During the ‘Golden Age of Flight,’ the Curtiss Robin made history for several endurance stunts, including a ‘wrong way’ record
The 1928 Curtiss Robin debuted innovative features and was known as a reliable workhorse aircraft, setting several endurance records and stunts. (Photo from the Paul S. Maynard archive)
The Curtiss Robin looks spartan, but this high-wing monoplane gained popularity for its innovative features and remarkable performance.
This workhorse Robin, in production from 1928 to 1930, was one of the first commercially successful light aircraft, debuting several aviation firsts. Among the Robin’s innovations was a retractable landing gear, one of the first aircraft to be so equipped in the Golden Age of Flight. The Robin was also one of the first to be powered by a radial engine.
Along the way, the Curtiss Robin set more than one aviation record, including a “wrong way” record.
According to a report at the National Air and Space Museum, the Curtiss Robin was a departure by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co. into the emerging civilian market of the late 1920s.
“This three-seat monoplane flew in the spring of 1928 with a 90-hp Curtiss OX-5, the engine that had powered Curtiss JN-4 Jenny trainers in World War I. Robins offered flight characteristics as straightforward as their appealing lines and modest performance. A distinctive feature was side cockpit windows that ran almost to the floor.”
Constructed of a wooden wing and steel tubing fuselage, the Curtiss Robin had an enclosed cabin that set it apart from other aircraft of its era. The cabin accommodated two passengers seated side-by-side behind the pilot. The cabin’s enclosed structure provided protection against the elements.
The Robin was produced in St. Louis, Mo., in association with the Robertson Aircraft Corp. The fixed-base operation ran the contract air mail route between St. Louis and Chicago.
Famous Robin Stunts
According to the Museum Of Flight, the Robin was a practical airplane, but best remembered for unusual endurance flights.
- In 1930, Dale ‘Red’ Jackson performed more than 400 consecutive slow rolls in his Robin.
- In 1929, Dale Jackson and Forrest O’Brine spent nearly 17 days circling over St. Louis. But that record was surpassed in 1935 by the brothers Fred and Al Key, who flew their Robin for more than 27 continuous days. Fuel was delivered from another Robin via hose; mail, food, oil, and spare parts came via container on a rope.
- One of aviation’s most endearing records was set in a Curtiss Robin by Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan. He allegedly set off from New York for California in July 1938 and touched down in Ireland 28 hours later, claiming that he had accidentally read his compass backward. The plucky pilot — who had been denied official permission to fly the Atlantic — thus earned his nickname.
The ‘Newsboy’ Robin
From September 1929 to May 1930, a Robin C-2 was used to deliver the McCook, Neb., Daily Gazette to rural Nebraska and Kansas communities. Dubbed “The Newsboy,” the airplane flew a nonstop route of 380 miles daily, dropping bundles of newspapers out of a hole in the bottom of the fuselage from 500 feet to local carriers. The Robin C-2 was powered by a Curtiss R-600 Challenger, a six-cylinder, double-row, air-cooled, radial engine.
1932 CURTISS ROBIN SPECIFICATIONS
Mission: Pilot plus 2 passengers
Wingspan: 41 feet
Length: 25 feet 9 inches
Engine: Curtiss 90-hp OX-5 V-8 water-cooled piston engine
Maximum speed: 99.7 mph
Range: 785 miles cruising; 580 miles at full throttle
Source: Wikipedia; “Curtiss Robin 1932 – Specifications,” Aviation Heritage Foundation
This is another image from my dad, Paul Smith Maynard, who worked as an engineer in aviation for four decades. Dad began his career in about 1943 after graduating from West Virginia University. He started with Curtiss-Wright Corp., a pioneer in making flying machines. He went on to work at North American Aviation and Rockwell International.
