Glenn Curtiss and the Empirical Origins of Naval Aircraft Design

摘要

The Wright brothers, autodidacts and superb engineers, pursued what may be a model approach to the problem of heavier-than-air flight in which they skillfully balanced science and empiricism. In contrast, their chief rival after 1908, Glenn H. Curtiss (1878-1930), has sometimes been identified with a methodology that was more "heavy-handed," according to historian Louis Casey, whereby he relied on trial-and-error and instinct more than theory in airplane design and construction. Exemplifying the Curtiss style were his hydroairplane float design, the "step" in the hull of his flying boat that allowed it to plane and break free of the water, and a series of modifications to his 1914 America flying boat. Although Curtiss did rely primarily on empiricism in his work, he was far from ignorant of engineering principles. He read widely in the professional literature, employed a wind tunnel for many of his early aerodynamic experiments, and owned outright or shared nearly 70 patents. Moreover, he had the good sense to surround himself with capable and experienced engineers and recognized at a key point in his career that aeronautical technology had moved beyond his native abilities. While universally acknowledging Curtiss's success in aeronautics, contemporaries and historians have not given him sufficient credit for his ability to apply rational inquiry to airplane design.