CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Curtiss was one of the most successful early American aircraft engine manufacturers. The first Curtiss engines were air cooled but, to achieve higher power, Curtiss began to develop liquid-cooled engines. Historical evidence suggests that this Model L artifact was one of two higher-performance engines built by Curtiss for his experimental monoplane that was shown, but not flown, at the 1910 Gordon Bennett Race held at Belmont Park, N.Y. Both engines were later assigned to Eugene Ely, a pilot for Curtiss, who used them in exhibition and demonstration flights. It is likely that one of those engines powered the aircraft which crashed in 1912 at Macon, Georgia, killing Ely.

Continued evolution of the Curtiss V-8 engine led to the OX-5, of which more than 10,000 were produced by the end of World War I in 1918. The U.S. government sold thousands of these to the public as surplus at a fraction of their original cost.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date Circa 1910 Country of Origin United States of America Type PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary Manufacturer Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
 Physical Description Type: Reciprocating, V-type, 8 cylinders, water-cooled Power rating: 48.5 kW (65 hp) at 1,150 rpm Displacement: 8.2 L (502.64 cu in) Bore and Stroke: 102 mm (4 in.) x 127 mm (5 in.) Weight: 129 kg (285 lb) Dimensions Depth 90.2 cm (35.5 in.), Length 109.2 cm (43 in.), Width 80.6 cm (31.75 in.)
 Materials Steel, Preservative coating, Paint, Aluminum, Brass
 Inventory Number A19510059000 Credit Line Transferred from the Department of the Navy, Bureau of Aeronautics Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Open Access (CCO)
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