Curtiss Tanager

Tanager

Manufacturer: Curtiss
Designed by: Robert R. Osborn and Theodore Paul Wright
First flight: 12 October 1929
Number built: 1

The Curtiss Model 54 Tanager was an aircraft constructed in 1929 as Curtiss' entry in the Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Competition. It was a conventional biplane design with a highly streamlined fuselage similar in outline to the Curtiss Eagle, but of considerably smaller proportions. The wings were fitted with a variety of high-lift devices, including automatic leading-edge slots on the upper wing, flaps that extended the entire span of the upper wing, and "floating" ailerons on the lower wing that in the absence of pilot input, automatically adjusted themselves parallel to the airflow over the wing. The combination of these devices gave the Tanager a stall speed of just 31 mph (50 km/h) and allowed it to land in only 90 ft (27 m).

Only the Tanager and the Handley Page Gugnunc passed the qualifying round of the competition, and ultimately, the Tanager was to beat its rival by only one point to claim the $100,000 (£20,000) prize. The Gugnunc failing to get a minimum speed below 38 mph. Even before the competition was decided, however, Handley Page was suing Curtiss for the unlicenced use of the leading-edge slot. Curtiss claimed they were using the slots experimentally and would apply for a licence in any commercial use. Curtiss counter-sued Handley Page for infringements of six of their patents in the Handley Page machine. They also cited a ruling that the British machine was not permitted to be imported into the US.

Following the competition, the Tanager was destroyed in a fire when sparks from its engine set the grass alight.

Specifications

Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947

General characteristics

Crew: One pilot
Capacity: 2 passengers
Length: 26 ft 8 in (8.12 m)
Wingspan: 43 ft 10 in (13.35 m)
Height: 11 ft 4 in (3.45 m)
Wing area: 333 ft² (30.93 m²)
Empty weight: 1,958 lb (888 kg)
Gross weight: 2,841 lb (1,289 kg)
Powerplant: 1 x— Curtiss Challenger, 185 hp (138 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 112 mph (180 km/h)
Cruise speed: 95 mph (153 km/h)
Range: 535 miles (861 km)
Service ceiling: 12,500 ft (8,810 m)
Rate of climb: 700 ft/min (3.6 m/s)

Bowers, Peter M. (1979). Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947. London: Putnam. ISBN 0 370 10029 8.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 278.
Time 6 January 1930

Curtiss Tanager Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia