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63-417: In 1907, Glenn Curtiss was recruited by the scientist Dr. Alexander Graham Bell as a founding member of Bell's Aerial Experiment Association (AEA), with the intent of establishing an aeronautical research and development organization. According to Bell, it was a "co-operative scientific association, not for gain but for the love of the art and doing what we can to help one another." In 1909, shortly before

126-584: A Methodist Episcopal clergyman , and Ruth Bramble. Glenn Curtiss had a younger sister, Rutha Luella, also born in Hammondsport. Although his formal education extended only to eighth grade , his early interest in mechanics and inventions was evident at his first job at the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company (later Eastman Kodak Company ) in Rochester, New York . His job at the factory

189-436: A Western Union bicycle messenger , a bicycle racer, and bicycle-shop owner. In 1901, he developed an interest in motorcycles when internal-combustion engines became more available. In 1902, Curtiss began manufacturing motorcycles with his own single-cylinder engines. His first motorcycle's carburetor was adapted from a tomato soup can containing a gauze screen to pull the gasoline up by capillary action . In 1903, he set

252-692: A motorcycle land speed record at 64 miles per hour (103 km/h) for one mile (1.6 km). When E.H. Corson of the Hendee Mfg Co (manufacturers of Indian motorcycles ) visited Hammondsport in July 1904, he was amazed that the entire Curtiss motorcycle enterprise was located in the back room of the modest "shop". Corson's motorcycles had just been trounced the week before by "Hell Rider" Curtiss in an endurance race from New York to Cambridge, Maryland . On January 24, 1907, Curtiss set an unofficial world record of 136.36 miles per hour (219.45 km/h), on

315-616: A 40 horsepower (30 kW) 269 cu in (4,410 cc) V-8-powered motorcycle of his own design and construction in Ormond Beach, Florida . The air-cooled F-head engine was intended for use in aircraft. He remained "the fastest man in the world", the title the newspapers gave him, until 1911, and his motorcycle record was not broken until 1930. This motorcycle is now in the Smithsonian Institution . Curtiss's success at racing strengthened his reputation as

378-425: A Curtiss "grass cutter" to become the first Naval aviator. Curtiss custom built floats and adapted them onto a Model D so it could take off and land on water to prove the concept. On February 24, 1911, Curtiss made his first amphibious demonstration at North Island by taking off and alighting on both land and water. Back in Hammondsport, six months later in July 1911, Curtiss sold the U.S. Navy their first aircraft,

441-613: A Curtiss R3C won the Pulitzer Trophy on October 12, 1925, at 248.9 miles per hour (400.6 km/h). Thirteen days later, Jimmy Doolittle won the Schneider Trophy in the same aircraft fitted with floats with a top speed of 232.573 miles per hour (374.290 km/h). The Curtiss Robin light transport was first flown in 1928, becoming one of the company's biggest sellers during the Great Depression , and

504-583: A crew of five, which became known as the Curtiss NC . Three of the four NC flying boats built attempted a transatlantic crossing in 1919. Thus NC-4 became the first aircraft to be flown across the Atlantic Ocean, (a feat quickly overshadowed by the first non-stop Atlantic crossing by Alcock and Brown ,) while NC-1 and NC-3 were unable to continue past the Azores . NC-4 is now on permanent display in

567-610: A curious public; Curtiss took full advantage of these occasions to promote his products. This was a busy period for Glenn Curtiss. In August 1909, Curtiss took part in the Grande Semaine d'Aviation aviation meeting at Reims , France , organized by the Aéro-Club de France . The Wrights , who were selling their machines to customers in Germany at the time, decided not to compete in person. Two Wright aircraft (modified with

630-543: A director of the company but served only as an advisor on design. Clement M. Keys gained control of the company from Willys-Overland and it later became the nucleus of a large group of aviation companies. Curtiss seaplanes won the Schneider Cup in two consecutive races, those of 1923 and 1925. The 1923 race was won by U.S. Navy lieutenant David Rittenhouse flying a Curtiss R3C to 177.266 miles per hour (285.282 km/h). Piloted by U.S. Army Lt. Cyrus K. Bettis ,

