Curtiss Gold Bug / Golden Flyer
![]() Curtiss No.1 Gold Bug / Golden Flyer
Developed from the earlier AEA June Bug, the 1909 Golden Flyer represented an important compromise between stability and controllability. It started the main rival biplane tradition to the Wright Flyer in the United States.
A single-seat model ordered by the Aeronautical Society of New York on 2 March, 1909, the purchase price of $5,000 included instruction for two Society members. With no designation, No.1 was initially called Gold Bug because of the golden tint of the varnished fabric but later officially became the Golden Flyer.
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