| Model H family | |
|---|---|
| |
| Curtiss H-12 Large America in RNAS service. | |
| Role | Experimental flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company |
| First flight | 23 June 1914 (America) |
| Primary users | United States Navy Royal Naval Air Service |
| Number built | 478 |
| Developed from | Curtiss Model F[1] |
| Variants | Felixstowe F.1 Felixstowe F.2 |
The Curtiss Model H was a family of classes of early long-range flying boats, the first two of which were developed directly on commission in the United States in response to the £10,000 prize challenge issued in 1913 by the London newspaper, the Daily Mail, for the first non-stop aerial crossing of the Atlantic. As the first aircraft having transatlantic range and cargo-carrying capacity, it became the grandfather development leading to early international commercial air travel, and by extension, to the modern world of commercial aviation. The last widely produced class, the Model H-12, was retrospectively designated Model 6 by Curtiss' company in the 1930s, and various classes have variants with suffixed letters indicating differences.
- ^ Carpenter Jr, G. J. (Jack) (2005). "Photographs 1914". Glenn H. Curtiss Founder of The American Aviation Industry. Internet Archive – Way Back Machine. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved 15 December 2015.