The Curtiss Falcon was a family of military

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

aircraft built by the American aircraft manufacturer Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company during the 1920s. Most saw service as part of the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

as observation aircraft with the designations O-1 and O-11, or as the attack aircraft designated the A-3 Falcon. U.S. Navy variants were used initially as fighter-bombers with the designation F8C Falcon, then as the first U.S. Marine Corps

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that Dive (aviation), dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the Aerial bomb, bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to ...

s with the name Helldiver. Two later generations of Curtiss dive-bombers were also named

Helldiver Helldiver may refer to: *Grebe, a bird *Helldiver, a graffiti artist better known as ORFN *Curtiss Helldiver (disambiguation), name of several aircraft See also * Helldivers ''Helldivers'' is a top-down shooter game developed by Arrowhead Game ...

. The type was introduced in 1925 and saw first-line service in the United States until 1934. Curtiss Falcons fought in the

Constitutionalist Revolution The Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932 (sometimes also referred to as Paulista War or Brazilian Civil War) is the name given to the uprising of the population of the Brazilian state of São Paulo against the Brazilian Revolution of 1930 when ...

of 1932 in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, used by the forces of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

Design and development

The Falcon XO-1 prototype was evaluated by the USAAC along with eleven other prototypes in 1924 and the Douglas XO-2 was declared the winner of that competition. So Curtiss re-engined the prototype with the Packard 1A-1500 for the 1925 trials, which it won. The engine failed to live up to expectations and the O-1 ordered by the Army was fitted with the 435 hp (324 kW)

Curtiss V-1150 The Curtiss D-12, sometimes identified with the military designation Curtiss V-1150, was an aircraft engine of 18.8 liter displacement. It was a water-cooled V12, producing 443 hp (330 kW) and weighing 693 lb (314 kg). It wa ...

(D-12) engine. The aircraft was a conventional unequal-span biplane design with wooden wings, while the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

was built using

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It h ...

tubing with steel tie rod bracing. The

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Marti ...

was fixed and the

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals ...

included a

balanced rudder Balanced rudders are used by both ships and aircraft. Both may indicate a portion of the rudder surface ahead of the hinge, placed to lower the control loads needed to turn the rudder. For aircraft the method can also be applied to elevators and ...

with a rear skid originally, later changed to a tailwheel. The initial A-3 Falcon order was placed in the winter of 1927 and delivery of the first plane was in October 1927. A total of 76 A-3s were received. Later, six aircraft were modified as pilot trainers with dual controls and redesignated A-3A. A second batch of 78 improved A-3Bs, based on the Curtiss O-1E, was purchased beginning in 1929.

Operational history

Reasonably successful as an observation aircraft, Falcons flew primarily in the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, 5th and 99th Observation Squadrons of the

9th Observation Group The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command and Sixteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale. Its mission is to ...

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) * Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Terri ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The A-3 Attack Falcon saw considerable use, in frontline service with the 8th, 13th and 19th Attack Squadrons of the 3rd Attack Group,

Barksdale Field Barksdale may refer to: Places * Barksdale, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Barksdale, Texas, an unincorporated community *Barksdale, Wisconsin, a town **Barksdale (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community *Barksdale Air Force ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

, and the 26th Attack Squadron in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

from 1928 to 1934 and with reserve units until 1937. The U.S. Navy introduced the F8C-1 and F8C-3 Falcon as a shipboard fighter in 1927–1928. They were later redesignated OC-1 and OC-2 for Marine Corps use as an observation/bomber. The F8C-4 Helldiver variant initially saw service with the Navy, and the first production batch of 25 was transferred in 1931 to the Marine Corps. A total of 34 F8Cs redesignated as O2C-1 observation aircraft were also transferred to the Naval Reserve in 1931, serving with squadrons VN-10RD9, VN-11RD9, and VN-12RD9. Most of the 63 newer F8C-5/O2C-1 Helldivers also served with the Marines, remaining in service until 1936. The type was featured in multiple Hollywood films: ''

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can b ...

'' (1929), '' Hell Divers'' (1932) and ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'' (1933). Curtiss Falcon aircraft fought during the

of 1932, under the flag of

. In

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, the aircraft type also fought in the

Chaco War The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko ÑorairõParaguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

an troopers. The

Colombian Air Force , "We are the Force" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Colombian Air Force Hymn , mascot = Capitan Paz , anniversaries = 8 November , ...

used Falcon F-8 and O-1 in the Colombia-Peru War in 1932–3.

