The Curtiss CT-1 model 24, a twin engine torpedo bomber mounted on floats , was first flown in 1921.
7-527: The US Navy was looking for a new torpedo bomber following a demonstration of sinking a battleship with an aircraft. A specification was announced requiring a twin floatplane that could be sled launched and crane recovered at sea. The aircraft had a maximum span of 65 feet (20 m) which could be broken down into 25 feet (7.6 m) sections for shipboard storage. Prototypes of the Curtiss CT-1, Stout ST-1 , Fokker FT-1 and Blackburn Swift F were evaluated at
14-614: A time. The aircraft was demonstrated to the US Navy at the Annacostia Naval Yard and at the war college at Fort McNair , Washington, D.C. The aircraft was given the serial number A-5890, and the navy designation CT-1, for "Curtiss" "Torpedo bomber (number one)"-"variant one". Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947 General characteristics Performance Armament Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Stout ST-1 The Stout ST
21-608: The Anacostia Naval Yard. William Bushnell Stout approached the Navy with his all-metal torpedo bomber design. He estimated the aircraft would cost $ 50,000 each to produce. The aircraft was built in Detroit , Michigan over a two-year period. Navy officials visited the facility frequently to inspect the new metal-forming and construction methods. The aircraft was a twin engine conventional geared mid-winged monoplane. Its primary feature
28-548: The Anacostia Naval Yard. Curtiss won an initial contract to build nine torpedo bombers on June 30, 1920, but the order was canceled and only one acceptance prototype was built. The aircraft was constructed in Rockaway, New York . The aircraft had twin booms, twin tails , twin floats and a single cockpit. A turret was placed high above and behind the pilot to have a full 360 degree firing arc. The thick airfoil wings were cantilevered without struts or wires using three spars. The fuselage
35-615: Was a twin-engine torpedo bomber built for the US Navy . It pioneered the American use of metal construction and the cantilever "thick wing" design concepts of German aeronautical engineer Hugo Junkers , themselves pioneered in the second half of 1915. The US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics had a requirement to review several types of torpedo-carrying aircraft. Prototypes of the Curtiss CT , Stout ST, Fokker FT and Blackburn Swift F were evaluated at
42-493: Was its corrugated metal construction, a new technique and different from the tube-and-fabric airplanes of the time. In addition, the internally supported cantilever wing developed for the Stout Batwing was employed. The aircraft was test flown successfully, however, the airplane showed signs of inadequate longitudinal stability. The first flight of the prototype, designated ST-1, was at Selfridge Field with Edward Stinson at
49-693: Was made of traditional welded tube frame with the-then new technology of an aluminum skin. The rest of the aircraft was of welded tube with a fabric covering. The engine nacelles were deeply recessed into the wings. Two under-wing Lamblin radiators provided cooling. Engine stands were located for mechanics to work on the aircraft. Single-engine operation resulted in a height loss of 100 ft per minute. The first water taxi tests were performed by Bert Acosta on 2 May 1921 at NAS Rockaway, resulting in larger rudders added for stability. The sheet metal formed motor mounts and tail structure required reinforcement. The engines overheated, and could only fly for 20 minutes at
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