Curtiss JN-4
Encyclopedia
The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" was one of a series of "JN" biplane
s built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York
, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
. Although the Curtiss JN series (the common nickname was derived from "JN") was originally produced as a training aircraft for the U.S. Army, the "Jenny" continued post-World War I as a civil aircraft as it became the "backbone of American post-war
[civil] aviation." Thousands of surplus Jennys were sold at bargain prices to private owners in the years after the War and became central to the barnstorming
era that helped awaken America to civil aviation through much of the 1920s.
and model N trainers, built for the Army
and Navy
, and began producing the JN or "Jenny" series of aircraft in 1915. Curtiss only built a limited number of the JN-1 and JN-2 biplane
s. The design was commissioned by Glenn Curtiss
from Englishman Benjamin D. Thomas, formerly of the Sopwith Aviation Company
.
The JN-2 was an equal-span biplane with aileron
s controlled by a shoulder yoke located in the aft cockpit
. It was deficient in performance, particularly climbing, because of excessive weight. The improved JN-3 incorporated unequal spans with ailerons only on the upper wings, controlled by a wheel
. In addition, a foot bar was added to control the rudder
.
The 1st Aero Squadron
of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
received eight JN-2s at San Diego in July 1915. The squadron was transferred to Fort Sill
, Oklahoma
, in August to work with the Field Artillery School, during which one JN-2 crashed with a fatality. The pilots of the squadron met with its commander, Capt. Benjamin Foulois
, to advise that the JN-2 was unsafe because of low power, shoddy construction, lack of stability, and overly sensitive rudder. Foulois and his executive officer Capt. Thomas D. Milling
disagreed, and flights continued until a second JN-2 crashed in early September resulting in the six remaining JN-2s being grounded until mid-October when two new JN-3s were delivered and the grounded aircraft had been upgraded to the new design. In March 1916, these eight JN-3s were deployed to Mexico for aerial observation
during the Pancho Villa Expedition
of 1916–1917.
After the successful deployment of the JN-3, Curtiss produced a development, known as the JN-4, with orders from both the US Army and an order in December 1916 from the Royal Flying Corps
for a training aircraft to be based in Canada. The Canadian
version was the JN-4 (Canadian), also known as the "Canuck
", and was built with a control stick instead of the Deperdussin control wheel used in the regular JN-4 model, as well other changes including ailerons on all four wings, a somewhat larger and more rounded rudder, and a lighter interior structure.
's most famous World War I
aircraft. It was widely used during World War I to train beginning pilots, with an estimated 95% of all trainees having flown a JN-4. The U.S.
version was called "Jenny", a derivation from its official designation. It was a twin-seat (student in front of instructor) dual control biplane. Its tractor
prop and maneuverability made it ideal for initial pilot training with a 90 hp Curtiss OX-5
V8 engine
giving a top speed of 75 miles per hour (120.7 km/h) and a service ceiling
of 6500 feet (1,981.2 m). The British used the JN-4 (Canadian) (along with the Avro 504
) for their primary World War I trainer using the Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd.
indigenous variant. Many Royal Flying Corps pilots earned their wings on the JN-4, both in Ontario
and later in winter facilities at Camp Taliaferro
, Texas.
Although ostensibly a training aircraft, the Jenny was extensively modified while in service to undertake additional roles. Due to its robust but easily adapted structure able to be modified with ski undercarriage, the Canadian Jenny was flown year-round, even in inclement weather. The removable turtle-deck behind the cockpits allowed for conversion to stretcher or additional supplies and equipment storage, with the modified JN-4s becoming the first aerial ambulances, carrying out this role both during wartime and in later years. Most of the 6,813 Jennys built were unarmed, although some had machine gun
s and bomb
racks for advanced training. With deployment limited to North American bases, none saw combat service in World War I.
The Curtiss factory in Buffalo, New York, was the largest such facility in the world, but due to production demands, from November 1917 to January 1919, six different manufacturers were involved in production of the definitive JN-4D. Production from spare or reconditioned parts continued sporadically until 1927, although most of the final orders were destined for the civil market in Canada and the United States.
The final version of the aircraft was the JN-6, powered by a 150 hp (112 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8
V-8, first ordered in 1918 for the US Navy. A seaplane
version was built for the Navy which was so modified that it was essentially a different airframe. This was designated the N-9
. In U.S. Army Air Service usage, the JN-4s and JN-6s were configured to the JNS ("S" for "standardized") model. The Jenny remained in service with the US Army until 1927.
