curtiss nc flying boat nc-3 skims across water before takeoff, 1919.
american businessman rodman wanamaker became determined prize should go american aircraft , commissioned curtiss aeroplane , motor company design , build aircraft capable of making flight. curtiss s development of flying fish flying boat in 1913 brought him contact john cyril porte, retired royal navy lieutenant, aircraft designer , test pilot become influential british aviation pioneer. recognising many of accidents attributable poor understanding of handling while in contact water, pair s efforts went developing practical hull designs make transatlantic crossing possible.
the 2 years before world war s breakout saw privately produced pair of benoist xiv biplane flying boats, designed thomas w. benoist, initiate start of first heavier-than-air airline service anywhere in world, , first airline service of kind @ in united states.
at same time, british boat-building firm j. samuel white of cowes on isle of wight set new aircraft division , produced flying boat in united kingdom. displayed @ london air show @ olympia in 1913. in same year, collaboration between s. e. saunders boatyard of east cowes , sopwith aviation company produced bat boat , aircraft consuta laminated hull operate land or on water, today called amphibious aircraft. bat boat completed several landings on sea , on land , duly awarded mortimer singer prize. first all-british aeroplane capable of making 6 return flights on 5 miles within 5 hours.
in usa, wanamaker s commission built on glen curtiss s previous development , experience curtiss model f u.s. navy, rapidly resulted in america, designed under porte s supervision following study , rearrangement of flight plan; aircraft conventional biplane design two-bay, unstaggered wings of unequal span 2 pusher inline engines mounted side-by-side above fuselage in interplane gap. wingtip pontoons attached directly below lower wings near tips. design (later developed model h) resembled curtiss s earlier flying boats built considerably larger carry enough fuel cover 1,100 mi (1,800 km). 3 crew members accommodated in enclosed cabin.
trials of america began 23 june 1914 porte chief test pilot; testing revealed serious shortcomings in design; under-powered, engines replaced more powerful tractor engines. there tendency nose of aircraft try submerge engine power increased while taxiing on water. phenomenon had not been encountered before, since curtiss s earlier designs had not used such powerful engines nor large fuel/cargo loads , relatively more buoyant. in order counteract effect, curtiss fitted fins sides of bow add hydrodynamic lift, replaced these sponsons, type of underwater pontoon mounted in pairs on either side of hull. these sponsons (or engineering equivalents) , flared, notched hull remain prominent feature of flying-boat hull design in decades follow. problem resolved, preparations crossing resumed. while craft found handle heavily on takeoff, , required rather longer take-off distances expected, full moon on 5 august 1914 selected trans-atlantic flight; porte pilot america george hallett co-pilot , mechanic.
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