RECORD-SETTER: A single example of the R-7 was built for the New York Times. Flown by Curtiss pilot Victor Carlstrom, it attempted a non-stop flight from Chicago to New York City. The flight ended just short of the half-way point, but still set a new U.S. distance record of 425 miles.
The Curtiss Jenny, particularly the JN-4, is one of America’s most famous airplanes.
Jenny was ubiquitous — everybody had a Jenny, along with bailing wire, a five-gallon gas can and the grease gun needed to keep her going.
The Jenny, with all its struts, wires and fittings, was referred to as “a bunch of parts flying in formation.” Given all its foibles, more than 8,000 were built and Jenny had a long, versatile career — it was used to train almost all of our pilots in World War I, flew the first air mail and became synonymous with the barnstorming era.
... read the rest of Jenny’s siblings (828 words)
