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The Curtiss Jenny Biplane History
The Curtiss JN-4, designed by
Benjamin D. Thomas, was a training aircraft supplied to the United
States Army and the Royal Flying Corps. More commonly known as the
‘Jenny’ in the United States and the ‘Canuck’ in Canada, it was
introduced in 1915 and went on to become one of North America’s most
well known aircraft. The JN-4 improved on the earlier JN2 and JN3
models, with better construction and stability. These aircraft were
predominantly built at the Curtiss factory in Buffalo, New York;
however demand between late 1917 and early 1919 led to production
being carried out by six different manufacturers. Variants of the
JN-4 included the JN-4A, JN-4B, JN-4C, JN-4 (Canadian), JN-4D, JN-4D-2, JN-4H, JN-4HB, JN-4HG, JN-4HM, JN-4HT, JN-5H, JN-6, JN-6H, JN-6BH, JN-6HG-1, JN-6HG-2, JN-6HO, JN-6HP and the JNS.
The Curtiss Jenny Biplane in WW1
During WW1, the twin seated Curtiss Jenny was used, by the
Americans and the British, to train
many new pilots. With the student sitting in front of the
instructor, and it’s dual controls, it was the ideal trainer. It
also had good manoeuvrability, a ceiling height of 6,500 feet and a
respectable speed of 75mph. Some Curtiss Jenny aircraft became the first air
ambulances after being converted to carry stretchers, however no
JN-4s fought in WW1.
The Curtiss Jenny Biplane
Away From WW1
The Curtiss Jenny flew the first United States Air Mail in May, 1918,
and appeared on a 1918 Air Mail postage stamp. One sheet
of a hundred of these stamps was produced with the Jenny printed
upside down. Known as the ‘Inverted Jenny’, it has become one of the
rarest United States Post Office Department stamps with one specimen
selling for $977,500 at an auction in 2007.
Following the end of WW1, thousands of Curtiss Jenny
biplanes were sold to civilians. They were bought both commercially
and privately with many being used for aerobatics and stunt flying
in the ‘barnstorming’ era. Notable purchasers of the Curtiss Jenny
included Charles Lindbergh. There are a number of airworthy Curtiss Jenny
aircraft
displayed in museums across the United States today, including a
JN-4D in the Flying Heritage Collection, Everett, Washington, a
JN-4C at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum in Maryland
Heights, Missouri, and a JN-4H at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, Red
Hook, New York.
Various scale
models, model kits and plans of the Curtiss Jenny have been available in
the market place.
Curtiss Jenny Biplane Specifications:
Curtiss Jenny Crew: Two
Curtiss Jenny
Length: 27ft 4in (8.33m)
Curtiss Jenny
Wingspan: 43ft 7¾in (13.3m)
Curtiss Jenny
Height: 9ft 10½in (3.01m)
Curtiss Jenny
Wing area: 352ft² (32.7 m²)
Curtiss Jenny
Empty weight: 1,390lb (630kg)
Curtiss Jenny
Max takeoff weight: 1,920lb (871kg)
Curtiss Jenny
Engine: Single Curtiss OX-5 V8 piston, 90 hp (67 kW)
Curtiss Jenny
Maximum speed: 75mph (121 km/h)
Curtiss Jenny
Endurance: 2h
Curtiss Jenny
Service ceiling: 6,500ft (2,000m)
Curtiss Jenny Biplane Armament:
These aircraft were generally
unarmed, although some were fitted with bomb racks and machine guns
for more advanced training.
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