The Curtiss CR was a racing aircraft designed for the United States Navy in 1921 by Curtiss. It was a conventional single-seater biplane with a monocoque fuselage and staggered single-bay wings of equal span braced with N-struts. Two essentially similar landplane versions were built as the CR-1 and CR-2, which were both eventually converted to seaplanes as the CR-3 in 1923 and CR-4 in 1924. A refined version was developed for the US Army Air Service under the designation R-6. These latter two aircraft featured refined aerodynamics included surface-mounted radiators.
Operational history
The Curtiss CRs enjoyed successful racing careers. Their first major win was at the 1921 Pulitzer Trophy race, where piloted by Bert Acosta the CR-1 took first place with an average speed of 176.75 mph, nearly two minutes ahead of its closest rival. The following year, this aircraft was modified and redesignated CR-2 and joined in the Pulitzer race by a second aircraft built to the same new standard, plus two R-6s flown by Army pilots. These Curtiss aircraft took first through fourth place, the two R-6s followed by the two CR-2s. The race was won by Lt. Russell Maughan with an average speed of 205.856 mph with Lt. Lester Maitland in second place. Maughan's effort incidentally broke every closed-circuit airspeed record up to 124 mi. The CR-2s took third and fourth places piloted by Lt Harold Brow and Lt Jg Al Williams. The Army built upon this success with the R-6s by using the aircraft to break the world airspeed record before 1922 was over, Gen Billy Mitchellflying one to 224.28 mph on 18 October. In March the following year, an R-6 flown by Lt. Maughan lifted the record to 236.587 mph. The R-6 design was developed in 1923 into the longer-winged XPW-8, the prototype of the PW-8 fighter. In 1923, the CR-2s were fitted with floats for the Schneider Trophy race and redesignated CR-3. The aircraft took first and second place, piloted by David Rittenhouse (average speed and Rutledge Irvine. After the 1924 Schneider Trophy race was cancelled, CR-3 A6081 was flown by Lt. G.T. Cuuddihy to set up new World's closed-course seaplane record oc. A6081 was further modified as the CR-4 for use as a test-bed and trainer for the 1926 Schneider Trophy racing team.
Variants
;CR-1: the first CR with US Navy serial A6081, with Lamblin radiators between the undercarriage struts. ;CR-2: the second CR A6081, fitted with streamlined wheels and wing surface radiators. ;CR-3: both A6080 and A6081 were converted to CR-3 standard with floats and Curtis D-12 5PL engines. ;CR-4: CR-3 A6081, modified as a test-bed and trainer for the 1926 Schneider Trophy race team.