693-592: A founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early as 1904, he began to manufacture engines for airships. In 1908, Curtiss joined the Aerial Experiment Association , a pioneering research group, founded by Alexander Graham Bell at Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia , to build flying machines. Curtiss won a race at the world's first international air meet in France and made

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756-483: A landing gear) were at the meet, but they did not win any events. On August 28, 1909, flying his No. 2 biplane , Curtiss won the overall speed event, the Gordon Bennett Cup , completing the 20-km (12.5-mile) course in just under 16 minutes at a speed of 46.5 mph (74.8 km/h), six seconds faster than runner-up Louis Blériot . On May 29, 1910, Curtiss flew from Albany to New York City to make

819-512: A larger, more elaborate fifth-wheel vehicle, which he manufactured and sold under the name Aerocar. Shortly before his death, he designed a tailless aircraft with a V-shaped wing and tricycle landing gear that he hoped could be sold in the price range of a family car. The Wright Aeronautical Corporation, a successor to the original Wright Company, ultimately merged with the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company on July 5, 1929, forming

882-525: A leading maker of high-performance motorcycles and engines. In 1904, Curtiss became a supplier of engines for the California "aeronaut" Tom Baldwin , who inspired Curtiss to pursue aviation. In that same year, Baldwin's California Arrow , powered by a Curtiss 9 HP V-twin motorcycle engine, became the first successful dirigible in America. In 1907, Alexander Graham Bell invited Curtiss to develop

945-502: A partner to produce an aircraft with him to win the Daily Mail prize for the first transatlantic crossing . In 1912, Curtiss produced the two-seat Flying Fish , a larger craft that became classified as a flying boat because the hull sat in the water; it featured an innovative notch (known as a "step") in the hull that Porte recommended for breaking clear of the water at takeoff . Curtiss correctly surmised that this configuration

1008-557: A small town on a lake in upstate New York. A patent lawsuit by the Wright brothers against Curtiss in 1909 continued until it was resolved during World War I. Since the last Wright aircraft, the Wright Model L, was a single prototype of a "scouting" aircraft, made in 1916, the U.S. government , desperately short of combat aircraft, pressured both firms to resolve the dispute. Of nine suits Wright brought against Curtiss and others and

1071-705: A subsidiary in February 1916. At the same time, the Curtiss Engineering Company was established as a subsidiary in Garden City, New York . With the onset of World War I , military orders rose sharply, and Curtiss needed to expand quickly. In 1916, the company moved its headquarters and most manufacturing activities to Buffalo, New York , where there was far greater access to transportation, manpower, manufacturing expertise, and much needed capital. The company housed an aircraft engine factory in

1134-486: A suitable engine for heavier-than-air flight experimentation. Bell regarded Curtiss as "the greatest motor expert in the country" and invited Curtiss to join his Aerial Experiment Association (AEA). Between 1908 and 1910, the AEA produced four aircraft, each one an improvement over the last. Curtiss primarily designed the AEA's third aircraft, Aerodrome #3, the famous June Bug , and became its test pilot, undertaking most of

1197-591: A trainer. They were some of the most famous products of the Curtiss company, and thousands were sold to the militaries of the United States, Canada, and Britain. Civilian and military aircraft demand boomed, and the company grew to employ 18,000 workers in Buffalo and 3,000 workers in Hammondsport. In 1917, the U.S. Navy commissioned Curtiss to design a long-range, four-engined flying boat large enough to hold

1260-588: Is dedicated to Curtiss' life and work. Curtiss' famed airplane appeared on a 1918 issue U. S. airmail stamp . along with fifteen other US airmail stamps, (including the first air mail stamps), and on the stamps of at least 17 other countries. Curtiss himself appeared on the cover of Time in 1924. There is a Curtiss Avenue in Hammondsport, NY, along with the Glenn Curtiss Elementary School. Carson, CA has Glenn Hammond Curtiss Middle School and Glenn Curtiss Street. Glenn H. Curtiss Road

1323-796: Is in San Diego, CA, and Glenn Curtiss Boulevard in East Meadow/Uniondale, NY (Long Island). Glenn Curtiss Drive is in Addison, TX, and Curtiss Parkway in Miami Springs, FL. Buffalo, NY has a Curtiss Park and a Curtis Parkway (named for Glenn despite the incorrect spelling). The Curtiss E-Library in Hialeah, FL was originally the Lua A. Curtiss Branch Library, named for Glenn's mother. Curtiss F5L The twin-engine F5L

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1386-545: The Aero Club of America , because the first batch of licenses were issued in alphabetical order; Wilbur Wright received license #5. At the culmination of the Aerial Experiment Association's experiments, Curtiss offered to purchase the rights to Aerodrome #3, essentially using it as the basis of his Curtiss No. 1 , the first of his production series of pusher aircraft. After a 1909 fall-out with

1449-555: The Aeromarine Airways Aeromarine 75 Columbus suffered engine failure during a flight from Key West to Havana and landed in the Florida Strait . Buffeted by 10-to-15-foot (3-to-4.5-metre) waves, its hull began to fill with water. Four passengers died, but the ferry ship H. M. Flagler saved the other three passengers and both crew members. Both a hull and float from a US Navy F5L are preserved at

1512-560: The America , now called the H-4, from Curtiss. Porte licensed and further developed the designs, constructing a range of Felixstowe long-range patrol aircraft, and from his experience passed along improvements to the hull to Curtiss. The later British designs were sold to the U.S. forces, or built by Curtiss as the F5L . The Curtiss factory also built a total of 68 "Large Americas", which evolved into

1575-469: The Collier Trophy for designing this aircraft. Henry Kleckler, considered Curtiss' "right hand man", and a "master innovator and mechanic", was also a native of Hammondsport and worked with Curtiss in developing more efficient engines for the "flying boats" pioneered and developed by Curtiss. Around this time, Curtiss met retired British naval officer John Cyril Porte , who was looking for

1638-711: The Curtiss-Wright company, shortly before Curtiss's death. Curtiss, working with the head of the Smithsonian Institution Charles Walcott, sought to discredit the Wrights and rehabilitate the reputation of Samuel Langley , a former head of the Smithsonian, who failed in his attempt at powered flight. Secretly, Curtiss extensively modified Langley's 1903 aerodrome (aircraft) then demonstrated in 1914 that it could fly. In turn,

1701-715: The H-12 , the only American designed and built aircraft to see combat in World War I. As 1916 approached, the United States was feared to be drawn into the conflict. The Army's Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps ordered the development of a simple, easy-to-fly-and-maintain, two-seat trainer. Curtiss created the JN-4 "Jenny" for the Army, and the N-9 seaplane version for the Navy, designed as

1764-694: The Miami Springs Villas House, Dar-Err-Aha, MSTR No. 2, or Glenn Curtiss House . The Glenn Curtiss House, after years of disrepair and frequent vandalism, is being refurbished to serve as a museum in his honor. His frequent hunting trips into the Florida Everglades led to a final invention, the Adams Motor "Bungalo", a forerunner of the modern recreational vehicle trailer (named after his business partner and half-brother, G. Carl Adams). Curtiss later developed this into

1827-1095: The Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998, and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2003. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has a collection of Curtiss's original documents as well as a collection of airplanes, motorcycles and motors. LaGuardia Airport was originally called Glenn H. Curtiss Airport when it began operation in 1929. Other Curtiss honors include: Naval Aviation Hall of Honor; OX-5 Aviation Pioneers Hall of Fame; Empire State Aviation Hall of Fame; Niagara Frontier Aviation and Space Hall of Fame; International Air & Space Hall of Fame; Long Island Air & Space Hall of Fame; Great Floridians 2000; Steuben County (NY) Hall of Fame; Hammondsport School Lifetime Achievements Wall of Fame; Florida Aviation Hall of Fame; Smithsonian Institution Langley Medal; Top 100 Stars of Aerospace and Aviation; Doctor of Science ( honoris causa ), University of Miami. The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport

1890-614: The National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida . Peace brought cancellation of wartime contracts. In September 1920, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company underwent a financial reorganization. Glenn Curtiss cashed out his stock in the company for $ 32 million and retired to Florida. He continued on as a director of the company, but served only as an adviser on design. Clement M. Keys gained control of

