Naval Aircraft Factory TS

The Naval Aircraft Factory TS-1 was a small biplane fighter flown by the United States Navy from 1922 to 1929. The Navy had been using the Vought VE-7, which was not designed as a fighter, so the factory drew up a simple design with a boxy fuselage hung between the wings and a 200 horsepower Lawrance J-1 radial engine. The factory gave its plans to Curtiss, whose first TS-1 reached Anacostia on 9 May 1922. The Navy then ordered 34 from Curtiss, and the factory built another five itself as a test of relative costs, plus four used to try water-cooled inline engines. Fitted with wheels for carrier decks such as that of USS Langley, or with wooden floats for service aboard battleships and cruisers, it was disliked by some crews because its short, close-set undercarriage caused ground looping.