Wright Aeronautical

Wright Aeronautical (1919–1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Paterson, New Jersey.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> It was the successor corporation to Wright-Martin.<ref name=":0" /> It built aircraft and was a supplier of aircraft engines to other builders in the golden age of aviation.<ref name=":0" /> Wright engines were used by Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh.<ref name=":0" /> In 1929, the company merged with Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation to form Curtiss-Wright.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

File:IMAG0939.jpg

Wright Aeronautical building, November 2014

In 1916, the Wright brothers' original aviation firm, the Wright Company, merged with Glenn L. Martin's firm, the Glenn L. Martin Company of California, to form the Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation.<ref name=":0" /> In September 1917, Martin resigned from Wright-Martin and re-formed an independent Glenn L. Martin Company of Ohio (later of Maryland). After World War I in 1919, Wright-Martin was renamed Wright Aeronautical.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> It moved to Paterson, New Jersey in 1919.<ref name=":0" />

In February 1919, an airplane with a Wright engine broke the world's speed record at Template:Convert per hour.<ref name=":3">Van DeVenter, John H. Jr. "The Story of Wright Aero: Tracing the Growth of the Wright Aeronautical Corporation"." Air Transportation, December 22, 1928. via Internet Archive.</ref> In November 1920, an airplane with a 300-horsepower Wright engine came in second place in the first Pulitzer Trophy Race in Long Island, New York.<ref name=":3" /> Other planes using Wright engines came in fourth and fifth place in the race.<ref name=":3" />

In 1920, Wright produced a cannon engine for the Army that allowed shells to be fired through the airplane's propeller.<ref name=":3" /> In 1921, a 300 horsepower engine by Wright again came in second place at the Pulitzer Trophy Race in Omaha, Nebraska.<ref name=":3" /> In 1921, Wright developed a new six-cylinder dirigible engine with 400 horsepower, testing it for nine months.<ref name=":3" /> In 1922, a plane with a Wright H-2 engine won the Mitchell Trophy Race.<ref name=":3" />

In May 1923, Wright Aeronautical purchased the Lawrance Aero Engine Company, acquiring Charles Lawrance's J-1 radial engine.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> Lawrance became a vice president of Wright.<ref name=":0" /> In 1925, Wright's president, Frederick B. Rentschler, left the company to found Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company; Lawrance replaced him as company president.<ref name=":4" /> Rentschler poached several talented personnel from Wright to join his new firm.

Working off Lawrance's designs, Wright Aeronautical developed an air-cooled engine, the Model J Whirlwind series.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="AEHSspecs">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3" /> In 1925, a Wright-Bellanca airplane won the Pulitzer Trophy Race using a Wright Whirlwind engine.<ref name=":3" /> In 1927, a Wright J-5C Whirlwind engine was used by Charles Lindbergh in the Spirit of St. Louis when he flew from New York City to Paris.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Wright engines were also used by other famed aviators, including Richard E. Byrd, Clarence Chamberlin, and Amelia Earhart.<ref name=":0" />

Wright Aeronautical merged with the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company on July 5, 1929, to become the Curtiss-Wright Corporation.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Their engine divisions merged in 1931.<ref name=":4" />

During World War II, the Paterson plant had 24,000 employees, working in three daily shifts.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite news</ref> They made some 75,000 engines for the B-25, the Boeing B-17, and other aircraft.<ref name=":9" /> Wright also made engines for 44 commercial airlines and rocket engines for space travel.<ref name=":9" /> However, the Paterson plant closed in 1946.<ref name=":9" />

Products

File:Wright Rocker cover.JPG

The Wright name on the rocker cover of one of their radial engines

Aircraft

Model name	First flight	Number built	Type	Reference
Wright Vought				<ref name=":3" />
Wright Apache	1926		biplane	<ref name=":3" />
Wright F2W	1923	2	Single-engine biplane racer
Dayton-Wright XO-3		1	Single-engine biplane observation airplane
Wright XF3W	1926	1	Single-engine biplane racer
Navy-Wright NW-1	1922	2	Single-engine monoplane racer
Navy-Wright NW-2	1922	1	Single-engine biplane racer
Wright-Bellanca WB-1	1925	1	Single-engine monoplane utility airplane	<ref name=":3" />
Wright-Bellanca WB-2 Columbia	1926	1	Single-engine monoplane utility airplane
Bellanca 77-140 Bomber	1934		Twin-engine monoplane bomber
Wright WP-1	1922	1	License built single-engine monoplane fighter

