The Curtiss Model K, also known as the Model 4, was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

single-engined flying boat of

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 ...

. It was an enlarged derivative of Curtiss's Model F and about 50 were built for export to the

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Design and development

In 1914, the

Curtiss Aeroplane Company Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1909 – 1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first decades ...

developed its Model K, an enlarged development of its successful Model F flying boat. It was a three- bay biplane powered by a 150 hp (112 kW) Curtiss V-X engine mounted in a pusher configuration between the wings. Unlike the Model F, its wings were staggered and slightly swept, while its ailerons were mounted on the upper wing instead of between the wings.Bowers 1979, p. 106.Johnson 2009, p. 38. The first flight of the Model K was delayed by problems with its engine until January 1915, with it being claimed that the aircraft was the largest single-engined flying boat in the world at the time.

Operational history

While the Model K did not attract orders from home, attempts to export it were more successful, resulting in an order for at least 51 aircraft in both flying boat and landplane versions from the

in 1914."Curtiss K through Z"
''Aerofiles''. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2011. The crated aircraft were shipped via

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and

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, resulting in serious delays in the aircraft being reassembled, such that many of them were unseaworthy due to their hulls having cracked.Johnson 2009, pp. 38–39.

Operators

; *

Specifications

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

*Bowers, Peter M. ''Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947''. London: Putnam, 1979. . *Johnson, E.R.
American Flying Boats and Amphibious Aircraft: An Illustrated History
'. Jefferson, North Carolina, USA: McFarland & Company, 2009. . {{Curtiss aircraft 1910s United States military utility aircraft Flying boats Model K Single-engined pusher aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1915