The Curtiss No. 1 also known as the Curtiss Gold Bug or Curtiss Golden Flyer was a 1900s
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, ...
early experimental aircraft, the first independent aircraft designed and built by
Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early ...
.
Development
After his success with designing aircraft for the
Aerial Experiment Association
The Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) was a Canadian-American aeronautical research group formed on 30 September 1907, under the leadership of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell.
The AEA produced several different aircraft in quick succession, with eac ...
, Glenn Curtiss formed his own company, the Herring-Curtiss Company, in March 1909, in association with
Augustus Herring
Augustus Moore Herring (August 3, 1867 – July 17, 1926) was an American aviation pioneer, who sometimes is claimed by Michigan promoters to be the first true aviator of a motorized heavier-than-air aircraft.
Biography
Herring was born in ...
. Earlier in the same month, the Aeronautical Society of New York had placed an order from Curtiss for a new aircraft. The Curtiss No. 1 was the first aircraft both designed and built by Curtiss. Curtiss flew the aircraft to win the ''Scientific American'' trophy (which he had won before in the
AEA ''June Bug'' that he had designed). Encouraged by this success, Curtiss entered the aircraft into the first international air show to be held at
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
in August 1909. Before the international competition, the aircraft crashed and was badly damaged;
The Curtiss Aircraft Damaged
light International
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequency, fr ...
24 July 1909 Curtiss decided not to rebuild the aircraft and built a new aircraft, the Curtiss Reims Racer
Curtiss at the controls of the Reims Racer
The Curtiss No. 2, often known as the Reims Racer, was a racing aircraft built in the United States by Glenn Curtiss in 1909 to contest the Gordon Bennett Cup air race in Reims, France that year.
Desi ...
for the competition.
Specifications
References
Further reading
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External links
Aero-web
{{Curtiss aircraft
1900s United States experimental aircraft
01
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Canard aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1909