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Curtiss Autoplane

Curtiss · United States · Pioneer Age (pre-1919)

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The Curtiss Autoplane was an American experimental flying car — Glenn Curtiss's 1917 prototype that combined a roadworthy automobile body with detachable wings, often credited as the first true auto-aero concept. Glenn Curtiss + his Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company designed the Autoplane in 1917; it was unveiled at the Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition in New York City in February 1917. The Autoplane never achieved sustained powered flight — it managed only short hops + ground rolling demonstrations. Only 1 Autoplane was built; the project was abandoned in 1917 due to U.S. entry into WWI.

The Autoplane used a Curtiss OXX-3 V-8 engine (100 hp). Designed maximum airspeed 105 km/h, range ~80 km. The vehicle was an aluminium-bodied 4-seat automobile with detachable triplane wings + propeller; the engine drove either the rear automobile wheels (road mode) or the propeller (flight mode) through a clutch + transmission system. The wings could be detached for road driving + reattached at airfields for flight. The aircraft was Curtiss's response to early-1900s speculation about "automobiles of the air" that science-fiction writers had popularised.

Autoplane history was limited. Glenn Curtiss demonstrated brief ground-effect hops at Hammondsport, NY airfield in mid-1917 but did not achieve sustained flight. U.S. entry into WWI + Curtiss Company's commitment to the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny + NC-series wartime production led to project abandonment in late 1917. The Autoplane prototype was scrapped during WWI for materials. The concept influenced subsequent auto-aero proposals — Henry Ford's 1929 Sky Flivver, Convair Model 116 in the 1940s, and many modern eVTOL auto-aero concepts trace conceptual lineage to Curtiss's 1917 Autoplane.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The Curtiss Autoplane was a very special invention from 1917. It was a car and an airplane combined into one vehicle. Glenn Curtiss and his team built it in America. It was shown to the public in New York City in February 1917.

The Autoplane had a metal car body that could seat four people. It had three sets of wings that could be taken off and put back on. When you wanted to drive on roads, you removed the wings. When you wanted to fly, you attached them again at an airfield.

The engine could power the car wheels or spin a propeller. It used a special clutch to switch between road mode and flight mode. The top speed was about 65 miles per hour in the air. That is faster than most cars drove back in 1917.

Sadly, the Autoplane never flew for very long. It could only do short hops off the ground. Only one was ever built. The project stopped when America entered World War One later that year.

Even so, the Autoplane was a big deal. It was one of the first flying car ideas ever made real. It inspired many other inventors to try building flying cars after it. Glenn Curtiss dreamed of a future where anyone could drive and fly the same vehicle.

Fun Facts

The Curtiss Autoplane was shown to the public for the very first time in New York City in 1917.
It had three layers of wings stacked on top of each other, like a triple-decker sandwich.
The wings could be removed for road driving and put back on when it was time to fly.
Its engine produced 100 horsepower, which was very powerful for a vehicle in 1917.
The Autoplane was smaller than a modern school bus but carried four passengers.
It never managed a real flight — only short hops above the ground.
Only one Autoplane was ever built in the whole world.
Glenn Curtiss got the idea from science-fiction stories about flying cars that writers had made popular.

Kids’ Questions

Could the Curtiss Autoplane really fly?

Not really! It could only make very short hops off the ground. It never stayed in the air for a full flight. So it was more of a car that bounced than a true airplane.

Why did Glenn Curtiss build a flying car?

Glenn Curtiss was inspired by science-fiction stories about flying cars. Many writers had imagined that people would one day drive through the sky. He wanted to make that dream come true.

Why was only one Autoplane ever built?

America entered World War One in 1917, the same year the Autoplane was made. The war meant that people and factories had to focus on building war planes instead. So the flying car project was stopped.

How did the wings work on the Autoplane?

The wings could be taken off and put back on. For road driving, you removed them so the car would fit on streets. At an airfield, you attached them again so the vehicle could try to fly.

Variants

Autoplane (sole prototype): Single airframe 1917. Scrapped during WWI for materials.

Notable Operators

Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1917): Sole user. Prototype demonstration only.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the Curtiss Autoplane actually fly?

Briefly. Glenn Curtiss demonstrated short ground-effect hops at Hammondsport, NY airfield in mid-1917 — but did not achieve sustained controlled flight. The Autoplane's combination of automobile-body weight + detachable wings + clutch-transmission complexity made it underpowered for sustained flight. Project abandonment in late 1917 (due to U.S. WWI entry + Curtiss Company's commitment to wartime production) prevented further development that might have achieved flight.

Why is the Autoplane historically large?

First serious attempt at a auto-aero concept. The Autoplane established the basic auto-aero layout (automobile body + detachable wings + dual-mode propulsion) that subsequent auto-aero proposals followed: Henry Ford's 1929 Sky Flivver, Convair Model 116 + 118 in the 1940s, Moulton Taylor's Aerocar in the 1950s, AVE Mizar in the 1970s, Terrafugia Transition in the 2010s, Klein Vision AirCar in the 2020s, and many modern eVTOL auto-aero concepts. None of these have achieved commercial success at scale; the conceptual challenges that defeated Curtiss in 1917 remain difficult.

Sources

Wikipedia — Curtiss Autoplane