P.Bowers Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947 (Putnam)
N-9 (Model 5) - The N-9 of late 1916 was essentially a JN-4B fitted with the 100 hp Curtiss OXX engine, a single float, a lengthened centre section, and 5 ft (1,52 m) lower wing extensions on each side of the fuselage in the manner of the prototype N-8 in order to carry the additional weight of the floats. The control system was the Deperdussin type with the control wheel operating the ailerons and a foot-bar controlling the rudder. The prototype used JN-4B vertical tail surfaces and oversized ailerons; the vertical fin was enlarged on production models.
The US Army made limited use of the N-9, ordering fourteen early in 1917; the Navy was the principal user, ordering a total of 560 as primary trainers. Of these, only 100 were built by Curtiss; the rest were from Curtiss's wholly-owned subsidiary, the Burgess Co of Marblehead, Mass. Fifty additional airframes were built up at Navy bases from spare parts in the early 1920s; N-9s remained in US Navy service into 1927.
N-9C - Two designations were applied to the Navy N-9s. N-9C was not official but came into use after the later N-9H appeared in order to distinguish the original Curtiss-powered N-9s from the later versions. The principal identification point of the -9C was the exposed cylinder banks of the distinctive Curtiss OXX engine and the use of a nose radiator enlarged slightly over that of the JNs and the N-8 by having a curved area added at the bottom.
US Navy serial numbers: (Curtiss) A60/65 (6), A85/90 (6), A201 /234 (34), A294/301 (8), A342/373 (32), A2285. (Burgess) A409/438 (30), A999/1028 (30), A2351/2409 (59).
US Army serial numbers: 433/446 (14).
Trainer seaplane. Two pilots. 100 hp Curtiss OXX.
Span 53 ft 4 in (16,25 m); length 29 ft 10 in (9,09 m); height 10 ft 10 1/2 in (3,31 m); wing area 496 sq ft (46,07 sq m).
Empty weight 1,860 lb (844 kg); gross weight 2,410 lb (1,093 kg).
Maximum speed 70 mph (112,65 km/h); climb in 10 min - 2,000 ft (610 m); range 200 miles (322 km).
N-9H - The N-9H designation was official, the letter identifying the 150 hp Wright-Hispano engine (Also known as the Wright A and the 'Hisso'). This installation differed considerably from the N-9C. The cylinder banks were exposed as on the N-9C but were different in appearance. The use of a large spinner over the propeller hub precluded the use of a nose radiator, so the cooling was done by a large column-like radiator that projected well above the wing. The Navy tested some N-9Hs with the 150 hp Curtiss K-6 engine but did not adopt the new powerplant. Cost was $10,050 less GFE.
US Navy serial numbers: (Curtiss) A2286/2290 (5). (Burgess) A2410/2572 (163), A2574/2650 (77). (NAS Pensacola postwar assembly) A6528/6542 (15), A6618/6633 (16), A6733/6742 (10), A7091/7100 (10).
Trainer seaplane. Two pilots. 150 hp Wright A.
Span 53 ft 4 in (16,25 m); length 30 ft 10 in (9,39 m); height 10 ft 11 in (3,32 m); wing area 496 sq ft (46,07 sq m).
Empty weight 2,140 lb (971 kg); gross weight 2,750 lb (1,247 kg).
Maximum speed 78 mph (125,52 km/h); climb in 10 min - 3,240 ft (987 m); service ceiling 6,600 ft (2,012 m).
N-10 - The N-10 was not a new design in the Curtiss N-series. The two known examples were one Curtiss N-9C (A365) and one Burgess N-9H (A2473) fitted with shortened equal-span two-bay wings to produce a faster aeroplane for other than primary training duty. The Curtiss model was later refitted with the Wright-Hispano engine.
G.Swanborough, P.Bowers United States Military Aircraft Since 1909 (Putnam)
CURTISS N SERIES
Fourteen Army N-9s of 1917 (serials 429-442) were standard Navy trainers, single-float versions of the Army JN-4A fitted with longer span three-bay wings. Filled-in areas on the upper wing kingposts were “skid plates”. Span, 53 ft. 4 in.; length, 32 ft. 7?in.; wing area, 488 sq. ft.; empty weight, 1,860 lb.; gross weight, 2,390 lb.; high speed, 65 m.p.h.
G.Swanborough, P.Bowers United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911 (Putnam)
The Curtiss N-9, originally powered with a 100 hp Curtiss OXX-6 engine, was the standard Navy primary and advanced seaplane trainer of World War I. It was developed as a private venture by Curtiss as a seaplane version of the JN-4B landplane trainer then in production. The N-8 landplane model was almost identical to the JN-4, having only minor differences in the aerofoil section and the control system, and evolution into the N-9 was simple. Intended from the beginning as a seaplane, the N-9 was faced with the weight problem of the heavy central float and the stabilizing tip floats. The extra 10 hp of the OXX-6 engine over the standard OX-5 was not enough, so additional wing area was obtained by increasing the span of each wing by 10ft. Instead of building longer panels, a wider centre section was built for the upper wing and an extra 5-ft panel was fitted between the fuselage and standard-size lower panels.
N-9s entered service with the Navy even before the United States entered the war in April 1917. The Army bought 14 N-9s at this time, too, since it conducted relatively extensive seaplane operations. In the primary training role, the 100 hp N-9 was satisfactory, but more performance was required for such advanced operations as bombing and gunnery training. To satisfy this requirement, Curtiss replaced the OXX-6 with the 150 hp Hispano-Suiza Model A then being manufactured in the United States by the Simplex Division of the Wright-Martin Company. This improved model was designated N-9H.
Five hundred and sixty N-9s were built for the Navy during World War I and the type remained in service as late as 1926. Of this total, only 100 were built by Curtiss, the majority being produced under licence by the Burgess Company of Marblehead, Mass. An additional 50 N-9Bs were created by the Navy in the postwar years by the practice of assembling available spare parts and engines into entirely new airframes.
TECHNICAL DATA (N-9H)
Manufacturer: Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co, Inc, Garden City, LI, and Buffalo NY and the Burgess Company, Marblehead, Mass.
Type. Training seaplane.
Accommodation: Two in tandem.
Power plant: One 150 hp Wright-Hispano Model A.
Dimensions: Span, 53 ft 3 3/4 in; length,30 ft 10 in; height, 10 ft 8 ? in; wing area 496 sq ft.
Weights: Empty, 2,140 lb; gross, 2,765 lb.
Performance: Max speed, 80mph at sea level;' climb 10min to 4450ft; service ceiling, 9,850 ft; range, 179 st miles.
N-9 N-9H (Curtiss): A60-A65; A85-A90; A96-A125; A201-A234; A294-A301; A342; A373; A2285-A2290.
N-9/N-9H (Burgess): A409-A438; A999-A1028; A2351-A2572; A2574-A2650.
N-9H (NAS Pensacola): A6528-A6542; A6618-A6632; A6733-A6742; A7091-A7100.