1911 - 1916 Wings Over the Water

1911 - 1916 Wings Over the Water. The Glenn H. Curtiss Heritage Trail. , Beginning in 1911, Glenn Curtiss test-flew his pioneering seaplances and flying boats from this beach., By 1911 Curtiss had already built a working seaplane that made water takeoffs and landings on pontoons. But the secret to making a successful flying boat was finding the right shape for the hull. During the warm season each year in Hammondsport, the beach in front of you was alive with activity, as Curtiss developed and tested new flying boat designs. Glenn finally solved the hull design problem during the summer of 1912, and by 1913 was building and selling his Model E, the world's first practical flying boat., The United States Navy watched Glenn's experiments with great interest, and soon hired him to help create a fledgling naval aviation program. In 1911 Curtiss trained the Navy's first pilots and built the Navy's first seaplane., Just three years later, in 1914, he introduced the America, the world's first twin-engine flying boat. This technically advanced aircraft was designed to carry its crew of two across the ocean., The Glenn H. Curtiss Heritage Trail , Beginning as a self-taught bicycle mechanic, Glenn Curtiss went on to achieve national prominence as a pioneer aviator, the founder of the American aviation industry, and the father of U.S. Naval Aviation., The Curtiss Heritage Trail celebrates the pioneering accomplishments of Hammondsport's most famous native son.