1953-686: The Pageant of Progress Exposition , Chicago , August 1921. A further civil conversion for the Atlantic Coast Airways Corporation of Delaware was reported to accommodate 25 passengers in August 1928, with talkies by First National Pictures run as a test on the inaugural flight. The airline bought about six ex-U.S. Navy aircraft and advertised a service between Montreal , Boston , Newport , New York, Atlantic City, Charleston , Miami and Havana. On 13 January 1923,

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2016-513: The 769 built helped keep the company solvent when orders for military aircraft were hard to find. On July 5, 1929, Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company together with 11 other Wright and Curtiss affiliated companies merged to become the Curtiss-Wright Corporation . One of the last projects started by Curtiss Aeroplane was the ambitious Curtiss-Bleecker SX-5-1 Helicopter , a design that had propellers located midpoint on each of

2079-538: The A-1 Triad . The A-1, which was primarily a seaplane, was equipped with retractable wheels, also making it the first amphibious aircraft. Curtiss trained the Navy's first pilots and built their first aircraft. For this, he is considered in the US to be "The Father of Naval Aviation". The Triad was immediately recognized as so obviously useful, it was purchased by the U.S. Navy, Russia, Japan, Germany, and Britain. Curtiss won

2142-710: The AEA was disbanded, Curtiss partnered with Augustus Moore Herring to form the Herring-Curtiss Company . It was renamed the Curtiss Aeroplane Company in 1910 and reorganized in 1912 after being taken over by the Curtiss Motor Company. The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was created on January 13, 1916, from the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York , and Curtiss Motor Company of Bath, New York . Burgess Company of Marblehead, Massachusetts , became

2205-506: The AEA, Curtiss joined with A. M. Herring (and backers from the Aero Club of America ) to found the Herring-Curtiss Company in Hammondsport. During the 1909–1910 period, Curtiss employed a number of demonstration pilots, including Eugene Ely , Charles K. Hamilton , J.A.D. McCurdy , Augustus Post , and Hugh Robinson . Aerial competitions and demonstration flights across North America helped to introduce aviation to

2268-631: The Curtiss JN-4 , however a printing error resulted in some having the aircraft image inverted, which has become very valuable, and one of the best known rare stamps, even being featured in a number of movies. The Curtiss HS-2L flying boat was used extensively in the war for anti-submarine patrols and was operated from bases in Nova Scotia , France , and Portugal . John Cyril Porte of the Royal Navy and Curtiss worked together to improve

2331-540: The Fall of 1915 with Captain Thomas Scott Baldwin as head. Many civilian students, including Canadians, later became famed World War I flyers. Victor Carlstrom , Vernon Castle , Eddie Stinson and General Billy Mitchell trained here. The school was disbanded in 1922. Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and

2394-669: The Felixstowe station. They then took their F.5 model and further redesigned it with better streamlining, a stronger hull using veneer instead of doped linen and U.S.-built 330 hp (later 400 hp) Liberty 12A engines. The prototype was built and tested in England and the design then taken over by the Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia , where further modifications were made to suit their production methods under wartime conditions. The American-built version

2457-473: The Navy, but more significant, as far as the Navy was concerned, was Eugene Ely successfully landing his Curtiss pusher (the same aircraft used to take off from the Birmingham ) on a makeshift platform mounted on the rear deck of the battleship USS Pennsylvania . This was the first arrester-cable landing on a ship and the precursor of modern-day carrier operations. On January 28, 1911, Ellyson took off in

2520-493: The Smithsonian endorsed the false statement that "Professor Samuel P. Langley had actually designed and built the first man-carrying flying machine capable of sustained flight." Walcott ordered the plane modified by Curtiss to be returned to its original 1903 condition before going on display at the Smithsonian to cover up the deception. In 1928 the Smithsonian Board of Regents reversed its position and acknowledged that

2583-485: The United States was entering World War I . The U.S. government, as a result of a recommendation of a committee formed by Franklin D. Roosevelt , then Assistant Secretary of the Navy , pressured the industry to form a cross-licensing organization (in other terms a Patent pool ), the Manufacturer's Aircraft Association . Later that year, Curtiss was acquired by the automobile manufacturer Willys-Overland . Curtiss

