• Smithsonian
    Institution
  • Smithsonian
    Journeys
  • Smithsonian
    Store
  • Smithsonian
    Channel
  • goSmithsonian
    Visitors Guide
  • Smithsonian
    magazine

AirSpaceMag.com

  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • History of Flight
  • Flight Today
  • Military Aviation
  • Space Exploration
  • Need to Know
  • How Things Work
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Air Candy
  • Reader Scrapbook
  • Snapshot
  • Photos

Last of Their Kind

Airplanes without equal at the National Air and Space Museum.

  • By Patricia Trenner
  • Air & Space magazine, August 2012
«« Previous | 7 of 12 | Next »»

Eric Long


Curtiss R3C-2
Even encumbered with floats, the Curtiss R3C-2 was a speed demon. With Jimmy Doolittle at the controls, the seaplane version of the R3C-1 land racer won the Schneider Cup Race, held in Baltimore in October 1925, with an average speed of 232.57 mph. The next day, Doolittle set a straight-course record of 245.7 mph. The R3C-1 had won the Pulitzer Trophy Race just two weeks earlier, at nearly 249 mph. Transferred from the War Department in 1927. Restored by the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force while on loan. Sole survivor.


«« Previous | 7 of 12 | Next »»



Tweet Digg

 
Comments (2)

I wasn't sure how I felt about the decision to put the Wright Flyer on the floor instead of hanging it in the main entry hall. When I saw it in October 2011, I was delighted. I could walk all around it and almost touch it! What a treasure!!

Posted by Beverly Wright Coleman on September 8,2012 | 03:26 AM

Post a Comment


Name: (required)

Email: (required)

Comment:

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until Smithsonian.com has approved them. Smithsonian reserves the right not to post any comments that are unlawful, threatening, offensive, defamatory, invasive of a person's privacy, inappropriate, confidential or proprietary, political messages, product endorsements, or other content that might otherwise violate any laws or policies.



Advertisement


  • Email
  •  
    Tweet

    Article Tools

     
  • Font
  •  
  • Email
  •  
  • Print
  •  
  • Comments (2)
  •  
  • RSS
  •  
           

    Related Topics

    Aircraft

    More from AirSpaceMag.com

    One-and-Onlies: The Complete List

    Most Popular

    • Viewed
    • Emailed
    • Commented
    • Topics
    1. The Navy Gets a Panther
    2. Area 51: Origins
    3. NASA Art on Tour
    4. Alaska and the Airplane
    5. Off to the Races
    6. Inside a Flying Fortress
    7. Bush Pilot Hall of Fame
    8. The Legacy of Flight
    9. Inside the Enola Gay
    10. Deck Drawings
    1. When Pigs Could Fly
    1. Refueling Angel Thunder
    2. A Family Affair
    1. Fighters
    2. Vietnam War
    3. Bombers
    4. Cold War Era
    5. Aerospace Inventions
    6. 21st Century Aviation
    7. Experimental Aircraft
    8. Golden Age of Flight
    9. 20th Century Aviation
    10. Air Racing
    11. Aerospace Technology

    View All Most Popular »

    Follow Us

    Air & Space Magazine
    @airspacemag
    Follow Air & Space Magazine on Twitter

    Sign up for regular email updates from Smithsonian.com, including daily newsletters and special offers.

    Advertisement


    View full archiveRecent Issues


    • Jul 2013


    • May 2013


    • Mar 2013

    Newsletter

    Sign up for regular email updates from Air & Space magazine, including free newsletters, special offers and current news updates.

    Subscribe Now

    About Us

    Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine has been delighting aerospace enthusiasts with the best writing about their favorite subject since April 1986. As an adjunct of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Air & Space matches the grand scope of the Museum, encompassing every era of aviation and space exploration. With stories that range from the Wright Brothers to the design of NASA's next lunar lander, Air & Space emphasizes the human stories as well as the technology of aviation and spaceflight.

    Explore our Brands

    • goSmithsonian.com
    • Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
    • Smithsonian Student Travel
    • Smithsonian Catalogue
    • Smithsonian Journeys
    • Smithsonian Channel
    • About Air & Space
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • RSS
    • Topics
    • Member Services
    • Copyright
    • Site Map
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ad Choices

    Smithsonian Institution