The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company developed the JN-4 from its 1914 model J that flew reconnaissance against Mexican revolutionaries under Pancho Villa. After Model J came the JN-2, JN-3 and JN-4. It was a twin-seat (student in front of instructor) dual control biplane developed with the best features of the Curtiss "J" and "N" models. Its "Pulley" front engine and maneuverability made it ideal for initial pilot training with a 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5 inline engine giving a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) and a service ceiling of 6500 ft (1980 m).
Most of the 6813 built were unarmed, although some had machine guns and bomb racks for advanced training. None saw active service. After World War I, hundreds were sold on the civilian market, one to Charles Lindbergh as his first aircraft. The plane's slow speed and stability made it ideal for stunt flying and aerobatic displays. Some were still flying into the 1930's.
The inverted Jenny is a United States postage stamp of 1918 in which a Curtiss JN4 airplane in the center of the design was accidentally printed upside-down. It is one of the rarest and most valuable stamps in philately.
External links
Smithsonian JN4 information (http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/curtiss_jn4.htm)
The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" (The US Centennial of Flight Commission) (http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Aerospace/Jenny/Aero3.htm)
JN-4 "Jenny" Biplane (US Air Force Museum of Aerospace Medicine) (http://www.brooks.af.mil/ABG/MU/jenny.html)
Additional photos - several excellent JN-4 photos including the dramatic "Curtiss JN-4 Jenny in Flight" photo (http://www.brooks.af.mil/ABG/MU/additional.html)
Curtiss JN-4D Jenny on display at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/early_years/ey2b.htm)
Douglas Thomas would join the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation and design the Curtiss J and N models, and Royal Navy pilot John Porte would be one of the pilots who crossed the Atlantic in a Curtiss seaplane.
Curtiss built fewer than 200 Model J and Model N trainers for the Army and Navy before he decided in 1915 to launch the JN series.
Curtiss combined the best qualities of both planes in the JN, which soon acquired the nickname "Jenny." After evaluation by the Army and Navy, a small number were ordered in 1915.
The JN series of aircraft were built by the Curtiss company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company.
Curtiss combined the best features of the model J and model N trainers, built for the Army and Navy, and began producting the JN or "Jenny" series of aircraft in 1915.
The inverted Jenny is a United States postage stamp of 1918 in which a Curtiss JN4 airplane in the center of the design was accidentally printed upside-down.
Feeds |
Contact