Curtiss Oriole: Difference between revisions

Oriole
	Curtiss Oriole at Houston, 1919
Role	Light aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Curtiss Aircraft
First flight	1919

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The Curtiss Oriole (Curtiss Model 17) was an American three-seat general-purpose biplane.

Design[edit]

The Oriole fuselage was constructed using laminated wood to form a monocoque body and was powered by either the Curtiss OX-5 V-8 or the Curtiss K-6 engine. The aircraft featured a self-starter and a tall thin radiator in the pilot's field of view.^[1]^[2]

Operational history[edit]

Surplus Curtiss Oriole wings were sold to Harold Pitcairn to manufacture the first production Pitcairn aircraft, the Pitcairn PA-3 Orowing.

Northwest Airlines was founded on August 1, 1926, flying a Curtiss Oriole and a Thomas Morse Biplane on the CAM-9 Airmail route from Minneapolis to Chicago.^[3]

Admiral Byrd selected a Curtiss Oriole as second aircraft for his 1926 Arctic Expedition to the North Pole with a Fokker F.VII. The Oriole was planned to be used for photography and rescue work. The New York times reported (falsely) that the Oriole was shipped on the steamer Chantier in case the Fokker was unavailable.^[4] However the Oriole never was planned as a backup to the Fokker. It did not have the range to fly nonstop from Spitzbergen to the North Pole and back.

A leased Curtiss Oriole was deployed by the 109th Observation Squadron in 1921. The aircraft was flown to Washington D.C. to lobby for Minnesota Air Guard funding.^[5]

One Curtiss Oriole were sold to Brazilian Naval Aviation in 1926.

Syd (brother of Charlie) Chaplin Air Line used Curtiss Oriole(s) for its one year of operation in 1920.

Variants[edit]

Igor Sikorsky offered a kit to replace the lower wings with a smaller pair with less drag-producing struts and wires. One example with this modification and a 150 hp Hispano-Suiza upgrade, was entered in the 1927 National Air Races. Before the races, the engine was upgraded again to a Hispano-Suiza 220 hp engine, which overwhelmed the cooling system with metal shavings, causing the aircraft to drop out of the race.^[6]

The Ireland Comet was a rebuilt Curtiss Oriole with new flying surfaces, including a single-bay high-lift wing.^[7]

Surviving aircraft[edit]

An Oriole is on static display at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, New York.^[8]
Reproduction – Oriole on static display at the Minnesota Air National Guard Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota.^[9]
In storage at the Fantasy of Flight, in Polk City, Florida.^{[citation needed]}
Three in storage at Century Aviation in East Wenatchee, Washington.^[10]^{[failed verification]}

Specifications (short-span wings, OX-5 engine)[edit]

Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947^[11]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Capacity: two passengers
Length: 25 ft 0 in (7.62 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
Height: 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m)
Wing area: 326 sq ft (30.3 m²)
Empty weight: 1,428 lb (648 kg)
Gross weight: 2,036 lb (924 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss OX-5 water-cooled V-8 engine, 90 hp (67 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 86 mph (138 km/h, 75 kn)
Cruise speed: 69 mph (111 km/h, 60 kn)
Range: 582 mi (937 km, 506 nmi)
Service ceiling: 8,000 ft (2,400 m)
Rate of climb: 400 ft/min (2.0 m/s)

Notes[edit]

^ "Chaplin Airlines". Retrieved 18 January 2011.
^ Aerial Age: 11. 15 March 1920. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ "Northwest Curtiss Oriole". Retrieved 18 January 2011.
^ "BYRD WILL CARRY A CURTISS ORIOLE; Three-Passenger Plane to Be Taken on Polar Trip in Case Big Fokker Fails. LOADING TO START TODAY Chantier Goes to Navy Yard to Take On Final Cargo in Readiness for Monday's Sailing". The New York Times. April 2, 1926.
^ "The Minnesota Air National Guard". Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
^ Experimenter. April 1957. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ Eyre, David C. (8 May 2019). "Ireland Comet". Retrieved 17 June 2022.
^ "Aircraft". Glenn H. Curtiss Museum. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
^ "CURTISS ORIOLE". Minnesota Air National Guard Museum. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
^ "1919 Curtiss Oriole 'Kristine'". Century Aviation. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
^ Bowers 1979, p. 176.

