The Art of Invention

 

Hydroaeroplane - Glenn Curtiss

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Hydroaeroplane

1922

Glenn Curtiss

Landing and taking off in an airplane on the land was one thing, but doing it from the water required years of experimentation and design.

The principle of hydroplaning had to be discovered and utilized. This reduced the drag from the airplane's pontoons as they moved through the water. Once the drag was reduced, the plane's engine could generate enough speed to allow the plane to take off.

Glenn Curtiss had a quest for speed. He pursued it on a motorcycle. In 1907 he was hailed as the "fastest man in the world" when he set a speed record of 136.36 mph on an 8-cylinder motorcycle.

In 1908, Curtiss was the lead designer and pilot of "June Bug", first official public flight in US.

In 1911, he built the first successful pontoon aircraft in US and became the "Father of Naval Aviation", when his hydroaeroplane A-1 was purchased by US Navy.

 

Some great links:

The Glenn Curtiss Museum of Early Aviation

Glenn Curtiss: The Henry Ford of Aviation

 

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Last updated: 17 March, 2003

 The Art of Invention (c) Copyright 2001, 2002, 2003 by Wes Bruning

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