Curtiss Model R
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| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
|name=Model R |image=Curtiss R-4L 1918.jpeg |caption=Curtiss R-4L }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type |type=Military utility aircraft |manufacturer= |designer=Curtiss |first flight=1915 |introduced= |retired= |status= |primary user=United States Army, United States Navy |more users= |produced= |number built=ca. 290 |variants with their own articles= }} |
The Curtiss Model R was a utility aircraft produced for the United States Army and Navy during World War I. It was a conventional, two-bay biplane with slightly staggered wings of unequal span. The aircraft was provided with two open cockpits in tandem and fixed tailskid undercarriage, but many were built for the Navy with twin floats replacing the wheels. During the course of the war, Model Rs were used for general liaison and communication duties, as well for observation, training, and as air ambulances. In practice, the Curtiss powerplants supplied with these aircraft proved insufficient and were mostly replaced with Liberty engines. The Navy's Model R-3 floatplane had extended-span, three-bay wings, and was intended for use as a torpedo bomber. Some of these were later fitted with wheeled undercarriage and transferred to the Army as bombers under the designation Model R-9.
Operators
Variants
File:Curtiss R-6L dropping torpedo.jpg
File:Curtiss R-9L on hoist of seplane tender c1920.jpeg
;Model R
:Prototype with highly-staggered, equal-span wings and with single long cockpit for pilot and observer. Powered by 160 hp (119 kW) Curtiss V-X engine.Bowers 1979, pp. 120–121.
;Model R-2
:Initial production version, fitted with uneven-span staggered wings and individual, widely-separated cockpits for pilot and observer. 12 built for US Army and 100 for Royal Navy Air Service.Bowers 1979, p. 122.Thetford 1978, p. 384.
;Model R-2A
:One-off version, with equal-span wings, which broke the American altitude record of 8,105 ft (2740 m) in August 1915. One built.
;Model R-3
:Floatplane version for the US Navy, with increased wingspan (57 ft 1 in) wings. Two built.Bowers 1979, pp. 123–124.
;Model R-4
:Improved version of R-2 for US Army, powered by 200 hp (149 kW) Curtiss V-2-3 engine. At least 55 built.Bowers 1979, p. 124.
;Model R-4L
:Model R-4s refitted with Liberty L-12. Several converted plus 12 new build aircraft.
;Model R-4LM
:Conversion of R-4L into mailplane for US Army, with front cockpit converted to mail compartment with capacity for 400 lb (181 kg) of mail.Bowers 1979, pp. 125–126.
;Model R-6:
: Two-seat floatplane with long-span wings of R-3 but powered with Curtiss V-2-3 engine. 76 delivered to US Navy plus some floatplanes and landplanes for US Army. Used for torpedo-bomber trials post war.Bowers 1979, p. 126.
;Model R-6L
:Model R-6 with 360 hp (269 kW) Liberty L-12 engine.Bowers 1979, p. 128. 40 converted from R-6 plus 122 built new.[http://www.aerofiles.com/_curtx.html "Curtiss L-Z"]. Aerofiles, Retrieved 26 May 2011.
;Model R-7
:Long range landplane built for The New York Times for an attempted to fly non-stop from Chicago to New York in 1916. It failed to complete the flight but still set an American distance record of 452 miles (727 km). Fitted with long-span wings as R-3 and R-6 and powered by Curtiss V-2-3 engine. One built.Bowers 1979, pp. 128–129.
;Model R-9
:Two-seat bomber version for the US Navy, similar to R-6, but with crew positions reversed so pilot sat in front cockpit and observer in rear. 112 built for the US Navy, ten of which transferred to US Army.Bowers 1979, p. 129.
;Pusher R
:1916 pusher version, based on wings of R, with new fuselage nacelle accommodating two crew. One built.Bowers 1979, p. 130".
;Twin R
Specifications (R-2)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947{{cite book |last1=Bowers |first1=Peter M. |title=Curtiss aircraft, 1907-1947 |date=1979 |publisher=Putnam |location=London |isbn=0370100298 |pages=120–130}}
|prime units?=imp
|crew=1
|capacity=1 pax
|length ft=24
|length in=4.375
|length note=
|upper span ft=45
|upper span in=11.5
|upper span note=
|lower span ft=38
|lower span in=5.875
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|wing area sqft=504.88
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|empty weight lb=1822
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|gross weight lb=3092
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|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Curtiss V-X{{cite book |last1=Angle |first1=Glenn D. |title=Airplane Engine Encyclopedia |url=https://archive.org/details/airplaneenginee00anglgoog |date=1921|publisher=THE OTTERBEIN PRESS|location=Dayton, Ohio}}
|eng1 type=V-8 water-cooled piston engine
|eng1 hp=160
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed-pitch propeller
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|max speed mph=86
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|endurance=6 hours 42 minutes
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|time to altitude={{cvt|4000|ft}} in 10 minutes
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See also
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References
{{commons category|Curtiss Model R}}
{{reflist}}
- {{cite book|last=Bowers|first=Peter M.|title=Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947|year=1979|publisher=Putnam|location=London|isbn=0-370-10029-8|author-link=Peter M. Bowers}}
- {{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London |pages=285 }}
- {{cite book|last=Thetford|first=Owen|title=British Naval Aircraft since 1912|year=1978|publisher=Putnam|location=London|isbn=0-370-30021-1|edition=4th}}
- [http://www.aerofiles.com/_curtx.html aerofiles.com]
{{Curtiss aircraft}}
Category:1910s United States military utility aircraft
Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft