Naval Aircraft Factory TS

TS-1
A TS-1 of VF-1 assigned to USS Langley (CV-1)
Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Naval Aircraft Factory & Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Designer	Bureau of Aeronautics
Introduction	December 1922
Retired	1929
Status	retired
Primary user	U.S. Navy
Number built	46

The Naval Aircraft Factory TS-1 was an early biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy, serving from 1922 to 1929.

Development

The second TS-1 built, here with foats.

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 Lawrance J-1 air-cooled radial engine. Its boxy fuselage was suspended between the upper and lower wings, with the center area of the lower wing enlarged to accommodate a fuel tank.

The NAF gave the plans over to Curtiss to build, and the result, designated TS-1, arrived at Anacostia on 9 May 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 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 engine (aviation)s.

The two F4C-1s were an all-metal version developed by Curtiss. It made its first flight on 4 September 1924. The wings had tubular spars and stamped dural ribs, the fuselage was constructed of dural 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 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, serial numbers A6300-A6304

Curtiss TS-1

34 built, serial numbers A6248-A6270; A6305-A6315

NAF TS-2

two built, serial numbers A6446-A6447, 240 hp ( kW) Aeromarine engine

NAF TS-3

two built, serial numbers A6448-A6449, 180 hp ( kW) Wright-Hispano E engine

The first F4C-1 in 1924.

NAF TR-2

one built, serial number A6449, TS-3 modified by changing the airfoil section on the wings for the 1922 Curtiss Marine Trophy race

Curtiss-Hall F4C-1

two built, serial numbers A6689-A6690, 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 Museum of Naval Aviation in Pennsacola, 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: 1

Performance Armament
1 fixed forward-firing 0.3 in Browning machine gun

References

• Melton USNR, Lt. Comdr. Dick. the Forty Year Hitch. Wyandotte, Michigan: Publishers Consulting Services, 1970

External links

• Curtiss TS-1 SN: A6446 on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation [2]
• Curtiss TS-1 SN: A6315 photograph in the National Museum of Naval Aviation collection [3]