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2646-525: The United States' British and Canadian allies, resulting in JN-4 (Can) trainers (nicknamed the "Canuck") being built in Canada. In order to complete large military orders, JN-4 production was distributed to five other manufacturers. After the war, large numbers of JN-4s were sold as surplus, making influential as the first plane for many interwar pilots, including Amelia Earhart . A stamp was printed to commemorate

2709-538: The Wright Brothers deserved the credit for the first flight. Traveling to Rochester to contest a lawsuit brought by former business partner August Herring , Curtiss suffered an attack of appendicitis in court. He died on July 23, 1930, in Buffalo, New York , of complications from an appendectomy . His funeral service was held at St. James Episcopal Church in his home town, Hammondsport, with interment in

2772-414: The company, which later became the nucleus of a large group of aviation companies. Curtiss and his family moved to Florida in the 1920s, where he founded 18 corporations, served on civic commissions, and donated extensive land and water rights. He co-developed the city of Hialeah with James Bright and developed the cities of Opa-locka and Miami Springs , where he built a family home, known variously as

2835-645: The design of the Curtiss flying boats resulting in the Curtiss F5L and the similar Felixstowe F.3 . Curtiss also worked with the United States Navy to develop the NC-4 , which became the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1919, making several stops en route. By the end of World War I, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company would claim to be the largest aircraft manufacturer in

2898-403: The end of 1910, Curtiss established a winter encampment at San Diego to teach flying to Army and Naval personnel. Here, he trained Lt. Theodore Ellyson , who became U.S. Naval Aviator #1, and three Army officers, 1st Lt. Paul W. Beck , 2nd Lt. George E. M. Kelly , and 2nd Lt. John C. Walker, Jr., in the first military aviation school. ( Chikuhei Nakajima , founder of Nakajima Aircraft Company ,

2961-699: The family plot at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Hammondsport. By an act of Congress on March 1, 1933, Curtiss was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross , which now resides in the Smithsonian Institution . Curtiss was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1964, the International Aerospace Hall of Fame in 1965, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990,

3024-546: The feasibility of shooting at targets on the ground from an aircraft with Curtiss serving as pilot. One month later, in September, he trained Blanche Stuart Scott , who was possibly the first American woman pilot. The fictional character Tom Swift , who first appeared in 1910 in Tom Swift and His Motor Cycle and Tom Swift and His Airship , has been said to have been based on Glenn Curtiss. The Tom Swift books are set in

3087-471: The first long-distance flight between two major cities in the U.S. For this 137-mile (220 km) flight, which he completed in just under four hours including one stop to refuel, he won a $ 10,000 prize offered by publisher Joseph Pulitzer and was awarded permanent possession of the Scientific American Trophy. In June 1910, Curtiss provided a simulated bombing demonstration to naval officers at Hammondsport. Two months later, Lt. Jacob E. Fickel demonstrated

3150-439: The first long-distance flight in the U.S. His contributions in designing and building aircraft led to the formation of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company , which later merged into the Curtiss-Wright Corporation . His company built aircraft for the U.S. Army and Navy, and, during the years leading up to World War I, his experiments with seaplanes led to advances in naval aviation. Curtiss civil and military aircraft were some of

3213-411: The former Taylor Signal Company-General Railway Signal Company . An ancillary operation was begun in Toronto, Ontario, that was involved in both production and training, setting up the first flying school in Canada in 1915. In 1917, the two major aircraft patent holders, the Wright Company and the Curtiss Company, had effectively blocked the building of new airplanes , which were desperately needed as

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3276-431: The four large rotors that drove the main rotors. This design, while costly and well engineered, was ultimately a failure. Curtiss also operated a flying school at Long Branch Aerodrome in Toronto Township, Ontario , from 1915 to 1917 before being taken over by the Royal Flying Corps Canada . Glenn H. Curtiss sponsored the Atlantic Coast Aeronautical Station on a 20-acre tract east of the Newport News boat harbor in

3339-432: The most important types in the interwar and World War II eras. Glenn Curtiss was born in 1878 in Hammondsport, New York , situated on the southern tip of Keuka Lake , one of the Finger Lakes in New York. His mother was Lua Curtiss née Andrews and his father was Frank Richmond Curtiss a harness maker who had arrived in Hammondsport with Glenn's grandparents in 1876. Glenn's paternal grandparents were Claudius G. Curtiss,

