His hydroaeroplane had just
returned to its hangar, after a series of maneuvers, when a
monoplane in flight broke out of control and plunged into Lake
Michigan. The Curtiss machine left its hangar on the minute,
covered the intervening mile, and alighted on the water to offer
aid. The presence of boats made the good offices of the
hydroaeroplane unnecessary on that occasion; but the incident
opened up to the mind of Curtiss new possibilities.
In the first years of the World War Curtiss built airplanes and
flying boats for the Allies. The United States entered the arena
and called for his services. The Navy Department called for the
big flying boat; and the NC type was evolved, which, equipped
with four Liberty Motors, crossed the Atlantic after the close of
the war.
The World War, of course, brought about the magical development
of all kinds of air craft. Necessity not only mothered invention
but forced it to cover a normal half century of progress in four
years. While Curtiss worked with the navy, the Dayton-Wright
factory turned out the famous DH fighting planes under the
supervision of Orville Wright. The second initial here stands for
Havilland, as the DH was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland, a
British inventor.
The year 1919 saw the first transatlantic flights.
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