File:Wright R-1820 G.jpg

Wright R-1820

File:Wright R-2600 1.jpg

Wright R-2600

File:Wright J65.jpg

Wright J65

Aircraft engines

Model name	Introduced	Type	Horsepower	Cooling	Reference
Wright A	circa 1919	V-8	150	water	<ref name=":2">Cautley, J. R. ed. (1921). Wright Aircraft Engines: Complete Instructions for their installation, operation and maintenance. Paterson, N.J.: Wright Aeronautical Corporation. via Hathi Trust.</ref><ref name=":8">Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright B		V-4	75	water	<ref name=":8" />
Wright C		V-8	200	water	<ref name=":8" />
Wright D		V-8	200	water	<ref name=":8" />
Wright D-1	1920	L-6	350	water	<ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright E	1919	V-8	150 hp	water	<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":8" />
Wright E-1M Hurricane	1925 - 1926	V-8	240	marine	<ref name="AEHSspecs" /><ref name=":5" />
Wright E-2	Before 1921	V-8	180	water	<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" />
Wright E-3		V-8	189	water	<ref name=":8" />
Wright E-4 Tempest	1922 - 1923	V-8	200	water	<ref name=":3" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" /><ref name=":5" />
Wright E-4M Gold Cup		V-8	200-240	marine	<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" />
Wright F		V-9	150	water	<ref name=":8" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Wright H	1920		300	water	<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
Wright H-2	1920	V-8	320	water	<ref name=":2" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright H-2 Super Fighter	Before 1921		360	water	<ref name=":2" />
Wright H-3	Before 1921	V-8	300	water	<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright H-3 Super Fighter	Before 1921		360	water	<ref name=":2" />
Wright I	1920		150	water	<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
Wright J-I	1923			air	<ref name=":3" />
Wright J-3	1924	R-9	200	air	<ref name=":3" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright J-4 Whirlwind	1924	R-9	200	air	<ref name=":3" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright J-4B Whirlwind	1925	R-9	200	air	<ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright J-5 Whirlwind / Wright R-790	1925 - 1926	R-9	200	air	<ref name="AEHSspecs" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1" />
Wright J-6 Whirlwind 5 / Wright R-540	1928 - 1930	R-5	165-175	air	<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright J-6 Whirlwind 7 / Wright R-760	1925	R-7	225-320	air	<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright J-6 Whirlwind 9 / Wright R-975	1928	R-9	300-420	air	<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright J-6 Cyclone	circa 1928		525	air	<ref name=":3" />
Wright K				water	<ref name=":8" />
Wright K-2				water	<ref name=":8" />
Wright L-3 Gale	circa 1923	R-3	60	air	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright L-4 Gale	circa 1923	R-3	60	air	<ref name=":3" />
Wright P-1	1925	R-9	406	air	<ref name="AEHSspecs" /><ref name=":3" />
Wright P-2	1925 - 1926	R-9	435	air	<ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright R-1	1920 - 1923	R-9	350	air	<ref name=":3" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright R-1200 Simoon	1925 - 1926	R-9	325	air	<ref name=":3" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright R-1300 Cyclone	1939	R-7	600	air	<ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright R-1510 Whirlwind	1933	R-14	600	air	<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright R-1670 Whirlwind	circa 1935	R-14	800	air	<ref name=":7" />
Wright R-1750 Cyclone	1927 - 1930	R-9	525	air	<ref name=":3" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright R-1820 Cyclone	1931	R-9	1,000	air	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright R-2160 Tornado	1940	R-42	2,350	air	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright R-2600	1937	R-14	1,750	air	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright R-3350 Cyclone	1937	R-18	2,200	air	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright R-4090 Cyclone	1940s	R-22	3,000	air	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright T		V-12	525	water	<ref name=":3" />
Wright T-1 Tornado		V-12	600	water	<ref name=":3" />
Wright T-1M Typhoon	1924	V-12	500	marine	<ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright T-2 Tornado	1922 - 1923	V-12	525	water	<ref name=":3" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright T-3 Tornado / Wright V-1950	1923	V-12	675	water	<ref name=":3" /><ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright T-3A	1924 - 1925	V-12	525	water	<ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright T-3M Typhoon			600	marine	<ref name=":3" />
Wright V-1460	1928	V-12	600	liquid or air	<ref name="AEHSspecs" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright V-1560	1929 - 1930	V-12	600	air	<ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright Gipsy	1929 - 1931	L-4	85	air	<ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright-Gipsy L-320	1927	L-4	98	air	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright Morehouse WM-80	1926	O-2	29	air	<ref name="AEHSspecs" />
Wright J65	1951	Turbojet	7,239 lbf		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wright J67	1950s, not produced	Turbojet	est. 15,000 lbf
Wright TJ32
Wright TJ38 Zephur	not produced	Turbojet

See also

• Wright Company
• Curtiss-Wright

More information

• Template:Cite book