Search
Close this search box.

Curtiss R3C Racer

The Curtiss R3C is an American racing aircraft built in landplane and floatplane form.

It was a single-seat biplane built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company.

The R3C-1 was the landplane version and Cyrus Bettis won the Pulitzer Trophy Race in one on 12 October 1925 with a speed of 248.9 mph (400.6 km/h).

The R3C-2 was a twin float seaplane built for the Schneider Trophy race.

In 1925, it took place at Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore, Maryland.

With 232.57 mph (374.29 km/h), pilot Jimmy Doolittle won the trophy with a Curtiss R3C-2.

The other two R3C-2s, piloted by George Cuddihy and Ralph Oftsie, did not reach the finish line.

The next day, with the same plane on a straight course, Doolittle reached 245.7 mph (395.4 km/h), a new world record.

For the next Schneider Trophy, which took place on 13 November 1926, the R3C-2’s engine was further improved, and pilot Christian Franck Schilt took second place with 231.364 mph (372.344 km/h).

Specifications

R3C-2

Crew

1

Length

22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)

Wingspan

22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)

Height

10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)

Wing area

144 sq ft (13.4 m2)

Airfoil

Curtiss C-80

Empty weight

2,135 lb (968 kg)

Gross weight

2,738 lb (1,242 kg)

Powerplant

1 × Curtiss V-1400 V-12 water-cooled piston engine,

565 hp (421 kW)

Propellers

2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed

245 mph (394 km/h, 213 kn)

Range

290 mi (470 km, 250 nmi) at full throttle.

Share on facebook