Curtiss Model D 'Pusher' | Planes of Fame Air Museum

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Curtiss Model D 'Pusher'

HISTORY

Glenn Hammond Curtiss and the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company built the 1910 Pusher aircraft in Hammondsport, NY. Only one example of the aircraft was built, and it was also known as the Albany Flyer or the Hudson Flyer.
In May of that year, Curtiss flew from Albany, NY, along the Hudson River approximately 143 miles, to New York City to set a long-distance flying record and win a $10,000 prize offered by publisher Joseph Pulitzer.
Also, the Curtiss 1910 Pusher was used to establish:
- the first simulated bombing runs from an aircraft at Lake Keuka, NY
- the first firearm use from an aircraft
- the first radio communication with aircraft in flight
- the first successful takeoff from a United States Navy ship
- the first trained American female pilot.
On occasion, the Pusher was fitted with pontoons for emergency water landings. In January 1911, the 1910 Pusher was ditched at sea on a Key West-to-Havana flight and dam- aged during retrieval onto a ship, but repaired for Cuban exhibition flights. After that, the history of the 1910 Pusher fades and its disposition is unknown.
Planes of Fame Air Museum has a replica of this historic airplane in storage awaiting restoration.