Variants

U.S. Army Air Corps

;A-3: Model 44, attack aircraft version of O-1B, armed with two 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns and 200 lb (91 kg) of bombs; 66 built for the USAAC. ;A-3A: Six A-3s converted into trainers. ;A-3B: Model 37H, attack version of O-1E, with six machine guns, including two mounted in wings; 78 built. Curtiss XA-4 parked

;XA-4: One A-3 with a Pratt & Whitney R-1340-1 Wasp radial piston engine. Scrapped in March 1932, but the design was the basis for the naval variants. ;A-5: Proposed A-3 variant with Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror engine ;A-6: Proposed A-3 variant with

Curtiss H-1640 Chieftain The Curtiss H-1640 Chieftain was an unusual American 12-cylinder radial aero engine designed and built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company in the mid-1920s.Gunston 1989, p. 46 Design and development The H-1640 was an air-cooled 12 cylin ...

engine

;XBT-4: Model 46, one O-1E converted into a basic trainer for the USAAC. ;XO-1:Liberty 12A powered Prototype, later modified to use a Packard 1A-1500, one built. ;O-1: Model 37A, two-seat observation aircraft, the first production model, ten built. One converted into the O-1 Special VIP transport. ;O-1A: Two-seat observation aircraft, powered by the Liberty piston engine, one built. ;O-1B: Model 37B, first major production version, powered by

Curtiss D-12D The Curtiss D-12, sometimes identified with the military designation Curtiss V-1150, was an aircraft engine of 18.8 liter displacement. It was a water-cooled V12, producing 443 hp (330 kW) and weighing 693 lb (314 kg). It was ...

(V-1150-3) engine; 45 ordered, 25 built and 20 diverted on the production line to the A-3. ;O-1C: Four O-1Bs converted into VIP transports. ;O-1E: Model 37I, variant powered by

Curtiss D-12E The Curtiss D-12, sometimes identified with the military designation Curtiss V-1150, was an aircraft engine of 18.8 liter displacement. It was a water-cooled V12, producing 443 hp (330 kW) and weighing 693 lb (314 kg). It was ...

(V-1150-5) piston engine; 41 built. ;O-1F: Model 37J, one O-1E converted into VIP transport. ;O-1G: Model 38, final O-1 variant, powered by a

Wright R-1820F-2 Cyclone Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...

engine; 30 built for USAAC. ;XO-11: Two O-1 modified as O-11 prototypes. ;O-11: O-1 airframe powered by the Liberty V-1650 piston engine; 67 built concurrently with the O-1s. ;XO-12: One XO-11 prototype redesignated XO-12. ;XO-13: O-1 fitted with Conqueror engine for the 1927

National Air Races The National Air Races (also known as Pulitzer Trophy Races) are a series of pylon and cross-country races that have taken place in the United States since 1920. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew ...

. ;XO-13A: Second XO-13, fitted with wing skin radiators. ;O-13B: One O-1C fitted with a Conqueror engine, tested as an observation aircraft, and provided to Secretary of War. ;YO-13C: Three O-1Es re-engined with direct-drive Conqueror engines. ;YO-13D: One O-11 fitted with supercharged Conqueror engine. ;XO-16: One O-11 with Prestone cooling system. ;XO-18: One O-1B testbed for

engine. ;Y1O-26: One O-1E fitted with a geared Conqueror engine. ;O-39: O-1G refitted with a Conqueror engine and cockpit canopy; ten built.

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps

;A-3 Helldiver: Registry name of XF8C-8, not adopted by USN. ;A-4 Helldiver: Civil version of XF8C-8 for use by Assistant Secretary of Navy

David Ingalls David Sinton Ingalls (January 28, 1899 – April 26, 1985) was the US Navy's only flying ace of World War I, with six credited victories; thus he was the first ace in U. S. Navy history. Early life Ingalls was born on January 28, 1899, in Cl ...

. Later redesignated XF8C-7. ;XF8C-1: Model 37C variant developed from XO-12; two built for the U.S. Navy. ;F8C-1 Falcon: Model 37C powered by the

Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp is an aircraft engine of the reciprocating type that was widely used in American aircraft from the 1920s onward. It was the Pratt & Whitney aircraft company's first engine, and the first of the famed Wasp ser ...

