Glenn Curtiss

Glenn Curtiss (1878–1930) was an American aviation pioneer, aircraft designer, and manufacturer who founded the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company.

Curtiss Manufacturing Company: An American manufacturer of bicycles and motorcycles founded by Glenn Curtiss in the late nineteenth century. Curtiss built his engineering business through bicycles and motorcycles before turning to aviation.
Curtiss June Bug: A 1908 aircraft designed by Glenn Curtiss that won the Scientific American Trophy for a public flight. Its controlled flight demonstrated Curtiss's aircraft design and earned a major early aviation prize.
Orville Wright: American aviation pioneer who, with his brother Wilbur, developed the first successful powered airplane. Curtiss's control methods and aircraft became central to the Wright brothers' patent conflict.
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company: An American aircraft and engine manufacturer founded by Glenn Curtiss in 1916. Curtiss founded the company that became one of the leading American aircraft manufacturers.
Motorcycle racing: Competitive racing in which riders race motorcycles on tracks, roads, or off-road courses. Racing made Curtiss famous and tested the lightweight engines he later adapted for aircraft.
Aileron: A hinged control surface on an aircraft wing that controls roll by changing lift on each side. Curtiss used ailerons for lateral control, in contrast to the Wright brothers' wing-warping system.
Wilbur Wright: American aviation pioneer who, with his brother Orville, developed and flew the Wright Flyer. Wilbur and Curtiss represented rival approaches to aircraft control and competing patent claims.
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny: A Curtiss biplane trainer widely used by the United States military during World War I. The Jenny trained thousands of American pilots and made Curtiss aircraft a familiar sight.
V-twin engine: An internal-combustion engine with two cylinders arranged in a V around a common crankshaft. Curtiss's success with lightweight V-twin motorcycle engines established his reputation as an engine builder.
Curtiss Model D: An early pusher biplane developed by Curtiss, built in several variants beginning in 1911. The Model D carried Curtiss's control and structural ideas into a widely used early aircraft.

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