After World War I, thousands were sold on the civilian market, including one to Charles Lindbergh
in May 1923 in which he then soloed. Surplus US Army aircraft were sold, some still in their unopened packing crates, for as little as $50, essentially "flooding" the market. With private and commercial flying in North America unhampered by regulations concerning their use, pilots found the Jenny's slow speed and stability made it ideal for stunt flying and aerobatic
displays in the barnstorming era between the world wars, with the nearly identical Standard J-1 aircraft often used alongside it. Some were still flying into the 1930s.
JN-4 airframes were utilized to produce early Weaver Aircraft Company / Advance Aircraft Company / Waco aircraft, such as the Waco 6.
(USMC) including flying the first U.S. Air Mail in May 1918.
In a series of tests conducted at the U.S. Army's Langley Field in Hampton, Virginia, in July and August 1917, the world's first "plane-to-plane" and "ground-to-plane, and vice versa" communications by radiotelephony (as opposed to radiotelegraphy which had been developed earlier) were made to and from modified US Army JN-4s by Western Electric Company (Bell Labs
) design engineers Lewis M. Clement and Raymond Heising, the developers of the experimental wind generator powered airborne wireless voice transmitter and receiver equipment.
In early 1919, a United States Marine Corps (USMC) JN-4 was also credited with what is believed to be the first aircraft to successfully execute a "dive bombing" attack during during the United States occupation of Haiti. Marine Corps pilot Lt Lawson H. Sanderson mounted a carbine barrel in front of the windshield of his JN-4 (previously, an unarmed trainer that had a machine gun mounted in the rear cockpit) as an improvised bomb sight that was lined up with the long axis of his aircraft, loaded a bomb in a canvas mail bag that was attached to the JN-4's belly, and launched a single-handed raid at treetop level, in support of a USMC unit that had been trapped by Haitian Cacos rebels. Although the JN-4 almost disintegrated in the pull-out, the attack was effective and led to Sanderson in 1920 developing further pioneering dive-bombing techniques to provide Marine pilots with close aerial support to infantry comrades.
Canada
" (C-3a) is a 24 cent 1918 US Air Mail postage stamp
printing error in which the blue central vignette
of US Army Curtiss JN-4HM #38262, the nation's first mailplane, on a single sheet of 100 stamps was accidentally printed upside down by the operator of a hand rolled spider press. As the Jenny vignette was only inverted on one sheet, this stamp represents the rarest and most valuable known USPOD
printing error of all time. A single example (sheet position 57) sold at auction in 2007 for $977,500.00.
made a short film Flying Jenny Airplane in his Phonofilm
sound-on-film
process. The film depicted a JN-4 flying, and recorded the sound of the Jenny as well. The short documentary was the first production of the De Forest Phonofilm
company.
Among many later films depicting the barnstorming era where the Jennys "ruled supreme" and played a feature role, was The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) and The Great Waldo Pepper
(1974). In The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), authentic OX-5 Jennys were showcased as United States Army Air Service training aircraft.
Broadcast on April 15, 1987, by PBS
, the National Geographic special entitled "Treasures from the Past" featuring the restoration and first flight by Ken Hyde of a JN-4D that would go on to win the "Lindy Award" at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh '87.
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
s built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York
Hammondsport, New York
Hammondsport is a village in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 731 at the 2000 census. The village is named after its founding father.The Village of Hammondsport is in the Town of Urbana and is northeast of Bath, New York....
, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...
. Although the Curtiss JN series (the common nickname was derived from "JN") was originally produced as a training aircraft for the U.S. Army, the "Jenny" continued post-World War I as a civil aircraft as it became the "backbone of American post-war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
[civil] aviation." Thousands of surplus Jennys were sold at bargain prices to private owners in the years after the War and became central to the barnstorming
Barnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
era that helped awaken America to civil aviation through much of the 1920s.
