Piston

NAF TS-1 / TS-3 / TS-2 / FC-1 / Curtiss TS-1

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Rex Buren Beisel of the Naval Aircraft Factory desiggned a simple fighter powered by a 200 hp (150 kW) Lawrance J-1 air-cooled radial engine. Its boxy fuselage was suspended between the upper and lower wings (essentially having both dorsal and ventral sets of cabane struts), with the center area of the lower wing enlarged to accommodate a fuel tank.

First flying on August 10, 1921, the TS biplane fighter was the first aircraft designed specifically for the US Navy to be used with aircraft carriers. At the NAF plant, five TS-1 (A6300- 6304) aircraft were built to assess the accuracy of the calculations of the contracting companies for payment for the work they had performed.

The NAF provided Curtiss with the plans to build the aircraft, and the result, designated TS-1, arrived at Anacostia on May 9, 1922. The TS-1 from Curtiss was delivered with wheels, so the NAF also designed wooden floats to enable their use on vessels other than aircraft carriers. Testing went well, and in late 1922 the Navy ordered 34 planes from Curtiss, with the first arriving on board the USS Langley (CV-1) in December. The NAF built another five themselves, as a test of relative costs, as well as four more used to experiment with water-cooled inline engines.

Curtiss TS-1

In addition to operating from the carrier deck, the TS-1s served for several years in floatplane configuration aboard destroyers, cruisers, and battleships. The aircraft were slung over the side by crane. Squadron VO-1 operated this way from 1922, and VF-1 flew its float-equipped TS-1s from battleships in 1925 and 1926.

The TS-1 was not universally liked by its crews. Positioning of the lower wing below the fuselage resulted in short wheel struts. This, and the wheels’ placement close to each other, caused considerable problems with ground looping.

NAF also built two TS-2 (A-6446-6447) powered by a 240 hp (180 kW) Aeromarine engine, and two TS-3 (A-6448-6449) powered by a 180 hp (130 kW) Wright-Hispano E engine. One TS-3 was modified by changing the airfoil section to participate in the 1922 Curtiss Marine Trophy race and received the TR-2 designation, later it was used as a training aircraft for the US Navy team, preparing for the Schneider Cup competitions in 1923.

In May 1924, the TS-1 was re-designated as FC-1. They were retired in 1929.

Two all-metal versions of the aircraft, F4C-1s, were developed by Curtiss.

TS-1
Engine: 1 × Lawrance J-1, 200 hp (149 kW)
Wingspan: 25 ft (7.62 m)
Wing area: 228 ft² (21 m²)
Length: 22 ft 1 in (6.7 m)
Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.9 m)
Empty weight: 1,240 lb (562.5 kg)
Loaded weight: 2,133 lb (967.5 kg)
Maximum speed: 106.8 knots (123 mph, 198 km/h)
Cruising speed: 165 km / h
Range: 418.8 nmi (482 mi, 775.7 km)
Service ceiling: 16,250 ft (4950 m)
Rate of climb: 909 ft/min (4.61 m/s)
Armament: one 7.62mm Browning machine gun
Crew: 1

Nau 1910 Monoplane

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Robert Nau, a French sculptor, had constructed an earlier monoplane in 1909. The photo was taken by French press photographer Louis Branger on May 13th, 1910 on the flying field Port-Aviation at Juvisy-sur-Orge. The Nau Monoplane (1910) was a big machine, with a span of 13 meters and a length of 17 meters, wing area was 24 square meters. The fuselage was half covered. Engine was a 60 hp Renault V-8. After the photo session, which delivered at least two photos, flying was started by Mr. Nau. On May 18th flying ended when the machine with Nau as pilot crashed (it is reported as “falling down”) from a height of 4 meters. Nau was lightly innjured. The machine did not fly after this event.

Naugle Mercury N-1 / Mercury N-2 / Midwest Mercury

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Mercury N-1 NX28646

The Mercury N-1 of 1940 was a two place all-metal monoplane featuring a unique X-spar, slotted cantilever wing with interchangeable front and rear spars. Only the one was built, NX28646, and retractable landing gear was planned for production models, of which none were built. The N-2 designation was apparently for this one, and specs were the same except for higher speeds (projected: Maximum 155 mph / Cruise 138 mph / Stall 55mph).

Production was curtailed by the war but the design reappeared in 1947 as the Midwest Mercury.

N-1
Engine: Lycoming GO-145, 75hp
Wing span: 30’0″
Length: 20’6″
Useful load: 610 lb
Max speed: 142 mph
Cruise speed: 138 mph
Stall: 43 mph
Range: 450 mi
Seats: 2

Nationale Vliegtuigindustrie Industrie FK.31

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N.V.I. F.K.31

A fighter/reconnaissance aircraft, this biplane was designed by Fre¬derik Koothoven in the early 1920s for the NV (Nationale Vliegtuigindustrie, national aircraft industry), a small number being pro¬duced in 1924 25. Powered by a 400 hp Bris¬tol Jupiter radial engine, it seated a pilot and observer/gunner in tandem open cockpits, operating respectively two fixed, forward ¬firing machine guns and two ring mounted.

Reconnaissance versions sometimes carried a fifth gun, firing downward through the floor of the rear cockpit. Performance was not up to LVA (Luchtvaartafdeling, army air service) requirements, but the F.K.31 was used until about 1930 by the Netherlands East Indies army air service as a fighter trainer.

The Finnish air force operated 12 over a similar period, four of them built in Finland under licence. Louis de Monge in France also built a few, with Gnome Rhone (Bristol) Jupiter engines.

Gross weight: 1760 kg (3880 lb)
Maximum speed: 235 km/h (146 mph)