Canadian Curtiss JN-4

My grandfather William Sudlow (born Hyde Cheshire) was superintendant of construction for the Curtiss company in Toronto Ontario Canada which had been taken over by the Canadian Government for the duration of the war. In 1917 Wm sailed back to UK with a production model to demonstrate same to the British Government. I have photos of the plant and the production benches as well as 2 of the staff lined up outside the building which was near the Exhibition Grounds that later became the Manning Training Base for UK pilots in WW2. I am writing Wm;s biography and an trying toestablish details of the JN-4 demonstration - i.e. where staged, who involved, when, and the subsequent purchase orders for JN-4s. PLease e-mail me privately as well as post to this forum, as I can not check the forum too often in July (moving). I would like to submit an article on this subject and correct the error i.e. that this was an American aeroplane (even though the initial design was created by the American owned branch plant).

[Billy_Bishop]

I don't understand, if it was designed and first built in the American Curtiss plant, then how can it not be American?

VBR,

Al Lowe

[Billy_Bishop]

Ok, I'm "slightly" wrong. The Curtiss JN Series was actually a British-American design. It originated in England where B.D. Thomas of Sopwith came up with the design known as type J to a Curtiss specification. This was later blended in America, with Curtiss's Type N, the resulting prototype being called type JN.

Of all the JN's built, 1260 were designated JN-4Can, I presume it's meant to show they were built in Canada.

Unfortunately, I don't have much more info on it.

VBR,

Al Lowe

[mike_baram]

Curtiss Aviation had 2 plants..the main one was in Hammondsport, NY (Curtiss's middle name was Hammond)and the other was in Toronto.

Glenn Curtiss opened a plant in Toronto sometime after having worked with Alexander Graham Bell at Baddek on the east coast at a time when Bell was experimenting with powered kites. The Toronto plant was on Dufferin St, so it would at first be called a branch plant of a US manufacturer. I will post more details as I edit an old article I wrote. The American plant could not provide planes to the war effort as the US had not declared war at the time. The way around this for Glen was to produce in a foreign country, i.e. Canada. At some point the Canadian Government took over the plant, at which time it became a Canadian Company i.e. a Crown Corporation with a different name. So the JN-4 was manufactured in Canada by a Canadian Company. At the end of the war the plant was closed. Thanks foor your added information.

Glenn Curtiss opened a plant in Toronto sometime after having worked with Alexander Graham Bell at Baddek on the east coast at a time when Bell was experimenting with powered kites. The Toronto plant was on Dufferin St, so it would at first be called a branch plant of a US manufacturer. I will post more details as I edit an old article I wrote. The American plant could not provide planes to the war effort as the US had not declared war at the time. The way around this for Glen was to produce in a foreign country, i.e. Canada. At some point the Canadian Government took over the plant, at which time it became a Canadian Company i.e. a Crown Corporation with a different name. So the JN-4 was manufactured in Canada by a Canadian Company. At the end of the war the plant was closed. Thanks for your added information.

While you're researching this, please let me know if you find anything about the JN 4C propeller, which seems to be a distinct design unlike the U.S. version. It has a broad blade and a pronounced scimitar shape and all of the ones I have seen were made by the American Propeller Company (Paragon). There are quite a few of them still around (I have 5 of them) so they obviously produced many more than were actually used.

Are you consulting K.M. Molson and H.A. Taylor, CANADIAN AIRCRAFT SINCE 1909 (published by Canada's Wings in 1982 and still a "must-read") ? The literature on the RFC/RAF training scheme in Canada ? The resources of the National Aviation Museum (notably Mr. Steve Payne) ? If not, TVO would be well advised to strike up an acquaintance with these sources.

Thanks for all the comments. I use TVO - an educational broadcaster in Ontario for their excellent E-mail service but am not employed by them. My main interest is my grandfather's involvement with Curtiss planes. He went on to work for Ted Rogers Sr building CFRA radio station I believe - a long way for a cabinet maker's apprentice from Hyde. If I find enough interesting new information on the Curtiss company in Canada I may be able to do a separate magazine article on it. In one book I exerpted, there is a note that the Canadian Government manufactured some 1800 JN4's under license during the war. So is was a modified JN3 but produced by a Canadian Company. Sort of makes it almost a Canadian plane. I have Larry Millbury, noted Canadian aviation writer in Toronto (Canav Books) giving me leads, but so far no other hot sources here. If anyone would like a catalogue of his great publications e-mail me with your postal address. His output is most impressive, with lots of photos. Glad I hooked up with this forum.