Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss ( born May 21, 1878 in Hammondsport, New York, † July 23, 1930 in Buffalo ) was an American racing driver, aviation pioneer, pilot and entrepreneur.
Biography
The young Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss was born the son of Frank Richmond Curtiss and Lua Curtiss at a winery called Castle Hill. Although his father died in 1882, he enjoyed a sheltered childhood. His work force was claimed early on by his family, who let him help in the vineyards at harvest. In school mathematics inspired him, in which he brought home top marks. It was said, however, that to think he needed half an hour about something that you could normally do in fifteen minutes. 1890 the family moved to Rochester, there were there for Glenn's deaf sister school. After finishing school Curtiss worked since 1892 first as a bicycle telegram messenger, then in camera production at Eastman. Thus his path was mapped out. He was not only a good mechanic, but also a good cyclist, and so Curtiss 1895 bought his first bike. He took part in cycling races and could in 1896 to decide for his first championship in New York. On March 7, 1898, he married Lena Pearl Neff. With her Curtiss had four children.
Bicycle and motorcycle time
Through the experience gained in the cycle race, he succeeded after interim founding his bicycle repair shop in 1900 its own production of bicycles with the brand name "Hercules" build. Since bicycles were soon equipped with motors, Curtiss 1901 brandishing attention to that customer and became the motorcycle producer. He first designed lightweight single-cylinder engines, with which he in equipping its motorcycles. 1903 brought Curtiss with the " Hercules Twin" the first American manufacturer to the V- 2 engine on the market; The end of 1903 operated under the name Curtiss with his name, the brand "Hercules" disappeared. 1903 Curtiss won the first American mountain race on one of his machines, in January 1904, he presented with his 695 cc "V- Twin" 67.3 mph ( 108.3 km / h ) is a 10 mile record on. Coinciding with Indian Curtiss developed in 1904 with the throttle. He finally reached on 24 January 1907 the about 40 -hp Curtiss V8 the unofficial world record of 219.4 km / h Curtiss was to ensure that by 1911, the fastest man in the world. The record for motorcycles was only on August 31, 1930 by Joseph S. Wright broke on OEC Temple JAP. In 1910, the motorcycle department was outsourced, which is now called Marvel manufacturer won to 1913 production with Curtiss engines upright.
The aviation
However, initial engine Curtiss attracted enough attention. So ordered in 1904 Thomas Scott Baldwin such a motor for the first American airship as a drive source. Soon grew out of the sole proprietorship of Curtiss a real factory and he joined with four other shareholders on October 19, 1905 Glenn Hammond Curtiss for Manufacturing Company together. In May of 1906 Curtiss beat the Wright brothers before the use of one of its engines in a Wright airplane. They met again in August, but Wright refused ultimately depend.
Already at that time the idea of flying in Curtiss was anchored. His first flight he took on 28 June 1907 in a Baldwin dirigible. To come closer to the goal itself Curtiss joined with Alexander Graham Bell and other founding members together and founded the Aerial Experiment Association in Halifax, Canada. Curtiss was in this venture experimenter. With the new company in the back there was in December a new attempt on the part of Curtiss to supply its engines to the Wright Brothers, however, rejected these again this time from. On May 21, 1908 Curtiss made his first flight in an airplane. Already on 21 June of the same year launched Curtiss with its own design, the June Bug, and reached the same a new American distance record ( 386 m). On July 4, it came with the same engine, the first of three airlines prices of Scientific American to gain by Curtiss flew far over one kilometer. In November 1909, tried to start with a set on floats June Bug from the water, but this did not succeed. This failure inspired Curtiss and he began extensive experiments on the hydrodynamic resistance of the hulls of boats.
In 1909 Curtiss founded August Herring another air carrier, the Herring - Curtiss Company. In this company soon emerged the Curtiss Gold Bug and designed as a scaled down at full speed variant of the Curtiss Golden Flyer. The gold in the type designation was chosen because of the yellowish glowing fabric covering. Immediately after the completion in August 1909, the machine was shipped to Europe to participate in Reims, France at the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne air race worth 25,000 francs. The machine's engine was derived from the motorcycle V -8 engine, but was water-cooled. On August 28, 1909, he gained a new official FAI - recognized world speed record for airplanes with 76.749 km / h, he reached the inaugural Gordon Bennett Cup. In addition, he was also able to secure the victory over the 30-km distance.
Following this event, the Wright brothers filed a lawsuit in the United States. Was due to the violation of their rights to the aileron system used by Curtiss. This dispute lasted until 1917, when the U.S. government defused the dispute because of World War II.
In May of 1910 was a new seaplane of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company Incorporated ready, but even this could not be solved by water. On May 29, Curtiss flew from Albany along the Hudson River to New York City and so won the doped $ 10,000 Pulitzer Prize for a flight over 100 miles distance over water. The aircraft used was not a seaplane, but had floats for a possible ditching. Curtiss received the first pilot license issued in the United States. On 14 November, the start of a Curtiss aircraft managed by a boat, on 18 January 1911 was followed a landing on a ship. By now it was Curtiss managed to achieve through the development of a new float form the start of an airplane from the water. This was achieved on 26 January. Just one month later launched an amphibious aircraft. This secured the attention of the U.S. Navy for the models of Curtiss (eg Curtiss JN -4), which issued him a permit for production aircraft. In May Curtiss rented an area around there army members to train pilots. On 8 May 1911, the Navy ordered two aircraft then at Curtiss. On June 30, Curtiss demonstrated the military utility of the aircraft, when he managed to throw bomb carried dummies on a warship. It brought together 15 of 17 dummies.
In 1916 he developed the first flying boat with the newly developed stepped hull. His company went public, and he became its first president.
In 1920 Curtiss left his company and moved to Florida with his family. He died in 1930 after an operation for appendicitis (other sources: heart attack).
Works
- The Curtiss aviation book. - New York: Stokes, 1912