Gallaudet D-1 / D-2
![]() D-1
In response to a requirement by the U.S. Navy for light floatplanes capable of being launched off catapults by ships underway, the Gallaudet Aircraft company began development of the "D-4", based on the earlier Gallaudet D-1. The D-1 (A59) was powered by two 150 hp Duesenberg engines mounted side by side, and first flown on 17 July 1916. Following delivery of the D-1 in January 1917, the firm reorganized as Gallaudet Aircraft Corporation, and moved to Greenwich, Rhode Island. Despite numerous mechanical difficulties the Army bought four of the improved D-2 version. In an effort to produce an aircraft with the best possible forward visibility for the observer, Gallaudet developed the D-2 into the D-4.
D-1
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