
The Cradle of Aviation Museum is an aerospace museum located in Garden City, New York on Long Island, established to commemorate Long Island's part in the history of aviation. It is located on land once part of Mitchel Air Force Base which, to ...
on Long Island.
* Parts of Model F serial number 112, which crashed in Connecticut in 1915, were incorporated into a restoration b
Century Aviation
in Wenatchee, WA in 2016-2018. The plane took its first flight on Moses Lake in Washington on August 21, 2018.
* Curtiss MF/ Seagull NC903 (ex C903, US Navy A5541) is on display at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, New Zealand.
See also
References
Bibliography
*
*
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
Авиация A-Z
External links
A Curitss model F in front of the Royal Palm, Miami Florida
{{Curtiss aircraft
1910s United States civil utility aircraft
Flying boats
Model F
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1912