Design and development
Curtiss combined the best features of the model JCurtiss Model J
|-See also:-References:* Bowers, Peter M. Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947. London:Putnam, 1979. ISBN 0 370 10029 8....
and model N trainers, built for the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, and began producing the JN or "Jenny" series of aircraft in 1915. Curtiss only built a limited number of the JN-1 and JN-2 biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
s. The design was commissioned by Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss was an American aviation pioneer and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle then motorcycle builder and racer, later also manufacturing engines for airships as early as 1906...
from Englishman Benjamin D. Thomas, formerly of the Sopwith Aviation Company
Sopwith Aviation Company
The Sopwith Aviation Company was a British aircraft company that designed and manufactured aeroplanes mainly for the British Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Flying Corps and later Royal Air Force in the First World War, most famously the Sopwith Camel...
.
The JN-2 was an equal-span biplane with aileron
Aileron
Ailerons are hinged flight control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The ailerons are used to control the aircraft in roll, which results in a change in heading due to the tilting of the lift vector...
s controlled by a shoulder yoke located in the aft cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
. It was deficient in performance, particularly climbing, because of excessive weight. The improved JN-3 incorporated unequal spans with ailerons only on the upper wings, controlled by a wheel
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
. In addition, a foot bar was added to control the rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
.
The 1st Aero Squadron
1st Reconnaissance Squadron
The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force reconnaissance training unit based at Beale Air Force Base, near Marysville, California. It is the oldest squadron in the Air Force, and the first organization to be established as a U.S. military flying unit...
of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
The Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the military aviation service of the United States Army from 1914 to 1918, and a direct ancestor of the United States Air Force. It replaced and absorbed the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and was succeeded briefly by the Division of Military...
received eight JN-2s at San Diego in July 1915. The squadron was transferred to Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, in August to work with the Field Artillery School, during which one JN-2 crashed with a fatality. The pilots of the squadron met with its commander, Capt. Benjamin Foulois
Benjamin Foulois
Benjamin Delahauf Foulois , was a United States Army general who learned to fly the first military planes purchased from the Wright Brothers. He became the first military aviator as an airship pilot, and achieved numerous other military aviation "firsts"...
, to advise that the JN-2 was unsafe because of low power, shoddy construction, lack of stability, and overly sensitive rudder. Foulois and his executive officer Capt. Thomas D. Milling
Thomas D. Milling
Thomas DeWitt Milling was a pioneer of military aviation and a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was the first rated pilot in the history of the United States Air Force....
disagreed, and flights continued until a second JN-2 crashed in early September resulting in the six remaining JN-2s being grounded until mid-October when two new JN-3s were delivered and the grounded aircraft had been upgraded to the new design. In March 1916, these eight JN-3s were deployed to Mexico for aerial observation
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
during the Pancho Villa Expedition
Pancho Villa Expedition
The Pancho Villa Expedition—officially known in the United States as the Mexican Expedition and sometimes colloquially referred to as the Punitive Expedition—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the paramilitary forces of Mexican insurgent Francisco "Pancho" Villa...
of 1916–1917.
After the successful deployment of the JN-3, Curtiss produced a development, known as the JN-4, with orders from both the US Army and an order in December 1916 from the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
for a training aircraft to be based in Canada. The Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
version was the JN-4 (Canadian), also known as the "Canuck
Canuck
"Canuck" is a slang term for Canadians. Its origins are uncertain.-History:The term appears to have been coined in the 19th century, although its etymology is unclear, it usually referred to those who worked in a forest, usually cultivating wood....
", and was built with a control stick instead of the Deperdussin control wheel used in the regular JN-4 model, as well other changes including ailerons on all four wings, a somewhat larger and more rounded rudder, and a lighter interior structure.
Operational history
The Curtiss JN-4 is possibly North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
's most famous World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
aircraft. It was widely used during World War I to train beginning pilots, with an estimated 95% of all trainees having flown a JN-4. The U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
version was called "Jenny", a derivation from its official designation. It was a twin-seat (student in front of instructor) dual control biplane. Its tractor
Tractor configuration
thumb|right|[[Evektor-Aerotechnik|Aerotechnik EV97A Eurostar]], a tractor configuration aircraft, being pulled into position by its pilot for refuelling....
prop and maneuverability made it ideal for initial pilot training with a 90 hp Curtiss OX-5
Curtiss OX-5
-Bibliography:* Angle, Glenn D., AEROSPHERE 1939. New York: Aircraft Publications, 1940.* Gunston, Bill, World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Somerset: Haynes Publishing, 1995. ISBN 1-85260-509-X...
