Kruse-Curtiss Flyer
Kruse-Curtiss Flyer. This model was designed from pictures of my Great-Uncle Frank Kruse’s plane combined with plans of other Curtiss planes of the time. I’m estimating that the plane was built in 1910 or 1911 from Curtiss plans published in ‘Popular Mechanics’. The Curtiss museum is not aware of any Curtiss designs that used this style aileron, however the rest of the plane is obviously Curtiss. We don’t know what Uncle Frank was thinking, maybe this style aileron was easier to rig. He flew the plane in the Chicago and central Illinois area and didn’t die in the plane. Other than the pictures and my Grandmothers stories of some of Frank’s other exploits not much is known of what became of his plane. And yes, that is Frank in the plane – at least the best I could do with the pictures available.