References[edit]

Bowers, Peter M (1979). Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.
Hagedorn, Dan (March–May 1992). "Curtiss Types in Latin America". Air Enthusiast. No. 45. pp. 61–77. ISSN 0143-5450.

External links[edit]

Media related to Curtiss Oriole at Wikimedia Commons

[1] "Chaplin Airlines". Retrieved 18 January 2011.

[2] Aerial Age: 11. 15 March 1920. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[3] "Northwest Curtiss Oriole". Retrieved 18 January 2011.

[4] "BYRD WILL CARRY A CURTISS ORIOLE; Three-Passenger Plane to Be Taken on Polar Trip in Case Big Fokker Fails. LOADING TO START TODAY Chantier Goes to Navy Yard to Take On Final Cargo in Readiness for Monday's Sailing". The New York Times. April 2, 1926.

[5] "The Minnesota Air National Guard". Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.

[6] Experimenter. April 1957. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[7] Eyre, David C. (8 May 2019). "Ireland Comet". Retrieved 17 June 2022.

[8] "Aircraft". Glenn H. Curtiss Museum. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2019.

[9] "CURTISS ORIOLE". Minnesota Air National Guard Museum. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2019.

[10] "1919 Curtiss Oriole 'Kristine'". Century Aviation. Retrieved 14 December 2019.