V8 engine
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
giving a top speed of 75 miles per hour (120.7 km/h) and a service ceiling
Ceiling (aeronautics)
With respect to aircraft, a ceiling is the maximum density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions.The word ceiling can also refer to the height of the lowest obscuring cloud layer above the ground.-Service ceiling:...
of 6500 feet (1,981.2 m). The British used the JN-4 (Canadian) (along with the Avro 504
Avro 504
The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during...
) for their primary World War I trainer using the Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd.
Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd.
Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd. was an aircraft manufacturing company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that built aircraft for the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War....
indigenous variant. Many Royal Flying Corps pilots earned their wings on the JN-4, both in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and later in winter facilities at Camp Taliaferro
Camp Taliaferro
Camp Taliaferro was a World War I flight training center run by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the Fort Worth, Texas area. It was named after Walter R. Taliaferro, a U.S. Army aviator who had been killed in an accident....
, Texas.
Although ostensibly a training aircraft, the Jenny was extensively modified while in service to undertake additional roles. Due to its robust but easily adapted structure able to be modified with ski undercarriage, the Canadian Jenny was flown year-round, even in inclement weather. The removable turtle-deck behind the cockpits allowed for conversion to stretcher or additional supplies and equipment storage, with the modified JN-4s becoming the first aerial ambulances, carrying out this role both during wartime and in later years. Most of the 6,813 Jennys built were unarmed, although some had machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s and bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
racks for advanced training. With deployment limited to North American bases, none saw combat service in World War I.
The Curtiss factory in Buffalo, New York, was the largest such facility in the world, but due to production demands, from November 1917 to January 1919, six different manufacturers were involved in production of the definitive JN-4D. Production from spare or reconditioned parts continued sporadically until 1927, although most of the final orders were destined for the civil market in Canada and the United States.
The final version of the aircraft was the JN-6, powered by a 150 hp (112 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8
Hispano-Suiza 8
The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914 and used by a number of Allied aircraft during the First World War...
V-8, first ordered in 1918 for the US Navy. A seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
version was built for the Navy which was so modified that it was essentially a different airframe. This was designated the N-9
Curtiss N-9
-References:NotesBibliography* Bowers, Peter M. Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947. London: Putnam, 1979. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.*...
. In U.S. Army Air Service usage, the JN-4s and JN-6s were configured to the JNS ("S" for "standardized") model. The Jenny remained in service with the US Army until 1927.
After World War I, thousands were sold on the civilian market, including one to Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
in May 1923 in which he then soloed. Surplus US Army aircraft were sold, some still in their unopened packing crates, for as little as $50, essentially "flooding" the market. With private and commercial flying in North America unhampered by regulations concerning their use, pilots found the Jenny's slow speed and stability made it ideal for stunt flying and aerobatic
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
displays in the barnstorming era between the world wars, with the nearly identical Standard J-1 aircraft often used alongside it. Some were still flying into the 1930s.
JN-4 airframes were utilized to produce early Weaver Aircraft Company / Advance Aircraft Company / Waco aircraft, such as the Waco 6.
Notable firsts
Between 1917 and 1919 the JN-4 type accounted for a number of significant aviation "firsts" while in service with the US Army Signal Corps Aviation Section and the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
(USMC) including flying the first U.S. Air Mail in May 1918.
In a series of tests conducted at the U.S. Army's Langley Field in Hampton, Virginia, in July and August 1917, the world's first "plane-to-plane" and "ground-to-plane, and vice versa" communications by radiotelephony (as opposed to radiotelegraphy which had been developed earlier) were made to and from modified US Army JN-4s by Western Electric Company (Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
) design engineers Lewis M. Clement and Raymond Heising, the developers of the experimental wind generator powered airborne wireless voice transmitter and receiver equipment.
In early 1919, a United States Marine Corps (USMC) JN-4 was also credited with what is believed to be the first aircraft to successfully execute a "dive bombing" attack during during the United States occupation of Haiti. Marine Corps pilot Lt Lawson H. Sanderson mounted a carbine barrel in front of the windshield of his JN-4 (previously, an unarmed trainer that had a machine gun mounted in the rear cockpit) as an improvised bomb sight that was lined up with the long axis of his aircraft, loaded a bomb in a canvas mail bag that was attached to the JN-4's belly, and launched a single-handed raid at treetop level, in support of a USMC unit that had been trapped by Haitian Cacos rebels. Although the JN-4 almost disintegrated in the pull-out, the attack was effective and led to Sanderson in 1920 developing further pioneering dive-bombing techniques to provide Marine pilots with close aerial support to infantry comrades.
