Curtiss Golden Flyer
| Curtiss Gold Bug / Curtiss Golden Flyer | |
|---|---|
|
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| Type: | Pusher propeller - double decker |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 1909 |
| Commissioning: |
1909 |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Curtiss No. 1 Golden Flyer (initially Gold Bug ) was a double-decker aircraft with forward elevator and fixed nose wheel landing gear manufactured by the US company Herring-Curtiss Company .
history
The Golden Flyer, ordered by the Aeronautical Society of New York on March 2, 1909, was the first airplane designed by Curtiss in his own company. The purchase price at that time was US $ 5,000. The Aerodrome No. 1 to Aerodrome No.4 were manufactured under the manufacturer's name Aerial Experiment Association (AEA). Although the Golden Flyer was only built after the merger to form the Herring-Curtiss Company, Curtiss specifically named it only as a Curtiss product. Only the following, enlarged version Curtiss-Herring No. 1 Reims Racer also included Herring in the designation.
Initially, this aircraft had no name, but was called the Gold Bug because of the golden-yellow shimmer of the tensioning lacquer . It was later officially called the Golden Flyer . On July 24, 1909, before the event in Reims, the machine broke and was badly destroyed.
construction
The machine was made from bamboo poles. The fuselage and the wings were braced with steel wire. The drive selected was a water -cooled V8 engine , which Curtiss had previously used in a motorcycle and which directly drove a pusher propeller with a diameter of 2.13 m. The wings were only covered at the top. The ailerons, which were operated by moving the pilot's seat, were suspended between the upper and lower surfaces. In the stern there was a horizontal stabilization surface and the rudder, which was operated by a wheel. The elevator was in the front and was operated by moving the wheel back and forth.
Further development
The machine, which was damaged on July 24, 1909, was not repaired. At the urging of the New York Aeronautical Society, which wanted to take part in the Gordon Bennett Cup race in Reims in August 1909 , Curtiss built an enlarged version as the Curtiss-Herring No. 1. He was able to win the race with the machine and set a new world speed record for land aircraft over the 20 km route with 76.749 km / h.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| span | 8.77 m |
| length | 8.54 m |
| Empty mass | 227 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 313 kg |
| Engine | Curtiss V8 with 30 HP (22 kW) at a speed of 1200 min −1 |
literature
- Peter M. Bowers : Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947 , Putnam London, 1979, ISBN 0-370-10029-8 , p. 36 f.
