Talk:Glenn Curtiss

Untitled
Sorry, I didnt mean to revert your photo move, I was still writing the biography while you did the move and I would have lost all the birth and marriage info, if I didnt paste what I had just completed back in. That happens alot when I am writing. If I dont hit save, I risk losing it all, and once I hit save its open season for the editors. Thanks for being polite. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) 08:11, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I tried to space out the images a bit better, so the Time cover is at the top (the best image), the 1909 picture beside the event it illustrates, and then the obit near the death mention. It looks good to me now, but I never know how this stuff is going to show up on somebody else's screen, so feel free to move things around some more. Everyking 08:21, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)

First
Didn't Curtiss claim to have made a first control flight and went to court over that claim with Wright brothers?--Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus Talk 16:05, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

Other achievements by Curtiss that are not mentioned in the article:
 * Second *** (or whatever you want to call it)

1. He established a flying school in the Miami, Florida area on the north side of the Miami River that was later used by the U. S. Marine Corps for bi-planes.

2. He established a flying school in the northwest section of the county east of LeJeune Road at what became Miami Municipal Airport after Curtiss gave the airport to the City of Miami. This airport was served by land-based airliner aircraft operated by Eastern Air Lines and National Air Lines. The airport was also host to the Great American Air Races for at least several years in the 1930's and these races brought the greatest aircraft in the skies from all over the world. After the airlines moved from Miami Municipal to Pan American Field it was a general aviation airport and used by the Navy during World War II. In 1947 the airport was re-named to Amelia Earhart Field since she left from this airport on her ill-fated flight around the world.

3. He built an airfield just west of Opa-locka and either sold it or gave it to the U. S. Navy for use as an air station. NAS Miami was established there and was utilized by the Navy during World War II. After the Navy left the U. S. Marine Corps operated there. The federal government gave the airport to Dade County in the early 1960's, except for the portion reserved for the U. S. Coast Guard Air Station, and the airport is now known as Opa-locka Executive Airport. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.159.224.115 (talk) 03:09, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Format
In my opinion, this page has way to many subject headings with single sentences under them. It would be much better to have proper paragraphs. Guardian 05:36, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

Congressional Medal of Honor?
I have hidden the recent addition of the claim that Curtis was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1930. Curtis does not appear on this list of recipients of the Medal of Honor during the period of 1920-1940. The source cited in the article does not appear to be a reliable source in the meaning of Reliable sources, and certainly is not as authoritative on this subject as a U.S. military site. It is possible that Congress recognized Curtis with an award in 1930, but it is highly unlikely that award would have been the Medal of Honor. Unfortunately, I have failed to find mention of any award to Glenn Curtis from Congress or in 1930 in a quick Google search. -- Donald Albury 11:10, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
 * He is not in the official DOD list, and it doesn't make sense that a civilian would get the award. He is also not in the List of Congressional Gold Medal recipients, so I am not sure what he got, but it definitely wasn't the MOH.  --rogerd (talk) 21:44, 16 September 2008 (UTC)

Photo for flying machine
Here is a PD photo of what I believe is one of his flying machines -Ravedave (talk) 22:53, 30 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Is there any indication this machine was made by Curtiss other than having his middle name on it? From the photo this looks like an attempt to build something analogous to a helicopter (no wings, horizontally arranged multi-bladed 'fans'). Did Curtis ever work on such a machine? -- Donald Albury 12:41, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Medal of Honor
I doubt that Curtiss was awarded the Medal of Honor. I believe that the medal, which is technically called simply the Medal of Honor, and only incorrectly the "Congressional" Medal of Honor, is awarded only for military action. I do not believe that Curtiss was engaged in any combat action which would have merited the medal. This factoid is still in the article, and should be removed until and unless it is documented reliably. Incidentally, since the medal is awarded by the military "in the name of Congress," this phrase has led to the inaccurate appellation of "Congressional Medal of Honor." Congress does not award it, the military does.Cd195 (talk) 04:05, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Demonstration pilots
During the 1909-1910 period, Curtiss employed a number of demonstration pilots including Eugene Ely and Lincoln Beachey. Aerial competitions and demonstration flights across North America helped to introduce aviation to a curious public; Curtiss took full advantage of these occasions to promote his products. This paragraph was removed, yet is is sourced. Is there some question as to the factual nature of the statements? FWIW Bzuk (talk) 19:53, 24 February 2009 (UTC).

'America's No. 1 maker of high-performance motorcycles' (c. 1907)
I removed the last sentence - At this time he was considered by many to be America's No. 1 maker of high-performance motorcycles - from the second para of the 'Birth and early career' section pending a cite. If someone has one maybe they'd like to put it back? Writegeist (talk) 03:31, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
 * I find that the original statement was a bit of a stretch considering that in 1904, Curtiss operated from a shed in Hammondsport and it wasn't until years later that any large orders were placed for engines, which was the primary commodity that Curtiss was marketing. FWiW Bzuk (talk) 14:46, 20 July 2009 (UTC).

Motorcycle land speed records
The motorcycle land speed records require further clarification and citations, because the record attempts were mostly unofficial. In some cases Curtiss only went one way instead of two ways due to mechanical breakdowns. In other cases, no sanctioning official was present, or no sanctioning body yet existed. But at the same time, Curtiss was widely recognized has having set the records in the national press. You can't make everyone agree on which standards to apply for all of these records, but you can state the facts as best they can be verified.--Dbratland (talk) 18:07, 10 August 2009 (UTC)

Curtis vs. the Wright Brothers: why no mention?
Why is there nothing in the article about Glenn Curtiss' bitterness at having been eclipsed by the Wright Brothers, or his subsequent (unsuccessful) Edison-esque legal and political machinations to try and deprive them of their patent and their good reputation? He predated them by almost a decade and yet couldn't catch up and ended his life in relative obscurity. In short, he was the "resident expert" with plenty of capital and support who was undone almost overnight by two bicycle repairmen, and his bitterness and desire for vengeance is well recorded in a number of sources, several of which I personally posess and would be happy to add. In fact, he's been (unfavorably) likened to Edison in several of them, mostly because he took the low road and learned how to use the US government, privately-funded newspaper smears and his corporate acumen to acquire what his skill couldn't.

It seems like for every major inventor in America, there's a competitor whose bitterness and greed knows no bounds. Except in this case, the Wrights managed to retain their fame while the Tesla/Edison feud ended with obscurity and poverty for Tesla. Bravo Foxtrot (talk) 18:41, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

Bravo Foxtrot - The "bitterness" of Curtiss sounds like opinion or original research to me. This is an article in an encyclopedia. If you have anything to add which is supported by verifiable sources, be bold and add it. GroveGuy (talk) 22:55, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

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External links modified
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Possible Contact with Billy Bishop
I'm seeing conflicting accounts of correspondence between Curtiss and Billy Bishop, the legendary Canadian flying ace. It appears that older versions of Bishop's memoir reference some sort of communication, but the current version on Kindle doesn't seem to. Does anybody have any information about this? CessnaMan1989 (talk) 15:10, 8 September 2021 (UTC)