Curtiss Model R

The Curtiss Model R was a utility biplane produced for the United States Army and Navy during the First World War, and the Royal Naval Air Service also bought it. It had two-bay, slightly staggered wings of unequal span, tandem open cockpits and a fixed tailskid undercarriage, although many Navy examples carried twin floats instead of wheels. Model Rs flew liaison and communication duties and served for observation, training and as air ambulances. The Curtiss engines supplied proved insufficient and were mostly replaced by Liberty engines. The Navy Model R-3 floatplane had longer three-bay wings for torpedo-bomber use, and some were later fitted with wheels and passed to the Army as R-9 bombers. The R-7, built for the New York Times, set an American distance record of 452 miles in 1916.