Curtiss N-9

The aircraft shown in this article was assigned to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis MD. My uncle, Ensign Everett P. Welch, USNRF (Naval Aviator #997); flew several versions of this N-9 during his flight training at NAS Pensacola. He flew HS-2L anti-sub patrol seaplanes in WWI in France. He continued to fly HS-2Ls after the war ended from NAS Chatham.

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My stepfather, Dwight Billings, Naval Aviator #2407, flew the N-9. We went through the PNS Naval Flight Museum back in the 1960s and they had one there then. It was on loan from the Smithsonian and now is at Dulles. Dwight recognized it immediately. The one on display looked like the one in the picture above and Dwight said that it had a Hispano-Suiza engine in it--defined by the vertical oil cooler in front of the front seat. The H-S engine had more oomph than the Curtiss, he said. The N-9 was at Pensacola and also, I believe, at Coconut Grove NAS, which Dwight also flew out of.

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Hi!
I have one from the N-9H version.What info. did The Smithsonian need for verification, if I may ask?
Peter Petersen

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I have a propeller from a Curtiss N-9 on my wall. It is from one of the planes that used the original 100HP Curtiss OXX-6 engines (verified by a letter from the Smithsonian Institute). I don't have much information on the N-9 itself and would like to find out more about its mission, what Naval Stations housed and flew them, etc. Any information that you could provide would be helpful!

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