Naval Aircraft Factory TS

Development

While the Vought VE-7s were serving the Navy well in the early 1920s, they were not originally designed as fighters. The Naval Aircraft Factory came up with a simple design driven by a 200 hp (150 kW) Lawrance J-1 air-cooled radial engine. Its boxy fuselage was suspended between the upper and lower wings (essentially having both dorsal and ventral sets of cabane struts), with the center area of the lower wing enlarged to accommodate a fuel tank.

The NAF provided Curtiss with the plans to build the aircraft, and the result, designated TS-1, arrived at Anacostia on May 9, 1922. The TS-1 from Curtiss was delivered with wheels, so the NAF also designed wooden floats to enable their use on vessels other than aircraft carriers. Testing went well, and in late 1922 the Navy ordered 34 planes from Curtiss, with the first arriving on board the USS Langley (CV-1) in December. The NAF built another five themselves, as a test of relative costs, as well as four more used to experiment with water-cooled inline engines.

Two all-metal versions of the aircraft, F4C-1s, were developed by Curtiss. This aircraft made its first flight on September 4, 1924. The wings had tubular spars and stamped duraluminum ribs, the fuselage was constructed of duraluminum tubing in a Warren truss form. Compared to the TS-1, the lower wing was raised to the base of the fuselage. The F4C-1 was armed with two .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns and was powered by a 200-hp nine-cylinder Wright J-3 radial.

Operational history

In addition to operating from the carrier deck, the TS-1s served for several years in floatplane configuration aboard destroyers, cruisers, and battleships. The aircraft were slung over the side by crane. Squadron VO-1 operated this way from 1922, and VF-1 flew its float-equipped TS-1s from battleships in 1925 and 1926.

The TS-1 was not universally liked by its crews. Positioning of the lower wing below the fuselage resulted in short wheel struts. This, and the wheel's placement close to each other caused considerable problems with ground looping.

Variants

NAF TS-1

five built

Curtiss TS-1

34 built

NAF TS-2

two built, 240 hp (180 kW) Aeromarine engine

NAF TS-3

two built, 180 hp (130 kW) Wright-Hispano E engine

NAF TR-2

one built, TS-3 modified by changing the airfoil section on the wings for the 1922 Curtiss Marine Trophy race

Curtiss-Hall F4C-1

two built all metal versions for comparison to the original wood and wire construction

Operators

 United States

United States Navy

Survivors

Curtiss TS-1 SN: A6446 is on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida [1]

Specifications (TS-1)

Data from Gordon Swanborough, Peter M. Bowers: United States Navy aircraft since 1911. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1990 (ISBN 0-87021-792-5), p. 370.

General characteristics

Crew: one

Length: 22 ft 1 in (6.7 m)

Wingspan: 25 ft (7.62 m)

Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.9 m)

Wing area: 228 ft² (21 m²)

Empty weight: 1,240 lb (562.5 kg)

Loaded weight: 2,133 lb (967.5 kg)

Powerplant: 1 × Lawrance J-1 radial, 200 hp (149 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 106.8 knots (123 mph, 198 km/h)

Range: 418.8 nmi (482 mi, 775.7 km)

Service ceiling: 16,250 ft (4950 m)

Rate of climb: 909 ft/min (4.61 m/s)

Armament

1 fixed forward-firing 0.3 in Browning machine gun