First Flight Tuesday: Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny"

"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake) 12/17/2013 at 11:15 • Filed to: FIRST FLIGHT TUESDAY, PLANELOPNIK

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Okay so I don't actually have a date for the first flight, but the first flight of the JN series of aircraft designed by Glenn Curtiss took place in 1915.

The Jenny is arguably one of the most significant aircraft ever produced. It entered service at the start of WWI as a trainer, and it's estimated that 95% of all pilots who flew in the war flew a Jenny at some point. The Jenny was a basic biplane, setup in tractor configuration with a Curtiss OX-5 V8 out front.

The OX-5 wasn't a great engine, but it was the first mass produced aircraft engine in the United States. Because of it's availability and low cost after the war, many airplane companies that started post WWI utilized OX-5 engines for their aircraft

After the war surplus Jennys were used by pilots in barnstorming demonstrations, flying around the US demonstrating the magnificence of flying machines to the masses. It's unlikely that aviation would be where it is today without the Jenny showing people what an airplane could do