Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation

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Aldred "Fred" Victor Verville, designer, 1912.

In 1911 produced about 25 biplanes, including three hydro-aeroplanes, making it one of the top five constructors in the U.S. Two of these hydro-aeroplanes were supplied to the U.S. Navy, composing its first naval air force.[1]

1915 advertisement showing the Curtiss airplane factory in Aerial Age Weekly. Is there a distinction between "Curtiss Aeroplane Company" and "Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation"?

According to 1919YB, Charles Willard, who had learned to fly the first Curtiss machine in 1909 as Curtiss's first student, was chief engineer, Curtiss Airplane Co., 1915-16, and assisted in the design of their large flying boats. According to other research, in 1915-1916, Willard was with LWF Engineering Co. and it's not clear whether he was ever chief engineer for Curtiss. Also, from 1919YB66-67. Robinson made the first long-distance flight (375 miles) in a hydro-aeroplane in 1911 and held the world's unofficial altitude record for the hydro-aeroplane (9,680 feet) from 1911 to 1914. Robinson left the Curtiss Company at Buffalo in 1917 to become General Superintent of the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Corporation.

Received order for $20,000,000 worth of airplanes from the US and allied governments in 1917. At which time John N. Willys of Willys-Overland Company was elected a member of the voting trust, succeeding James Imbre of William Morris Imbrie & Company, and becoming president of "Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corporation". J. E. Keeperley became director "of the Curtiss Corporation", succeeding G. Meyer.[2] (Not sure if the article means to say that Keerpley is the director of a different organization, perhaps a parent company.)

An earlier version of the company, or an earlier name, had a record like this, which is being folded together here: Founders, Designers, Key sponsors: Hugh Robinson joined company in 1910 in California and was associated with building the first successful flying boat with power plant within the hull; introduced the first Curtiss hydro-aeroplane into Europe.

We have William Starling Burgess located in Marblehead, Massachusetts, filing while assigning rights to the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation, “Corporation of New York”.[3]

Sources

Numbered references

  1. ↑ Haas & Silberg, 2011, Birth of U.S. Naval Aeronautics
  2. ↑ "Curtiss Expands for New Order", Air Service Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2., July 19, 1917, p. 64.
  3. ↑ Patent US-1918-1373408

Patents associated with organizations named Curtiss Aeroplane, Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corp, or Curtiss Aeroplane Co., Canada


Names Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corporation, Curtiss Aeroplane Company, Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Country US
City Buffalo, New York
Affiliations MAA
Keywords airplane, hydro-aeroplane, biplane, motors
Started aero 1910, 1911
Ended aero
Key people Glenn Curtiss, Hugh Robinson, Charles Willard, Albert Francis Zahm, Aldred "Fred" Victor Verville, John P. Tarbox, Nelson W. Dalton, William L. Gilmore
Wikidata id Q1145694
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