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The Pilots Desk
Single-engine piston1915 utility aircraft family by Curtiss

Curtiss R

Curtiss R

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.

Summary from Wikipedia, photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Manufacturer
Curtiss
Category
Single-engine piston
First flight
1915-01-01

Specifications

Cruise speed
75 kt
Max speed
75 kt
Range
6.5 nm
Service ceiling
4,000 ft
Rate of climb
240 ft/min
Max takeoff weight
3,092 lb
Empty weight
1,822 lb
Powerplant
Curtiss V-X V-8 water-cooled piston engine
Engines
1
Seats
2
Length
24.4 ft
Wingspan
45.9 ft
Number built
290

Specifications are approximate and may vary by variant. Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Reference and training only. Specifications vary by variant — consult the manufacturer and the official documents.