Glenn Curtiss: The Forgotten Eagle - a documentary on WSKG TV

Above: Glenn Curtiss flying his plane "June Bug"

Glenn Curtiss: The Forgotten Eagle highlights the life of Southern Tier native, Glenn Hammond Curtiss. This is the first documentary ever produced on one of aviation's key founding fathers.

Glenn Curtiss is credited with with the first publicly announced flight of an airplane in the United States, taking place in Hammondsport, NY on July 4, 1908. He was also the first to fly from city to city, making his destination from Albany to Manhattan on May 29, 1910.

"The Unknown Controversies"

This fascinating story has nearly faded from history, overshadowed by the legend of the Wright Brothers. Interviews with numerous, credited historians are woven throughout this documentary. As the story unfolds, historians claim that Curtiss, more so than the Wright Brothers, had a significant influence on bringing the airplane into the modern age.

Glenn Curtiss: The Forgotten Eagle discusses the unknown controversies, in particular, the debate over the patent infringement of the wing design. For years, Curtiss and the Wrights battled in court over what the Wrights argued to be patent infringement. Curtiss' design using wind flaps, which the Wrights never specifically claimed in their patent, is a key element still used in aviation today.

Above: Curtiss on the cover of Time magazine

"Father Of Naval Aviation"

Unknown to most, Mr. Curtiss is also considered the father of naval aviation. In 1912 on Keuka Lake, he reconstructed an airplane to have the hull of a boat, and was able to successfully fly and land in the water. Glenn Curtiss was the first man to prove that planes would be able to take off and land from a carrier at sea. His invention of the hydro-airplane is what we call today the flying boat.

Glenn Curtiss: The Forgotten Eagle is written and produced by WSKG's Brian Frey, who says "I want to tell the other half of the story regarding the birth of aviation, beyond what happened at Kitty Hawk." Mr. Frey has also produced The Flood of '35, Watkins Glen: the Street Years and Link: The Quiet Genius

Available from WSKG
VHS $19.95
DVD $24.95
(prices include shipping)
Call (607) 729-0100, ext 343
or send email to mail@wskg.pbs.org

Here are more links relating to Glenn Hammond Curtiss:

• The Glenn Hammond Curtiss Museum, Hammondsport, NY

• "The Race for Flight," on NPR's Weekend Edition 12/21/03

• Glenn Curtiss Historical Society

• Glenn Curtiss Memorial Park

Glenn Curtiss: The Forgotten Eagle