Glenn Curtiss

Glenn Curtiss (1878-1930), American aviator and inventor. He first worked as a paperboy but soon became interested in aviation. In 1908 he won a prize for making the first domestic public flight (1.6km/1 mi) and the next year won the international aviation meet at Reims in France, flying an aeroplane he designed himself. In 1910 he was the first to fly from Albany, New York State, to New York, winning a $10,000 prize offered by the New York World. In the years 1908 to 1912 Curtiss designed and built a number of the earliest seaplanes and flying boats. His NC-4 was the first aeroplane to cross (1919) the Atlantic Ocean. During and after World War I, he was engaged in the manufacture of aircraft and engines and directed a chain of flying services and flying schools.