[Bowers_Curtissp176-11] Bowers 1979, p. 176.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
-{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
+{|{{Infobox aircraft begin
- | name=Curtiss Oriole
+ | name= Oriole
- | image=Curtiss Oriole at Houston TX 1919.jpg
+ | image= File:Curtiss Oriole at Houston TX 1919.jpg
  | caption=Curtiss Oriole at Houston, 1919
-}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type
+}}{{Infobox aircraft type
  | type=[[Light aircraft]]
  | national origin=United States
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
  | number built=
  | program cost= <!--Total program cost-->
- | unit cost=$7500 in 1919<!--Incremental or flyaway cost for military or retail price for commercial aircraft-->
+ | unit cost=$7,500 in 1919<!--Incremental or flyaway cost for military or retail price for commercial aircraft-->
  | developed from=
  | variants with their own articles=
@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 |}
-The '''Curtiss Oriole''' (Curtiss Model 17) is an [[United States|American]] three-seat general-purpose [[biplane]].
+The '''Curtiss Oriole''' (Curtiss Model 17) was an American three-seat general-purpose [[biplane]].
 <!-- ==Development== -->
 ==Design==
-The Oriole fuselage was constructed using laminated wood to form a monocoque body and were powered by either the Curtiss OX-5 V-8 or theCurtiss K-6 engine. The aircraft featured a self-starter and a tall thin radiator in the pilot's field of view.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chaplin Airlines|url=http://www.americahurrah.com/California/LosAngeles/chaplin2.html|accessdate=18 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|magazine=Aerial age|date=15 March 1920|page=11}}</ref>
+The Oriole fuselage was constructed using laminated wood to form a monocoque body and was powered by either the Curtiss OX-5 V-8 or the Curtiss K-6 engine. The aircraft featured a self-starter and a tall thin radiator in the pilot's field of view.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chaplin Airlines|url=http://www.americahurrah.com/California/LosAngeles/chaplin2.html|accessdate=18 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Aerial Age|date=15 March 1920|page=11}}</ref>
 ==Operational history==
@@ Line 36: / Line 35: @@
 [[Northwest Airlines]] was founded on August 1, 1926, flying a Curtiss Oriole and a Thomas Morse Biplane on the CAM-9 Airmail route from Minneapolis to Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|title=Northwest Curtiss Oriole|url=http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac3/Airline/Northwest%20Curtiss%20Oriole.html|accessdate=18 January 2011}}</ref>
-[[Admiral Byrd]] selected a Curtiss Oriole for his backup aircraft for his Fokker on his North Pole expedition. One was shipped on the steamer Chantier in case the Fokker was unavailable.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|title=BYRD WILL CARRY A CURTISS ORIOLE; Three-Passenger Plane to Be Taken on Polar Trip in Case Big Fokker Fails. LOADING TO START TODAY Chantier Goes to Navy Yard to Take On Final Cargo in Readiness for Monday's Sailing|date=April 2, 1926}}</ref>
+[[Admiral Byrd]] selected a Curtiss Oriole as second aircraft for his 1926 Arctic Expedition to the North Pole with a [[Fokker F.VII]]. The Oriole was planned to be used for photography and rescue work. The New York times reported (falsely) that the Oriole was shipped on the steamer Chantier in case the Fokker was unavailable.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|title=BYRD WILL CARRY A CURTISS ORIOLE; Three-Passenger Plane to Be Taken on Polar Trip in Case Big Fokker Fails. LOADING TO START TODAY Chantier Goes to Navy Yard to Take On Final Cargo in Readiness for Monday's Sailing|date=April 2, 1926}}</ref> However the Oriole never was planned as a backup to the Fokker. It did not have the range to fly nonstop from Spitzbergen to the North Pole and back.
+A leased Curtiss Oriole was deployed by the [[109th Observation Squadron]] in 1921. The aircraft was flown to Washington D.C. to lobby for Minnesota Air Guard funding.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Minnesota Air National Guard|url=http://www.mnangmuseum.org/exhibits/oriole.html|accessdate=18 January 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307121119/http://www.mnangmuseum.org/exhibits/oriole.html|archivedate=7 March 2011}}</ref>
+One Curtiss Oriole were sold to [[Brazilian Naval Aviation]] in 1926.
-A leased Curtiss Oriole was deployed by the [[109th Observation Squadron]] in 1921. The aircraft was flown to Washington D.C. to lobby for Minnesota Air Guard funding.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Minnesota Air National Guard|url=http://www.mnangmuseum.org/exhibits/oriole.html|accessdate=18 January 2011}}</ref>
+[[Sydney Chaplin|Syd]] (brother of [[Charlie Chaplin|Charlie]]) Chaplin Air Line used Curtiss Oriole(s) for its one year of operation in 1920.
-==Survivors==
