By MB

Glenn Curtiss is recognized as the "Father of Naval
Aviation." He trained the first Navy pilots and built
their first aircraft, the A-1 Triad Amphibian. It was
"Curtiss Pushers" in 1910 and 1911, that demonstrated
capability to take off and land on a ship, leading to the
development of aircraft carriers.
Curtiss factories employed tens of thousands of people
during the first World War earning him recognition as
the "Founder of the American Aircraft Industry."
The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is dedicated to the memory
of this pioneer aviator. The museum contains a
priceless collection relating to early aviation and local
history. It also includes a Restoration Shop that restores
historic aircraft.
WEST SYSTEM Epoxy is used in the current construction
of the Curtiss Albany Flyer, (right). In 1910, the Albany
Flyer made the historic 150 mile flight from Albany to
NYC completing the third leg of the Scientific American
trophy competition and winning Curtiss permanent
possession of the trophy. The Scientific American Trophy
competition was established in 1908 to encourage
aviation by bringing flying out into the public domain.
Up to this time the Wright Bros. had been operating in
seclusion. Curtiss won all three legs of the Trophy competition.
"Although Curtiss used animal glues in the original construction,
we have the advantage of using much stronger,
more reliable WEST SYSTEM epoxies in building our
flying reproductions of early Curtiss Aircraft," says Jim
Lally, a volunteer at the Curtiss Restoration Shop.
The museum is located on Route 54, one half mile south
of the village of Hammondsport, New York, hometown
of Glenn Curtiss.
Visit www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org to learn more
about the museum and Glenn Curtiss.
A 72' wingspan reproduction of the 1914 Curtiss flying boat
America was completed by the museum's Restoration
Shop crew in early September 2007.
Epoxyworks 27 / Fall 2008
Copyright © 2008, Gougeon Brothers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any form, in whole or in part, is expressly forbidden without the consent of the publisher. EPOXYWORKS, Gougeon Brothers, WEST SYSTEM, Episize, Scarffer and Microlight as used throughout this publication, are trademarks of Gougeon Brothers, Inc., Bay City, Michigan, USA.

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