The Commander Albert C. NC.4 Read.
The color is taken from a painting by the time it was painted
to celebrate transatlantic flight.
Note the location of the identification numbers on the hull. ==============================================
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The prize offered in 1913 by the British newspaper "Daily Mail" for the first to fly the Atlantic was the source of many projects, some of which would be realized in various ways during the First World War. This happened, for example, the giant Zeppelin-Staaken bombers, and also for the series of Curtiss seaplanes, with English derivatives Felixstowe. Since the twin-engine two-seater "America" \u200b\u200bin 1914 joined the sports company to try to unite the two shores of the Atlantic, the big four-engined NC who actually tried it in the spring of 1919 (one of them would make it) the circle is closed with a production activity and technical experience of war that meant an enormous contribution to the development of whole seaplane and aviation. Well armed and well equipped with radio and instruments, the "hydro" with U.S. and British helmet, held during the years the brunt of war on the sea and obtained significant successes against the airships and submarines, making it increasingly difficult (up to totally neutralize, at least in the case of airships) the work of these two weapons, which was based on the entire German strategy of counterblockade .
The structure of the "hydro" and its derivatives Curtiss showed no significant innovations or special, all the efforts of designers headed to the need to strengthen the town-to make it suitable to withstand the rolling movements of the sea, and to improve the qualities of takeoff. The structure was biplane (except in three experimental triptans) and generally the upper wing was larger than the lower. Three and exceptionally four pairs of vertical joined the two wings, helped by reinforcing structures ("kingposts") on the external uprights, and rarely oblique studs to hold the outer wing sections than jutting out beyond the tips lower wing.
The upper, convergence property with the tips toward the bow, wearing wings, offset from Felixstowe F.3. The hull, made of wood and divided into watertight compartments, was characterized by widening at the base, from the bow to the backbone; this was done to increase the stability in water and also to compensate for their tendency to undir the tube at the take-off , when given full power to the engines, which generated a high position when chopped. The plywood siding was later extended even on the back, leaving only the top fabric of the rear section in the latest models. The hull was one to Redan and F.2A H.16.
The engines were supported by a castellated, halfway between the wings (or the central wing of the triptans) and derogations except experimental propeller powering tractors, power and varied number of the 90 horses originally mounted on the first "America", the 365, the five engines mounted on the triplane "Fury." The tail-usually, consisted of a large triangular-shaped vertical plane, intercepted half its height by a horizontal rectangular monoplane, the stabilizers of the NC and the triptans were multicellular.
At the base of the series were two prewar projects from which Rodman Wanamaker, who was interested in winning the £ 10,000 offered by the "Daily Mail" - and planner hired Glen costructor Curtiss. They were joined by a valuable Englishman, John C. Porte, who also would be designated as one of the pilots for the transatlantic flight.
The first project was a two-seater biplane with two Curtiss OX engine of 90 horses was conducted in two units transferred to the Royal Navy in November 1914 (very close to the planned date of the attempt to fly over Atlantic) Porte through in the meantime had gone into service as an officer in British naval aviation. The other project was a "huge triplane those days, with a wingspan of 40 meters, an airfoil alrrededor of 360 square meters and a weight (empty) of nearly 5 tons. Should have six 160-horsepower engines located in pairs to drive two propellers and a driving tractors, central. Planned placement of another 40 horsepower engine inside the hull for the implementation of the propulsion engines and a propeller to drive the floating marina. This project did not materialize, but the "Royal Naval Air Service" in 1915 ordered twenty copies of a revised edition, with four 250-horsepower Curtiss engine (later replaced by others as something more powerful Rolls Royce) mounted on a single unit: a single machine of this type was assigned in 1916 to station Felixstowe seaplane (led by John C. Porte, who devoted his entire projects to improve capacity aircraft Curtiss).
The low power of the first "American" as their main limitation, but also the fragility and modest seaworthy hull prevented intense and fruitful use of them.
The final model of these developments was the NC. The failure of maritime transport seaplane did arise, in September 1917 - the agenda of the U.S. Navy Department "for a plane that could be transferred to Europe in-flight and in the words of Admiral Taylor, head of construction-engage immediately on the hunt for the U-boat. Only the Curtiss company had the experience and equipment to give shape to the ambitious program, but the Navy wanted to participate in the study of the aircraft, especially as related to the hull, which is required exceptional qualities of fishing capacity in anticipation of possible ditching in the ocean: hence the acronym NC (Navy-Curtiss).
A typical a wing area of \u200b\u200bCurtiss design, the project added a new helmet designed by the experts of the navy, short, wide and thin, through the removal of the caudal. The function fulfilled the latter-hold-stabilizers passed a complex structure located at the bottom of the stern of the hull, as would be the Sikorsky a few years later. The location of the engines that were originally to be three-, vary over time. In NC.1-which made its maiden flight on April 4, 1918 - all engines had tractor propeller and nacelle central motor housed, in addition to the two pilots. In NC.2 the two side aisles each contain two engines, propellers and propulsion tractors respectively, while the central gondola was reserved for the pilots. The latter came to town in NC.3 and 4, which had three aisles divided this way: the plant contained a pair of motors in tandem, the engine side with each tractor propeller. This position is then retained in the NC from 7 to 10, while the 5 and 6 are returned to the three-engine formula, with a Central Liberty powering a propeller.
A "hydro" Curtiss, the lieutenant H.12 of the Galpin, May 24, 1917 struck the zeppelin L.22- was the first American airplane shot down an enemy machine (while the first seaplane that defeated a dirigible). A second airship-the-L.43 H.12 was shot by the sergeant's Hobbs on June 14, 1917, while the submarine UB-20 and UC-6, 36 and 72 were also victims of H.12 .
Regarding F.2A are remembered above all their brilliant aerial combat and especially the one held on June 4, 1918 four of these seaplanes and H .12 heading for a patrol off the Dutch coast. A F.2A had been forced to land the sea by a malfunction in your system power and tried to protect H.12 F.2A while the four were attacked by fourteen enemy seaplanes. This resulted in one of the most violent "hell" of the war, what the "hydro" British left almost unscathed by having shot six enemies. The fight lasted 40 minutes, and returned to Yarmouth hydro after more than 6 hours of flight. The seaplane amerizado and H.12, forced to land in Dutch waters, were the only losses.
After the war, remained in service almost exclusively F.2A and F.5 in the RAF, and a few NC F.5L with U.S. naval aviation. Navy Japanese made an outstanding experience with F.5 (five were purchased in England and fifteen construction was local), while a few copies were sold to other nations (F.3 to Spain and Portugal, Argentina F.5L to , Brazil and Peru). Thirty of them were employed by Canada. In the United States of America, where even the aviation of the Marine Corps was equipped with four F.5L, these flying boats remained in service until 1928.
The swan song of this race was the 1919 transatlantic flight. The first four NC, all modified four-engine configuration, were chosen by the company, under the orders Commodore John H. Towers. On May 16, 1919, three of them from the Bay of the Dead (Newfoundland). The NC.3 NC.1 and had to resign (the first sank), but the commander NC.4 Read, with Towers on board, managed to reach safety. Although stages, the first crossing of the Atlantic had come true: an event worthy of celebrating the end of the bloody period of this first phase of aviation history.
Information obtained from the work Storia dell Aviazione.
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