-[[File:Curtiss Museum Oriole.jpg|thumb|Oriole on display in the [[Glenn H. Curtiss Museum]] in [[Hammondsport, New York]] ]]
-A Curtiss Oriole is displayed at the [[Glenn H. Curtiss Museum]] in [[Hammondsport, New York]], and an Oriole is on static display at the [[Minnesota Air National Guard Museum]]
-There is one airframe in storage at the Fantasy of Flight Museum, Fflorida and 3 in storage in East Wenatchee, Washington at Century Aviation.
 ==Variants==
-[[Igor Sikorsky]] offered a kit to replace the lower wings with a smaller pair with less drag-producing struts and wires. One example with this modification and a 150&nbsp;hp [[Hispano-Suiza]] upgrade, was entered in the 1927 [[National Air Races]]. Before the races, the engine was upgraded again to a Hispano-Suiza 220&nbsp;hp engine, which overwhelmed the cooling system with metal shavings, causing the aircraft to drop out of the race.<ref>{{cite journal|magazine=experimenter|date=April 1957}}</ref>
+[[Igor Sikorsky]] offered a kit to replace the lower wings with a smaller pair with less drag-producing struts and wires. One example with this modification and a 150&nbsp;hp [[Hispano-Suiza]] upgrade, was entered in the 1927 [[National Air Races]]. Before the races, the engine was upgraded again to a Hispano-Suiza 220&nbsp;hp engine, which overwhelmed the cooling system with metal shavings, causing the aircraft to drop out of the race.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Experimenter|date=April 1957}}</ref>
+The Ireland Comet was a rebuilt Curtiss Oriole with new flying surfaces, including a single-bay high-lift wing.<ref>{{cite web|last= Eyre|first=David C.|title=Ireland Comet
+|url=https://aeropedia.com.au/content/ireland-comet/|date=8 May 2019|access-date=17 June 2022}}</ref>
 <!-- ==Units using this aircraft/Operators (choose)== -->
+==Surviving aircraft==
+[[File:Curtiss Museum Oriole.jpg|thumb|Oriole on display in the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, New York]]
+* An Oriole is on static display at the [[Glenn H. Curtiss Museum]] in [[Hammondsport, New York]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Aircraft |url=http://glennhcurtissmuseum.org/aircraft.php |website=Glenn H. Curtiss Museum |accessdate=14 December 2019 |archive-date=13 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613151729/https://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org/aircraft.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>
+* Reproduction – Oriole on static display at the Minnesota Air National Guard Museum in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]].<ref>{{cite web |title=CURTISS ORIOLE |url=http://mnangmuseum.org/exhibits/curtiss-oriole |website=Minnesota Air National Guard Museum |accessdate=14 December 2019 |archive-date=28 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528235732/http://mnangmuseum.org/exhibits/curtiss-oriole/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
+* In storage at the [[Fantasy of Flight]], in [[Polk City, Florida]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}
+* Three in storage at Century Aviation in [[East Wenatchee, Washington]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1919 Curtiss Oriole 'Kristine' |url=http://century-aviation.com/essential_grid/1919-curtiss-oriole-kristine |website=Century Aviation |accessdate=14 December 2019}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=December 2019}}
 ==Specifications (short-span wings, OX-5 engine)==
@@ Line 58: / Line 66: @@
 -->
 |genhide=
-|crew=1
+|crew=one
-|capacity=2 passengers
+|capacity=two passengers
 |length m=
 |length ft=25
@@ Line 135: / Line 143: @@
 |lists=<!-- related lists -->
 }}
+==See also==
+* [[Curtiss JN Jenny|Curtiss ''Jenny'']]
+* [[Curtiss Robin|Curtiss ''Robin'']]
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 140: / Line 152: @@
 ==References==
-{{refbegin}}
 *{{cite book|last= Bowers|first= Peter M|authorlink=Peter M. Bowers |title=Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947|year=1979|publisher=Putnam |location=London |isbn= 0-370-10029-8}}
+*{{cite magazine|last=Hagedorn|first=Dan|title=Curtiss Types in Latin America|magazine=[[Air Enthusiast]]|date=March–May 1992|issue=45 |pages=61–77 |issn=0143-5450}}
-{{refend}}
-<!-- ==Further reading== -->
 <!-- ==External links== -->
 ==External links==
-*{{Commons category inline|Curtiss Oriole}}
+*{{Commons category-inline|Curtiss Oriole}}
 <!-- Navboxes go here -->
 {{Curtiss aircraft}}
-{{aviation lists}}
+{{Robertson aircraft}}
-[[Category:United States civil utility aircraft 1920–1929]]
+[[Category:1920s United States civil utility aircraft]]
 [[Category:Curtiss aircraft|Oriole]]
+[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
+[[Category:Biplanes]]
+[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1919]]

v t e Robertson and Wren aircraft
Robertson	B1-RD CG-4^L DH-4^R JN^R Oriole^R S.VII^R Skylark SRX-1 Standard J^R
Wren	Wren 460 O-4
^L Built under license • ^R Re-manufactured Curtiss-Robertson aircraft are listed here.