Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny"
Model Airplane News Cover Art for September, 1954
by Jo Kotula
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The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" was biplane aircraft built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. The Curtiss JN serieswas produced as a training aircraft for the U.S. Army although the "Jenny" became the "backbone of American post-war aviation."

  

Benjamin Thomas' Patents for Components of the JN-4
Patents No. 1,370,242 and No. 1,424,049 Click to Enlarge

The design was commissioned by Glenn Curtiss from Benjamin D. Thomas, formerly of the Sopwith Aviation Company. The JN-4 is possibly North America's most famous World War I aircraft. It was widely used during World War I to train beginning pilots. It was a twin-seat (student in front of instructor) dual control biplane. Its tractor prop and maneuverability made it ideal for initial pilot training with a 90 horsepower engine giving a top speed of 75 miles per hour and a service ceiling of 6,500 feet. Most of the 6,813 built were unarmed, although some had machine guns and bomb racks for advanced training. None saw active service.

     

Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny"
Wingwalking and Philatelic Mistakes
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Wing Walking in a Contemporaneous Publication
From Popular Mechanics November, 1932
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They are still popular with aircraft restorers. The Curtiss JN-4 appears on a famous stamp, known as the "Inverted Jenny".The Inverted Jenny is a United States postage stamp of 1918 in which a Curtiss JN4 aircraft in the center of the design was accidentally printed upside-down. It is one of the most well-known stamps in philately.

Here is a video of the Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" in action:

Jo Kotula revisited this airplane in the "Box Art" for the Aurora kit for the Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny".

Aurora Plastic Model of the Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny"
Artwork by Jo Kotula
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