The Curtiss Jenny served as a trainer for over 95% of the WWI pilots. It was first put into production in 1915. They also were the early choice for mail delivery. Many of these were sold in the post war market for very little.
I came across a very nice story of one of these planes that went through a restoration recently. Dorian Walker, a filmmaker by profession, got associated with the restoration of a Curtiss Jenny by virtue of being in the right place at the right time. Of course, his decision turned out to be more valuable than he would have ever thought at that moment in time. The story in EAA’s Sport Aviation magazine is an inspiration to aviators. Historic aircraft have a special place. The Jenny, as it was called in the US, is a forerunner in its league. With a 6500 foot ceiling, a 90hp motor and a top speed of 75 mph, the aircraft did wonders. Read the story in EAA’s June 2015 edition. More on this project found at ‘Friends of Jenny’ website
An interesting piece of trivia – the Jenny had no brakes nor a tailskid. It had tip skids that helped minimize the impact on touchdown.
CPJ
