| Curtiss Oriole | |
|---|---|
| Role | Light aircraft |
| National origin | United States of America. |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss Aircraft |
| First flight | 1919 |
| Unit cost | $7500 in 1919 |
The Curtiss Oriole Model 17 is a three-place biplane.
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The Oriole is a steel-tube-and-fabric-covered biplane powered by a Curtiss K-6 engine. The aircraft featured a self-starter.[1]
Surplus Curtiss Oriole wings were sold to Harold Pitcairn to manufacture the first production Pitcairn aircraft, the Pitcairn PA-3 Orowing.
Northwest Airlines was founded on August 1, 1926, flying a Curtiss Oriole and a Thomas Morse Biplane on the CAM-9 Airmail route from Minneapolis to Chicago.[2]
Admiral Byrd selected a Curtiss Oriole for his backup aircraft for his Fokker on his North Pole expedition. One was shipped on the steamer Chantier in case the Fokker was unavailable.[3]
A leased Curtiss Oriole was deployed by the 109th Observation Squadron in 1921. The aircraft was flown to Washington D.C. to lobby for Minnesota Air Guard funding.[4]
A Curtiss Oriole is displayed at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, New York, and a Oriole is on static display at the Minnesota Air National Guard Museum
Igor Sikorsky offered a kit to replace the lower wings with a smaller pair with less drag-producing struts and wires. One example with this modification and a 150 hp Hispano-Suiza upgrade, was entered in the 1927 National Air Races. Before the races, the engine was upgraded again to a Hispano-Suiza 220 hp engine, which overwhelmed the cooling system with metal shavings, causing the aircraft to drop out of the race.[5]
Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947[6]
General characteristics
Performance
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