Curtiss R-6
The Curtiss R-6 was a racing aircraft that won the Pulitzer Trophy Air Race in 1922 .
history
In the early 1920s, Glenn Curtiss began building racing aircraft. The R-6 was derived from the 1921 models CR-1 and CR-2 . The CR-2 had already won the Pulitzer Trophy in 1921.
The R-6 was another CR-2 variant that was built for the US Army Air Corps . It had a modified Curtiss D-12 engine with 462 hp, had a more aerodynamic design and had a new type of cooling of the engine via the wings. Two copies of it were made.
The Pulitzer Trophy Air Race was held in Detroit on October 8, 1922, over 250 km. The race was a complete victory for Curtiss with four of his machines taking the top four places.
Lieutenant Russell Maughan set a new speed record of 331.2 km / h. The record lasted only four days and was beaten by Billy Mitchell with 360.9 km / h. Later the record was increased again to 380.7 km / h.
With the Curtiss R-6, the triumphant advance of the Curtiss D-12 engine, which was designed by Arthur Nutt at Curtiss, began in 1922 . In 1923 a CR-3 and in 1925 an R3C-2 won the Schneider Trophy for seaplanes .
Placement in the Pulitzer Trophy Air Race 1922
- Army Curtiss R6, Russell Maughan, 331.2 km / h
- Army Curtiss R6, Lester J. Maitland, 319.9 km / h
- Navy Curtiss R2, Harold J. Brow, 310.9 km / h
- Navy Curtiss R1, Alford J. Williams, 302.5 km / h
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 5.75 m |
| span | 6.04 m |
| height | k. A. |
| drive | A Curtiss D-12A with 340 kW (462 PS) |
| Top speed | 380 km / h |
| crew | 1 |
| Flight mass | 505 kg |
Web links
- Glenn Curtiss 1919-1925
- Curtiss Racers
- Curtiss R-6
- Curtiss-Wright D-12 engine ( Memento December 11, 2006 in the Internet Archive )