Glenn Hammond Curtiss

Curtiss, Glenn Hammond (1873–1930), U.S. pioneer in aviation, who made the first public flight in the United States (1908), opened the first pilots' school (1909), built engines for the first U.S. dirigibles, and built the first planes for the U.S. Navy (1911). He also invented ailerons, movable flaps on wings for better control. His 2 hr 51 min flight from Albany, N.Y., to New York City in 1910 made a spectacular impact.

See also: Aviation.