Curtiss Flying School
Encyclopedia
The Curtiss Flying School was started by Glenn Curtiss
to compete against the Wright Flying School
of the Wright brothers
. The first example was located in San Diego, California
.
The Wright brothers took keen interest in the competition, sending the lesser known Lorin Wright to spy and take photographs at the New York facility for a 1914 lawsuit.
Students would work toward completing the Aero Club of America
pilot's license. The initial cost was one dollar a minute for the four hundred-minute course. In 1917 the U.S. Army took over operations during WWI. After the war, control went back to Curtiss, who closed Newport operations in 1922.
A large variety of aircraft were used for training, mostly designed and built by Curtiss, and still undergoing flight testing. Among the fleet included the first aircraft to take off from water.
By 1929, the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce took over licensing of aviation schools. Curtiss schools were registered and required to give two weeks of ground school instruction to new pilots.
Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss was an American aviation pioneer and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle then motorcycle builder and racer, later also manufacturing engines for airships as early as 1906...
to compete against the Wright Flying School
Wright Flying School
The Wright Flying School, also known as the Wright School of Aviation, was operated by the Wright Company from 1910 to 1916 and trained 119 individuals to fly Wright airplanes.-History:...
of the Wright brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
. The first example was located in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The Wright brothers took keen interest in the competition, sending the lesser known Lorin Wright to spy and take photographs at the New York facility for a 1914 lawsuit.
Students would work toward completing the Aero Club of America
Aero Club of America
The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Glidden and others to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New England. It thrived until 1923, when it transformed into the National Aeronautic...
pilot's license. The initial cost was one dollar a minute for the four hundred-minute course. In 1917 the U.S. Army took over operations during WWI. After the war, control went back to Curtiss, who closed Newport operations in 1922.
A large variety of aircraft were used for training, mostly designed and built by Curtiss, and still undergoing flight testing. Among the fleet included the first aircraft to take off from water.
By 1929, the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce took over licensing of aviation schools. Curtiss schools were registered and required to give two weeks of ground school instruction to new pilots.
Locations
- 1910 San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. Training in the Curtiss Model DCurtiss Model D|-See also:-External links:... - 1912 Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. Two 200 foot by 800 foot airstrips were provided by the city, with funding to ship in four training aircraft. - 1913 Hammondsport, New YorkHammondsport, New YorkHammondsport is a village in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 731 at the 2000 census. The village is named after its founding father.The Village of Hammondsport is in the Town of Urbana and is northeast of Bath, New York....
- 1915 Toronto, Canada Long Branch AerodromeLong Branch AerodromeLong Branch Aerodrome was an airfield located west of Toronto, Ontario and just east of Port Credit, now Mississauga, and was Canada's first aerodrome. The airport was opened by the Curtiss Flying School, part of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, as a pilot training school in 1915...
, Training in the Curtiss JN-3. - 1915 Newport News, VirginiaNewport News, VirginiaNewport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
Harbor. Site of training for the Canadian Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying CorpsThe Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
. Disbanded in 1922.
Students
- Fred Banbury (1893-1918) in 1916
- Lincoln BeacheyLincoln BeacheyLincoln J. Beachey was a pioneer American aviator and barnstormer. He became famous and wealthy from flying exhibitions, staging aerial stunts, helping invent aerobatics, and setting aviation records....
(1887–1915) in 1910 - Joseph Bennett (flyer)
- Morris W. Titterington (1891–1928) in 1914
- Harold Frederick PitcairnHarold Frederick PitcairnHarold F. Pitcairn was an American aviation inventor and pioneer. He played a key role in the development of the autogyro and founded the Autogiro Company of America...
(1891-1960) in 1916.