Variants
Although the first series of JN-4s were virtually identical to the JN-3, the JN-4 series was based on production orders from 1915–1919.- JN-4A — Production version of the JN-4, 781 built.
- JN-4B — This version was powered by an OX-2 piston engine, 76 built for the U.S. Army, nine for the U.S. Navy.
- JN-4C — Experimental version, only two were built.
- JN-4 (Canadian) Canuck — Canadian-built version, 1,260 built by Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd. for the RFC in Canada/RAF in Canada and USAAC. Independently derived from the JN-3, it had a lighter airframe, ailerons on both wings, different shaped lower wing, stabilizer, elevators and rudder. Its use by the USAAC was curtailed as the lighter structure was claimed to cause more accidents than the US built aircraft, although no air fatalities were attributed to the structural integrity of the type.
- JN-4D — Improved version, adopting the control stick from the JN-4 (Canadian) 2,812 built.
- JN-4D-2 — One prototype only, the engine mount being revised to eliminate the down thrust position.
- JN-4H — two-seat advanced trainer biplane, 929 built for the U.S. Army. Notable for introducing the use of the Hispano-Suiza 8Hispano-Suiza 8The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914 and used by a number of Allied aircraft during the First World War...
V-8 engine for greater power and reliability.- JN-4HT — Two-seat dual-control trainer version.
- JN-4HB — Bombing trainer version.
- JN-4HG — Gunnery trainer version.
- JN-4HM — communications conversion of JN-4HT, powered by Wright-Hisso E 150 hp (112 kW); six converted. Used to fly the first US Air Mail (May–August, 1918)
- JN-5H — One-off advanced trainer biplane, only one was built.
- JN-6 — Improved version of JN-5 trainer biplane series notably used four ailerons. A total of 1,035 built for the US Army and five for the U.S. Navy.
- JN-6H — Improved version of the JN-6.
- JN-6BH — Bomber trainer version.
- JN-6HG-1 — Two-seat dual-control trainer version; 560 built from JN-6 production, 34 for US Navy.
- JN-6HG-2 — Single-control gunnery trainer; 90 delivered.
- JN-6HO — Single-control observer trainer version, 106 delivered.
- JN-6HP — single-control pursuit fighter trainer version.
- JNS ("standardized") — During the post-war years of the early 1920s, between 200 and 300 U.S. Army aircraft were upgraded to a common standard of equipment and modernized.
"Specials" and one-offs
- Allison Monoplane — Conversion of JN-4 (Can) G-CAJL by the Allison Company, Kansas, that mounted a parasol wing in place of the biplane configuration; only one conversion made.
- Curtiss Special (1918) — A smaller, custom-built single-seat variant for Katherine StinsonKatherine StinsonKatherine Stinson was an early female flier. She was the fourth woman in the United States to obtain a pilot's certificate, which she earned on July 24, 1912, at the age of 21 while residing in Pine Bluff, AR...
, powered by an 100 hp (74.5 kW) OXX-6. - Ericson Special Three — Some reconditioned aircraft built by Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd. were fitted with a third cockpit.
- Hennessey Monoplane — 1926 monoplane conversion by James R. Hennessey, three-place transport; 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5; span: 36 ft (11 m) length: 25 ft (7.6 m).
- Severski 1926 biplane — A JN-4 modified with a roller / ski undercarriage, one experimental aircraft converted by the Seversky company.
- Sperry Monoplane — Conversion offered by the Sperry Company that mounted a parasol wing in place of the biplane configuration.
- Twin JN — Enlarged twin-engined version of the JN-4, powered by two OXX-2 piston engines. Built in 1916 as the JN-5 for an observation role, among the many other modifications was an enlarged wingspan and new rudder adapted from the Curtiss Model R-4. Two of the series saw action with the US Army on the Mexican border in 1916–1917. A total of eight Twin JNs were built, with two in US Navy service.
Operators
Military operators
- Argentine Naval AviationArgentine Naval AviationThe Argentine Naval Aviation is the naval aviation branch of the Argentine Navy and one of its four operational commands...
- Australian Flying Corps
- No. 3 Squadron AFCNo. 3 Squadron RAAFNo. 3 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron. It was first formed in 1916 and currently operates F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle, New South Wales.-World War I:...
