Photo Curtiss Aircraft

[Stig Jarlevik]

Not well known photo Clint, but it is out there somewhere since I have it downloaded at some point.

It is a series of Curtiss - Garden City - official photos (I have two different ones) and they are dated Oct 3rd 1918, that is the day before its first flight.

My copy (possibly given to Vought) identifies the second person from left as Lt Chas J McCarthy USNR (he was chairman of Vought Corp in 1956) and was possibly the pilot chosen for the first flight.

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay is a photo of Curtiss R-9 A-878(?) at:


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-pic...cAAOSwPDVgDdqp


Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hi Clint

This picture is already on the net somewhere. (I have it)
Mine is just a little bit better and sharper so you can just discern the last two digits in the Bu No on the top of the fin, and to me they look like 7 and 8.

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hi Stig,


Happy to go with you on this one.


Regards,


Clint

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay is a photo of a Curtiss flying boat at:


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-ph...QAAOSwmt1gEwNk


A Curtiss HS-2L ?


Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

It is Clint

LWF built 250 (Casari) or 253 (Moulson) aircraft in the range BuA 1099 - 1398, and on top a mixture of HS-1L and HS-2L.
47 (Moulson) or 50 (Casari) in that batch were canx...at random. Moulson lists 47 s/ns.

The main difference between the HS-1L and the HS-2L is that the -1L had a three-bay wing while the -2L had a four-span one.

So you can drop your ?.
Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hi Stig,


Thanks. I had assumed, based on the longer wing- four struts in the photo that it was a HS-2L, However, I thought I read 1171 on the hull. So after consulting Joe Baughers homepage : http://joebaugher.com/navy_serials/firstseries1.html I saw that all machines in the LWF A1099/A1398 were listed as HS-1L and the machine in the photo has the longer wings. So either the serial is not as I read it or, and I'm assuming you are basing yourself on Casari,the serial situation is more complicated than shown by Joe Baugher. Oh or a third choice - both.


Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hi Clint

It seems the LWF order were all for HS-1L but the company had a really weird system of supply! For example the first aircraft to be delivered was the one with the last serial, ie A-1398.
They then applied the serial numbers very haphazardly in their alloted range.

When the order came to switch production to the bigger span version LWF sure enough did so, but did not change their designation.
Their alloted inspector Whitefort obviously either didn't know (or care) about it so all LWF records still indicated they delivered HS-1L regardless of what it was and all USN record cards thus state they were HS-1L!

As per Casari, there is no way you can say if an aircraft was an HS-1L or HS-2L unless you have a photo or a specific document stating that s/n so-and-so was one or the other version.

And yes Clint, the number on this photo cannot be anything else than 1171. I have not seen it before, so it certainly is important in my books....

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay are two photos of an interestingly camouflaged(?) Curtiss JN-4D of the School of Aerial Photo-Reconnaisssance at :



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Unpublished...QAAOSwBXhgFKYO


The seller appears to have unintentionally (?) also included several other photos with the two above.


Regards,


Clint

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay are two photos captioned as Curtiss JN-4A at:


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203536299...MAAOSw1V5g9ABI




https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203536293...IAAOSw0yhg9AFf


Regards,


Clint