radial piston engine; four built in 1928 for the U.S. Marine Corps as light bombers, fighters and observation aircraft, later redesignated OC-1. ;XF8C-2: Model 49, one prototype for F8C Helldiver. Original crashed on first factory flight and was replaced by Curtiss with a second bearing identical sn. ;F8C-3 Falcon: Second production batch of Navy Falcons; 21 built for USN/USMC in 1928, later redesignated OC-2. ;XF8C-4: Second Helldiver prototype, modified tail skid assembly. ;F8C-4 Helldiver: Model 49B, production dive-bomber variant for the USN/USMC; 25 built, later designated O2C. ;F8C-5 Helldiver: Model 49B with ring cowling; 63 built in 1930–31, later designated O2C-1. ;XF8C-6: Two F8C-5s modified with superchargers, slats, and wing flaps; one later modified as O2C-2. ;XF8C-7: Redesignation of A-4 Helldiver, later redesignated XO2C-2. ;XF8C-8: Two prototypes built with canopy-enclosed front cockpit, later redesignated O2C-2. ;O2C-1 Helldiver: Redesignation of 63 F8C-5; 30 production O2C-1s in 1931. ;O2C-2 Helldiver: Redesignation of XF8C-8s and one XF8C-6. ;XOC-3: One XF8C-1 prototype fitted with a Chieftain engine. ;XF10C-1:O2C-2 re-engined with a R-1510 engine, also temporary designated XS3C-1.

Civil and export

;Civil Falcon: 20 civil versions: Conqueror

Mail plane A mail plane is an aircraft used for carrying mail. Aircraft that were purely mail planes existed almost exclusively prior to World War II. Because early aircraft were too underpowered to carry cargoes, and too costly to run any "economy class" ...

; D-12 Mailplane; ''Lindbergh Special'', sold to

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

; Liberty Mailplane, 14 single-seat mailplanes, powered by a Liberty piston engines, sold to

National Air Transport National Air Transport was a large United States airline; in 1930 it was bought by Boeing. The Air Mail Act of 1934 prohibited airlines and manufacturers from being under the same corporate umbrella, so Boeing split into three smaller companies, o ...

. ;Export Falcon: also South American D-12 Falcon. One seaplane version of the O-1B was sold to Colombia, followed by an order for 15 more. Another 10 Model 35Fs were sold to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. ;Colombia Cyclone Falcon: Model 37F fitted with the

Wright Cyclone Wright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and used in numerous American aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. Background The Wright Aeronautical Corporation was ...

radial piston engine. 100 built for Colombia. ;Chilean Falcon: O-1E design built under license in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

, 10 later sold to

. One example ended up in Paraguay as passage fee for the remaining aircraft. It operated mostly as a VIP transport, but made at last one reconnaissance flight over the Chaco war fields armed with two machine-guns from a Potez. ;Bolivia Cyclone Falcon: Similar to Colombian Falcon, it was fitted with the

Wright SR-1820F-2 Cyclone The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet U ...

radial piston engine. A total of nine were built for Bolivia in some odd variants from the Colombian ones. Bolivian Cyclone Falcons mounted one frontal .30 MG and most also one rear .30 MG instead of the two wing-mounted ones. Two had semi-cockpit canopies over pilots cockpit; two had windscreens instead of canopy in both cockpits, these two had no ring mount for rear machine gun.

Operators

Military operators

; *

Bolivian Air Force The Bolivian Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Boliviana or 'FAB') is the air force of Bolivia and branch of the Bolivian Armed Forces. History By 1938 the Bolivian air force consisted of about 60 aircraft (Curtiss Hawk fighters, Curtiss T-32 Co ...

; * Public Force of São Paulo State *

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

; *

Chilean Air Force "With full speed to the stars" , colours = Indigo White , colours_label = , march = Alte Kameraden , mascot = , anniversaries = 21 March ...

; *

Colombian Air Force , "We are the Force" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Colombian Air Force Hymn , mascot = Capitan Paz , anniversaries = 8 November , ...

; *

Finnish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = 159 , equipment_label ...

; *

Paraguayan Air Force The Armed forces of Paraguay ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay) consist of the Paraguayan army, navy (including naval aviation and marine corps) and air force. The constitution of Paraguay establishes the president of Paraguay as the commander ...

; *

Peruvian Air Force The Peruvian Air Force ( es, link=no, Fuerza Aérea del Perú, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguardin ...

; * Philippine Army Air Corps ; *

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

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 ...

Civil operators

; *

operated 14 aircraft.

Specifications Model 37H (A-3B)

References

Bibliography

* * * Hagedorn, Dan and Antonio Luis Sapienza. ''Aircraft of the Chaco War''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2000. .

External links

Curtiss A-3 fact sheet on National Museum of the USAF websiteCurtiss A-3B fact sheet on National Museum of the USAF website
History and specifications from the reference book ''American Combat Planes of the 20th Century'' by Ray Wagner
"The West Point Of The Air""
''Popular Mechanics'', June 1930—photos pages 936 (middle), 939 (top) and 940 (bottom) {{DEFAULTSORT:Falcon, Curtiss Falcon family Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes 1920s United States attack aircraft 1920s United States fighter aircraft 1920s United States mailplanes Aircraft first flown in 1925