3402-403: The proving flights. On July 4, 1908, he flew 5,080 ft (1,550 m) to win the Scientific American Trophy and its $ 2,500 prize. This is considered to be the first pre-announced public flight of a heavier-than-air flying machine in America. The flight of the June Bug propelled Curtiss and aviation firmly into public awareness. On June 8, 1911, Curtiss received U.S. Pilot's License #1 from

3465-441: The three suits brought against them, the Wright Brothers eventually won every case in courts in the United States. On November 14, 1910, Curtiss demonstration pilot Eugene Ely took off from a temporary platform mounted on the forward deck of the cruiser USS Birmingham . His successful takeoff and ensuing flight to shore marked the beginning of a relationship between Curtiss and the Navy that remained significant for decades. At

3528-426: The world, employing 18,000 in Buffalo and 3,000 in Hammondsport, New York . Curtiss produced 10,000 aircraft during that war, and more than 100 in a single week. Peace brought cancellation of wartime contracts. In September 1920, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company underwent a financial reorganization and Glenn Curtiss cashed out his stock in the company for $ 32 million and retired to Florida . He continued as

3591-475: Was a 1912 graduate.) The original site of this winter encampment is now part of Naval Air Station North Island and is referred to by the Navy as "The Birthplace of Naval Aviation". Through the course of that winter, Curtiss was able to develop a float (pontoon) design that enabled him to take off and land on water. On January 26, 1911, he flew the first seaplane from the water in the United States. Demonstrations of this advanced design were of great interest to

3654-412: Was also known as the Curtiss F5L and (in civilian operation) as the Aeromarine 75. The F5L was built by the Naval Aircraft Factory (137), Curtiss (60) and Canadian Aeroplanes Limited (30). Some were converted for civilian use by the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company in 1919. The F5L entered U.S. service at the end of the war and was the U.S. Navy's standard patrol aircraft until 1928, when it

3717-441: Was instrumental in the development of U.S. Naval Aviation by providing training for pilots and providing aircraft. The first major order was for 144 various subtypes of the Model F trainer flying boat. In 1914, Curtiss had lured B. Douglas Thomas from Sopwith to design the Model J trainer, which led to the JN-4 two-seat biplane trainer (known affectionately as the "Jenny"). The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company worked with

3780-443: Was more suited to building a larger long-distance craft that could operate from water, and was also more stable when operating from a choppy surface. With the backing of Rodman Wanamaker , Porte and Curtiss produced the America in 1914, a larger flying boat with two engines, for the transatlantic crossing. With the start of World War I , Porte returned to service in the Royal Navy , which subsequently purchased several models of

3843-426: Was one of the Felixstowe F series of flying boats developed by John Cyril Porte at the Seaplane Experimental Station , Felixstowe , England, during the First World War for production in America. A civilian version of the aircraft was known as the Aeromarine 75 . Porte had taken the Curtiss H-12 , an original design by the American Glenn Curtiss , and developed it into a practical series of flying boats at

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3906-422: Was replaced by the PN-12 . In civil service, named the Aeromarine 75 , the Felixstowe F5L could accommodate 10 passengers and was operated by Aeromarine Airways on flights from Key West to Havana , carrying the first U.S. Post Office international air mail on flights from New York City to Atlantic City , and from Cleveland to Detroit . The first in-flight movie screened in an Aeromarine 75 during

3969-694: Was to stencil numbers on the paper backing of the film manufactured by the company. He figured out how to speed up the process of stenciling and built a "stencil machine": a rack with a brush on a hinge which would stencil one hundred paper strips with a single stroke of the brush. This improved his throughput ten times, and eventually the company adopted his invention. He also built a rudimentary camera to study photography. On March 7, 1898, Curtiss married Lena Pearl Neff (1879–1951), daughter of Guy L. Neff and Jenny M. Potter, in Hammondsport, New York. They had two children: Carlton N. Curtiss (1901–1902) and Glenn Hammond Curtiss (1912–1969) Curtiss began his career as

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