Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Light training biplane

Power Plant:

One 67 kw (90 hp) at 1,400 rpm Curtiss OX-5 (500 cub in) eight-cylinder four-stroke VEE liquid-cooled engine

Specifications:

Armament:

A few had machine-guns and light bomb racks when used as advanced trainers

History:

Designed for one of the founders of the American aviation industry, Glenn Hammond Curtiss, the Jenny was one of the great pilot training aircraft of the World War I period. It began as a combination of two designs, the Model J designed by British engineer B Douglas Thomas (who formerly designed for Avro and Sopwith) for Glenn Curtiss; and the Model N which was under development at the same time. Plans were to power them both with the Curtiss OX-5 engine but in the event the designs were combined, the new aircraft becoming known as the JN-2.  Orders were received from the US Army in December 1914.

The production capacity of Curtiss was overwhelmed by wartime requirements and a number of other firms were contracted to put the type into production, including the Fowler Airplane Corporation , Liberty Iron Works, Springfield Aircraft Corporation, St Louis Aircraft Corporation, US Aircraft Corporation and Howell & Lasser. Development of the type continued throughout its life and one of the last models, the JN4-H, had a 112 kw (150 hp) Hispano Suiza engine.

Built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, the Jenny series was built in some numbers, with more than 7,000 being built prior to and after World War I, some 3,000 of which were JN-4Ds. It was also used extensively in Great Britain, Canada and France. It was used in combat when the 1916 punitive expedition into Mexico took place in order to help subdue the rebel, Pancho Villa. It was used as a mailplane, but had a reputation for shedding wing skin when aerobatics were attempted.

After World War I Curtiss bought back many Jenny aircraft from the Government for refurbishing for civil use, some being used for barnstorming, Charles Kingsford Smith being involved with a Jenny at this time when he was trying to obtain money for his record breaking flights. Others were used for transport, airmail, forest service, survey work, etc.  Construction was of wood with wire bracing and fabric covering, the engine cowling and area around the cockpits being of metal construction.

The type first came to notice in Australia in December 1915 when the British Admiralty advised it was purchasing a number of examples and a request was made for examples for advanced training at Point Cook, VIC. In the event the Farman Longhorn was considered more suitable. However, in 1916 the NSW Government established a State Aviation School at what was known as Ham Common near Windsor, west of Sydney, NSW. The area later became known as Richmond.

Ham Common had previously been mentioned in relation to the establishment of a flying school. In March 1912 William Ewart Hart, who had received Aviator’s Certificate No 1 from the Aerial League of Australia on 5 December 1911, transferred his operations from Penrith to Ham Common and stated he was considering setting up a flying school, In September 1914 Maurice Guillaux selected Ham Common for a flying school.

First flight of the first aircraft was in July 1916 and the school officially commenced operations in the following month. Attempts were made to obtain Farman or RAF BE.2c aircraft but they were not available and two Curtiss JN-4s were shipped from the United States in February 1916, that country at the time being neutral, at a cost of £1,709 each. Due to demand, two more were obtained, these being JN-4Bs which were received in March 1917. In February 1917 the State School decided to order two more Jenny aircraft to replace the JN-4s which had accumulated a lot of flying time, these JN-4Ds arriving on 16 July 1917 at a cost of £1,860 each. The school also used three Caudrons.

The Curtiss JN-4Ds was similar to the JN-4B but had a Deperdussin type wheel control for the ailerons (on the upper wing only), and the tail-skid was on the extended rudder post. The second batch of two aircraft differed in having a new and enlarged tail assembly, low-dihedral wings and an alteration in the engine mountings. Constructed of wood, they had wire bracing and were fabric covered. Power plant was the Curtiss OX-5 engine.

One of the JN-4Bs was flown by the Chief Instructor, W J Stutt from Richmond, NSW to Point Cook, VIC on 1 and 2 November 1917, and returned in one day on 12 November in a flying time of 7 hours 10 mins. Although the school at Ham Common also had three Caudron G.IIIs, all pilot training seems to have been on the Curtiss aircraft.

In July 1917 the Premier of the NSW Government approved the purchase of an Airco DH.6 with a spare engine, a new JN-4 with six spare engines for the JN-4 fleet, and enough material to build three more. However, the Armistice at the end of World War I resolved all plans and eventually the school closed.

In April 1918 consideration was given to building two JN-4s at Ham Common but this did not eventuate. Further examples of the Jenny were offered to the school in May 1918 by Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, a subsidiary of Curtiss which also built the type, but they were not imported.

An interesting flight in a Jenny was made by Sydney Pickles. On Friday 7 November 1919 he left Richmond at 4.30 am in a JN-4B with a bundle of Daily Telegraph newspapers and, after a number of stops, arrived at Broken Hill, BSW at 8.10 am on the Sunday. On that day he continued on to Cockburn, SA and returned to Broken Hill. On Monday 10 November the return flight commenced to Sydney. The aircraft was flown against strong winds and oppressive heat, the engine overheating, and at Bathurst, NSW a hailstorm caused considerable damage to the aircraft fabric. This is thought to be the first east west crossing of the State by air.