- Used for training. - Central Flying School AFCCentral Flying School RAAFThe Central Flying School RAAF is a Royal Australian Air Force training establishment, based at RAAF Base East Sale. It was formed in March 1913, and during the First World War it trained over 150 pilots, who fought in Europe and the Middle East....
at Point Cook, VictoriaPoint Cook, VictoriaPoint Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Wyndham. At the 2006 Census, Point Cook had a population of 14,162, now it is estimated that the population of Point Cook is 32,167...
.
- No. 3 Squadron AFC
Canada
- Royal Canadian Air ForceRoyal Canadian Air ForceThe history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
- Cuban Air Force
- Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying CorpsThe Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
- No. 24 Squadron RFC
- No. 25 Squadron RFC
- Royal Naval Air ServiceRoyal Naval Air ServiceThe Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
- United States Army Signal Corps Aviation SectionAviation Section, U.S. Signal CorpsThe Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the military aviation service of the United States Army from 1914 to 1918, and a direct ancestor of the United States Air Force. It replaced and absorbed the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and was succeeded briefly by the Division of Military...
(1915) - United States Army Signal Corps Aeronautical DivisionAviation Section, U.S. Signal CorpsThe Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the military aviation service of the United States Army from 1914 to 1918, and a direct ancestor of the United States Air Force. It replaced and absorbed the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and was succeeded briefly by the Division of Military...
(1915–1918) - United States Army Air ServiceUnited States Army Air ServiceThe Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
(1918 et seq.) - United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
- United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Survivors
About 50 Jennys survive in museums and with private owners.- JN-4C C227 is displayed at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Rockcliffe, Ontario.
- JN-4C C308 is flown on a regular basis at the Pioneer Flight Museum, Kingsbury, Texas.
- JN-4C C496 is exhibited at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum, Creve Coeur Airport, St. Louis, Missouri.
- JN-4C C1122 is airworthy with Skeeter Carlson, Spokane, Washington.
- JN-4C 10875 owned by John Shue, York, Pennsylvania.
- JN-4C C-AAI is part of the Reynolds-Alberta MuseumReynolds-Alberta MuseumThe Reynolds-Alberta Museum, in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, one of 18 provincially owned and operated historic sites and museums, honours the "spirit of the machine"...
, in Wetaskiwin, AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. - A 1917 JN-4D is on permanent display at the Museum of Science and IndustryMuseum of Science and Industry (Chicago)The Museum of Science and Industry is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA in Jackson Park, in the Hyde Park neighborhood adjacent to Lake Michigan. It is housed in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
in Chicago. It is displayed upside down next to a wraparound balcony, and details of the cockpit can readily be seen. - JN-4D U.S. Army Air Corps 1282 is on display at the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile MuseumWestern Antique Aeroplane & Automobile MuseumThe Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum is located in Hood River, Oregon, United States, adjacent to the Ken Jernstedt Memorial Airport...
(WAAAM) in Hood River, Oregon. - JN-4D, USAAC 2805 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air ForceNational Museum of the United States Air ForceThe National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
in Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. It was obtained from Robert Pfiel of Taylor, TexasTaylor, TexasTaylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,575 at the 2000 census; it was 15,191 in the 2010 census estimate. Taylors largest employers include the Electric Reliability Council of Texas , Durcon Inc, and the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, an immigration...
in 1956. The aircraft is displayed in the Museum's Early Years gallery. - JN-4D Signal Corps 2975, c/n 450, built 1918, is on display at the Virginia Aviation MuseumVirginia Aviation MuseumThe Virginia Aviation Museum is an aviation museum in Richmond, Virginia, adjacent to Richmond International Airport . The museum houses a collection of some thirty four airframes, both owned and on-loan, ranging from reproductions of Wright Brothers kite gliders to the still state-of-the-art SR-71...
, Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, on loan from Ken Hyde, Warrenton, Virginia. - JN-4H U.S. Navy 6226, powered by a rare Hispano-Suiza 8, V-8 engine, on display at the Old Rhinebeck AerodromeOld Rhinebeck AerodromeThe Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a museum of World War I aircraft and antique automobiles that is located in Red Hook, New York, USA.-History:The aerodrome was the creation of Cole Palen, who was partially inspired by the Shuttleworth Collection in England. He regularly flew many of the aircraft...
in Rhinebeck, New York. It is still flightworthy and occasionally flown during airshows. - JN-4D U.S. Army Air Corps "2525" on display at the Call Aviation Field Memorial Exhibit at Kickapoo Air Park in Wichita Falls, TexasWichita Falls, TexasWichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
. It is flown on the first Saturday of each month, weather permitting. - JN-4D c/n. 4904. EAA AirVenture MuseumEAA AirVenture MuseumThe EAA AirVenture Museum is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historical and experimental aircraft located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin adjacent to the Wittman Regional Airport. Paul Poberezny proposed the idea of the EAA Air Museum-Air Education center in August 1958. The current...
, OshkoshOshkoshOshkosh may refer to:Places in the United States* Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a city and the largest place with the name* Oshkosh , Wisconsin* Oshkosh Township, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota* Oshkosh, Nebraska...
, Wisconsin.
- The Cradle of Aviation MuseumCradle of Aviation MuseumThe Cradle of Aviation Museum is an aerospace museum located in East Garden City, New York on Long Island to commemorate Long Island's part in the history of aviation. It is located on land once part of Mitchel Air Force Base which, together with nearby Roosevelt Field and other airfields on the...
on Long Island has two Jennys on display. One is the aircraft owned by Charles Lindbergh in which he barnstormed long before his transatlantic flight. Lindbergh purchased this aircraft in Americus, Georgia for $500 in May 1923, and sold it to a flying student of his in Iowa the following October. It was restored by the late George Dade in the 1970s and is on loan from the Long Island Early Fliers Club. - A JN-4D built in 1917 has been fully restored to flying condition and is on display, as well as being available for flights at the Golden Age Air Museum at Grimes Airport, Bethel, Pennsylvania.
Specifications (JN-4D)
The "Inverted Jenny" stamp
The "Inverted JennyInverted Jenny
The Inverted Jenny is a United States postage stamp first issued on May 10, 1918 in which the image of the Curtiss JN-4 airplane in the center of the design was accidentally printed upside-down; it is probably the most famous error in American philately...
" (C-3a) is a 24 cent 1918 US Air Mail postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
printing error in which the blue central vignette
Vignette (philately)
In philately, the vignette is the central part of a postage stamp design, such as, a monarch's head or a pictorial design, which often shades off gradually to the edges of the stamp....
of US Army Curtiss JN-4HM #38262, the nation's first mailplane, on a single sheet of 100 stamps was accidentally printed upside down by the operator of a hand rolled spider press. As the Jenny vignette was only inverted on one sheet, this stamp represents the rarest and most valuable known USPOD
United States Post Office Department
The Post Office Department was the name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. It was headed by the Postmaster General....
printing error of all time. A single example (sheet position 57) sold at auction in 2007 for $977,500.00.
Notable appearances in media
In 1921, Lee De ForestLee De Forest
Lee De Forest was an American inventor with over 180 patents to his credit. De Forest invented the Audion, a vacuum tube that takes relatively weak electrical signals and amplifies them. De Forest is one of the fathers of the "electronic age", as the Audion helped to usher in the widespread use...
made a short film Flying Jenny Airplane in his Phonofilm
Phonofilm
In 1919, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patent on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofilm, which recorded sound directly onto film as parallel lines. These parallel lines photographically recorded electrical waveforms from a microphone, which were translated back...
sound-on-film
Sound-on-film
Sound-on-film refers to a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying picture is physically recorded onto photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analog sound track or digital sound track,...
process. The film depicted a JN-4 flying, and recorded the sound of the Jenny as well. The short documentary was the first production of the De Forest Phonofilm
Phonofilm
In 1919, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patent on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofilm, which recorded sound directly onto film as parallel lines. These parallel lines photographically recorded electrical waveforms from a microphone, which were translated back...
company.
Among many later films depicting the barnstorming era where the Jennys "ruled supreme" and played a feature role, was The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) and The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper is a 1975 drama film directed, produced, and co-written by George Roy Hill. It stars Robert Redford as a discontented airplane pilot in the years 1926-1931....
(1974). In The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), authentic OX-5 Jennys were showcased as United States Army Air Service training aircraft.
Broadcast on April 15, 1987, by PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, the National Geographic special entitled "Treasures from the Past" featuring the restoration and first flight by Ken Hyde of a JN-4D that would go on to win the "Lindy Award" at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh '87.