Am I correct in thinking that the Robin was the first civil production Curtiss aircraft (i.e. not counting Glenn Curtiss’s original experimental airplanes and seaplanes)? Can anybody name any other purely civilian Curtiss aircraft, other than the Condor airliner? (Not counting military Curtisses that had occasional civil applications, like the 1930s Falcons and the Commando.) Admittedly there’s the Jenny, which probably had far more civil than military use…
By: J Boyle - 12th August 2015 at 23:16
You mentioned the occasional civil application for the Falcon, so you know about the 14 Falcon mailplanes. While the airframe was based on the Navy Falcons, they had significant differences, namely the Liberty engine and were granted an ATC (103), so they are a legitimate civil type. Trivia: It was the last type designed to use the Liberty.
Another, for NAT had a geared Conqueror.
Also, our UK friends might be interested to know that Curtiss bought the U.S. Moth firm in 1929 and produced them under license until 1931.
It also bought Travel Air in 1929 in the pre-crash, post-Lindbergh boom.
By: John Aeroclub - 12th August 2015 at 22:32
There are the Oriole, Eagle airliner and Carrier Pigeon, all built with civilian intent.
John
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August 12, 2015 at 10:00 pm