After World War I the Department of Defence took over Richmond and the aircraft were offered for sale. It is believed the survivors of these aircraft were moved from Richmond to the Old Darlinghurst Gaol in Sydney for use by the technical college at the end of 1923. The JN-4 was also operated by No 3 Squadron Australian Flying Corps, from its base at South Carlton in England for a period from 1917.

In March 1920 one of the JN-4s from the Flying School at Richmond, flown by Captain Taylor, was used by the Premier of NSW in the Legislative Assembly election campaign, along with the Vickers Vimy G-EAOU. On board the latter were the Smith brothers, Ross and Keith, the Premier and photographer Frank Hurley. Based at Cootamundra, NSW the Jenny was flown to various centres during the campaign, including Stockinbingal, Tumut, where it was damaged on landing, Wallendbeen, Carcoar, Koorawatha and others. The last of the Jenny aircraft from Richmond was sold to Mr Roy Cox of Coogee but its ultimate fate is not known.

One of the Richmond Curtiss Jenny aircraft was flown in the May 1922 Aerial Derby. By this time only two survived, one having been wrecked in an accident on 1 November 1918 when flown by a student K A Hendy and being used for parts to keep the other two airworthy.

It would appear six Curtiss Jenny aircraft have operated in Australia. Two further aircraft were imported in the mid 1920s. G-AUEX (c/n 273) was imported by the Manager of McIntosh & Sons, Sydney, Lincoln Sid Tyler, and was registered on 26 June 1926, later becoming VH-UEX. It arrived on board the steamer ‘Mallacoota’ and was erected by L J R Jones, initial test flying being carried out on 26 and 27 June 1926 by Leslie Holden and Thomas O’Dea. Attempts were made to obtain registration G-ASLT but these were unsuccessful. Ownership was transferred to Mr Geoffrey Chapman of Melbourne, VIC on 13 October that year, and it was flown to Melbourne by Keith Farmer. However, it crashed into a pine tree at Glenroy, VIC on approach to land on 1 December 1926. On board were Geoffrey and Norman Chapman, the latter being the pilot, and Geoffrey Chapman was killed.

At some stage, as mentioned, the surviving aircraft and spares from Richmond were taken to the Old Darlinghurst Gaol at Taylor Square in Sydney and used as instructional airframes at the technical college in late 1923. One received some modifications at the hands of Professor Leech, head of Civil & Aeronautical Engineering at the Sydney University, which ran the Richmond Flying School and set up the first Aeronautical Engineering course. Modifications to this aircraft involved the fitting of a turtle rear decking. At that time, 1927, L J R Jones was head teacher at the Technical Aircraft School. This aircraft became known as the Leech ‘Maid of the Mountain’ (see separate article). It was not registered at that stage. It appears this work was not particularly successful and the aircraft was on-sold to Mr Thomas O’Dea and restored by L J R Jones with Mr R Cranston at Mascot, NSW.

At this stage it seems Mr O’Dea had obtained a second Curtiss Jenny. The modified aircraft was eventually sold to Hector Ross who employed Bankstown, NSW identity Sidney Marshall in 1928 to fit a 149 kw (200 hp) Wolseley Viper engine and widen the fuselage to carry six people. It was then registered as G-AUGB (c/n 2885) to Mr H Ross, later becoming VH-UGB. At some stage it was sold by Mr S G Masterman and seaplane floats were designed for attachment, plans being for it to be flown in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. However, when it was unloaded from a ship onto the wharf at Tulagi a storm came up and it was blown into the bay and wrecked.

A second aircraft registered was G-AUEV (c/n 10074), a JN-4D, imported by Keith Farmer. It was registered to Sid Tyler for commercial use and was to be used for banner towing but was not successful in this role. It was sold to Mr E E Davies of Swan Hill, VIC and he sold it to Lindsay Mitchell of Wycheproof who asked that Keith Farmer teach him to fly the aircraft. However, shortly thereafter it crashed into a dam and required repairs. In 1929 it was sold to Mr W Rolfe of Wycheproof who repaired the aircraft but, in 1931, whilst executing a loop at Rainbow, it crashed and the owner was killed.

There has been some conjecture over the years as to the model of the Curtiss Jenny obtained for the State Aviation School. Some records indicate the first two were JN-3s and the second two were JN-4Bs. However, the late Neville Hayes research into this subject reveals the first two were JN-4s, which were similar to the JN-3 with a Deperdussin control wheel, ailerons on the upper wing only, and a tail-skid on the extended rudder post. The second two were JN-4Bs with a new enlarged tail, low-dihedral wing, ailerons on the upper wing only and no downward thrust on the engine installation. These aircraft were operated in clear-doped fabric with the engine cowling and cockpit area painted khaki brown. No markings were carried as registration of aircraft in Australia was not introduced until 1921.

Only a few examples survive around the world. A couple have been restored in the United States and Canada, and others may be seen in museums. The only examples in this region are scale replicas registered under RAA / AUF Regulations.