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The Curtiss-Wright Corporation was formed in June 1929 by the merger of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co. and the Wright Aeronautical Corporation. Curtiss-Wright operated in three main divisions: the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division, which manufactured airframes until it closed down in 1951; the Wright Aeronautical Corporation, which produced aeronautical engines; and the Curtiss-Wright Propeller Division, which manufactured propellers. After 1929, most engines produced by the new company were known as Wrights, while most aircraft were given the Curtiss name, with a few exceptions. During World War I, the Curtiss company produced more aircraft than any other American manufacturer and became the largest aircraft and aircraft engine producer in the world. The Wright Aeronautical Corporation division produced air-cooled radial engines during the war that powered US fighter and bomber aircraft. During the first half of the 1930s, more than half of the company's revenues came from Wright Aeronautical, which provided a cushion that helped the other divisions survive during the Depression. In 1936 the Wright Aeronautical Corporation produced five distinct series of aircraft engines. They were the Wright Cyclones F and F-50; the Wright Cyclone G Series high-powered, nine cylinder radial air-cooled engines; the single-row Whirlwind series of five, seven and nine cylinders; the 14 cylinder Wright double-row Whirlwind Series; and the Curtiss Conquerors.
NASM.2002.0028
Curtiss-Wright Corporation
1944-1970
Curtiss-Wright Flight Systems, Inc., Gift, 2002
0.25 Cubic feet ((25 microfilm boxes))
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of historical material from Curtiss-Wright Flight Systems, Inc. There are twenty-five rolls of microfilm pertaining to the Wright Aeronautical Division (which was responsible for the construction of aeronautical engines) and Air Materiel Command. In addition this collection contains various operating instructions for the Wright Cyclones and the Wright engines as well as publications on fuel injection service and overhaul instructions for the Wright engines. Other documents include a flight handbook for the Douglas, numerous schedules of spare parts for the Olympus engines, operation bulletins and indexes, and a report entitled, "The Effect of Humidity on Reciprocating Engine Performance."
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Curtiss-Wright Engine Drawings and Manuals Collection, Accession 2002-0028, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Aeronautics
Airplanes -- Motors
Aerospace engineering
Curtiss, General, Aircraft
Curtiss V-1570 (V-1550) Conqueror
Wright Cyclone F 9-Cyl Radial
Wright Cyclone F-50 9-Cyl Radial
Wright Cyclone G 9-Cyl Radial
Wright Whirlwind
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilms
Manuals
Bulletins
Reports