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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists Inter War Period Aircraft  Jenny |
[UP] - Airspeed Courier - Ant-20 - Avro 504N - B-10 - Boeing 314 - Bulldog - Condor - Coronado - Curtiss CR-3 - Curtiss MB-2 - Curtiss NC - Curtiss R3C-2 - DC3 - Dragon Rapide - DT-2 - Electra - F3F - Fairey IIID - Fairey IIIF - FB5 - Fury - Gipsy Moth - Hart - Hind - Horsley - HP42 - Iris - Jenny - M-130 - Mailwing - Mew Gull - Norseman - Peashooter - Ryan M-1 - S-42 - S6B - SM55X - SNJ - Sparrowhawk - Tigermoth - Trimotor - Vega - Wallace - Walrus |
| Jenny Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Barnstormers by Stan Stokes. Prior to WW I the US Army had purchased a total of two dozen aircraft (principally Curtiss and Wright machines) and almost half of these had been destroyed in crashes. In addition eight of the Armys fourteen pilots had been killed in flying accidents. The Navy was not much better off with a total of six operational aircraft and only nine pilots on its rolls in 1913. With each accident something was learned, and both the aircraft and their pilots slowly improved. When WW I began, the Germans had more than 500 military aircraft. The French had a similar number and the Brits had about half that amount. Despite the outbreak of War in Europe, the US Congress continued to ignore the prospects for military aviation, appropriating only scant amounts of funds. When America finally entered the Great War in April of 1917 an Aircraft Production Board was organized. The Board recommended a massive appropriation to train 7,500 men for both the Army and Navy aviation efforts, and to assist industry in the production of 3,700 aircraft in 1918, 6,000 in 1919 and 9-10,000 in 1920. When Congress reviewed the budget requests it was heavily swayed, and without a single dissenting vote, appropriated $640 million to procure more than 20,000 aircraft and 40,000 engines. The government overestimated the fledgling American aviation industrys manufacturing capacity, with the result that many of the aircraft flown by American forces in WW I would be either foreign-built, or American-built aircraft of foreign design. One notable exception to this was the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny. The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was one of the two dominant American aircraft producers, the other being the Wright-Martin Aircraft Company. The Jenny became the primary trainer for training American pilots during the War, and many thousands of these aircraft were produced. Following the War, many surplus Jennies were available for purchase, and these aircraft were used in many roles, including flying the US Mail. Some of the 20,000 American pilots of the Army and Naval air services that reentered civilian life after the War purchased these surplus Jennies at a fraction of their original cost, and began barnstorming the country to earn a living. Taking their fragile airplanes to all areas of the country, these barnstormers exposed aviation to the general public. Remember, at that time the majority of people had never even seen an airplane, let alone taken a ride in one. Early on, the barnstormers could charge as much as $10-20 for an airplane ride, but as competition increased prices plummeted to as little as $2-3. Living as flying gypsies, these flyers had their share of tragedies, as they often had little knowledge of, and few funds for performing, even routine maintenance on their aircraft. Nonetheless, barnstormers are an important part of American aviation history, and Stan Stokes painting captures the feel of this between-wars era. |
| Jenny Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Capt Carl E Recknagel UAL Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2002 | Capt Carl E Recknagel UAL Born in 1909 in Springfield, Ohio, Carl E. 'Reek' Recknagel became a pilot when aviation itself was just getting off the ground. Carl took his first airplane ride in 1924 in a barnstorming Curtis Jenny. He studied chemistry in College but also joined the Air Corps Reserve. Upon his graduation he was drafted into the Army Air Corps at March Field in California. After only seven hours of flight training from Lt. 'Pop' Weddington, Recknagel made his first solo. Shortly thereafter the avid pilot was flying snap rolls, loops and his favorite, whipstalls in more advanced flying machines like the DeHaviland-4 and the Douglas-02. Carl's class was transferred to Kelly Field in Texas to complete their advanced combat training under the auspices of Lt. Lester Maitland. About 2/3rds of the class washed out or were casualties during training, but 44 did manage to earn their wings in the Air Cadet Class of 1930. Carl's first practical assignment was with the Third Attack Group where he practiced dive bombing, gunnery, and low-level formation flying. He took second place in the Patrick Trophy Race of 1931. Carl also participated in the massive 600 plane Air Corps demonstrations in New York, Baltimore, and in Chicago. These massive displays were publicity stunts necessary to fuel the public's support for the Air Corps. When his tour was over, Carl was released into civilian life during the height of the Great Depression. He was fortunate to find employment as airport manager and chief pilot for Johnson Flying Service in Dayton, Ohio. The Johnson fleet consisted of a Curtis Pusher, a Wright J-5 Waco, a J-5 Travelair., an OX-powered Swallow, an Aeronca, and a Kinner Bird. Recknagel was responsible for running the airport, flying cross-country flights, servicing transient aircraft, and participating in weekly air show demonstrations. Carl did take time off to fly in the 1933 American Air Races where he placed third in a modified one-wheeled Aeronca. That same year Carl, though the urging of a friend, applied for a copilot position at United Air Lines. At United Carl began flying the Cleveland-Newark run as a 'mate,' as copilots were called in those days. His duties included refueling, navigation, and serving meals. While not so glamorous, the job did pay $200 a month, which was a fantastic sum in 1934. Navigation was quite rudimentary in those days because no radar or radio navigation was available. Flying the early 247's and DC-3s was what Carl refers to as 'barnstorming on a schedule.' Recknagel made Captain, but during WW 11 he was transferred to Air Transport Command where he supervised B23 and C-47 flights in the Mediterranean theater. At war's end he flew back to the States in a war-weary B-17, and resumed his career with United. Recknagel remained with United until his retirement in 1966. He lived in Santa Barbara, California where he was active in the Goleta/Santa Barbara Air Heritage Museum. He passed away on 19th February 2002. |
| Jenny Squadron details |
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