By Randy Malmstrom
Curtiss JN-4D “Jenny” s/n 3712, N3712. This particular aircraft was one of 252 “JN” model aircraft manufactured by Curtiss Aeroplane Company in May 1918. It was shipped to March Field in Riverside, California, in June 1918 and served along with 99 Jennys there as a U.S. Army pilot trainer. On May 6, 1919, it was sold back to Curtiss after accumulating 253.48 hours of flight time. Curtiss refurbished it for sale to the private market. In 1925 or thereabouts, it was involved in two wrecks with pilot/owner Earl Kampschmidt. It remained in a state of disrepair until it was again restored by 1939. On its 3rd engine in 1940, it was prohibited from aerobatics by the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Administration.
However, it was used in films and airshows during the 1940’s by the Hollywood Hawks, a wing-walker and parachute team. In 1999, it was acquired by Paul Allen or an entity of his to later be owned by his Vulcan Warbirds Inc. (which was incorporated in 2004) to become part of the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum (FHCAM) on Paine Field in Everett, Washington, which had flown it only rarely. It is now registered under Wartime History Museum, Inc., FHCAM’s new owner (its home field has asphalt runways).
At the time of these photos, at least, it was restored in honor of 2nd Lt. Topliff Olin Paine, the military and airmail pilot for whom Paine Field is named. Paine enlisted in the 12th Company of the U.S. Army Infantry upon the U.S. entrance into WWI and went into cadet training at March Field, and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in May of 1918. He was discharged in 1919 and flew for the new Air Mail Service, experiencing a number of narrow escapes flying in poor weather and/or over the Rocky Mountains until his death on October 30, 1922, from an accidental gunshot wound. The Curtiss OX-5 engine was replaced with an OXX-6 engine for safety and reliability. My photos and link to my walkaround at FHCAM. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=949976411696683&l=3358113633384681603.
This is by no means an all-inclusive description of the aircraft type. The Jenny design was commissioned by Glenn Curtiss, who hired experienced European designer Benjamin Douglas Thomas, and was built by Curtiss Aeroplane Company as part of the company’s “JN” series of biplanes – the “Jenny” nickname derived from the “JN” series. It was the first mass-produced American aircraft, with over 6,000 built. The ailerons were originally controlled by a shoulder yoke (with the pilot leaning left and right) in the aft cockpit, but were replaced by a wheel, stick, or yoke by this D model. While generally not armed, some advanced trainers had machine guns and bombs.
Powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine. The main undercarriage was the V-configuration common at the time, which had bungee cord (shock cord) suspension – “bungee” or “bungie” is thought to be British slang for India-produced rubber. Skis could be fitted for year-round operations, particularly in Canada. It could be fitted with a turtle-deck behind the cockpits to serve as an air ambulance. An estimated 95% of U.S. WWI pilots trained in a Jenny, and most Canadian pilots flew the JN-4 “Canuck” variant, which was also flown by the British Royal Flying Corps.
A JN-4 is credited with the first true dive-bombing attack, although dive-bombing was tried by Commonwealth pilots in WWI, but in a horizontal flight path. In early 1919, U.S. Marine Corps pilot Lt. Lawson H. “Sandy” Sanderson was stationed with VF-4M in Haiti during the U.S. occupation of Haiti campaign. He mounted a carbine barrel in front of the windshield of his JN-4 as an improvised bombsight and loaded a bomb in a canvas mail bag that was attached to the belly of his Jenny. In support of USMC troops trapped by Haitian “Cacos” rebels, he made a single-aircraft attack of at least 45 degrees (considered steep at the time), dropping his bomb at about 250 feet. While his nearly vertical pull-up maneuver almost tore the aircraft apart, the attack was a success and led to Lt. Sanderson developing further dive-bombing techniques beginning in 1920. In 1925, “Sandy” became the first squadron commander to lead VF-9M (which later became VMF-1).
Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh and Bessie Coleman, the first African American female aviator, trained in the Jenny. In 1927, new regulations for airworthiness, maintenance and pilot licensing requirements came into effect, and the Jenny was not able to meet the new directives, so by 1930, the Jenny was illegal to operate in most parts of the United States until the 1950s, when Jennys came back into acceptance with the Vintage Airplane Movement.
As far as fin flash, in 1917, the US Army Air Service adopted the pattern of blue forward and red farthest aft (the same as French WWI aircraft); and in January 1918, the order came down to switch the pattern; and in August 1919, the original 1917 pattern was re-adopted. However, some aircraft never got changed during the 1918 era, resulting in both sequences being visible in vintage photos of Jenny aircraft in service in the United States. Possible armament: a fixed, forward-facing twin .30 caliber. Marlin machine gun mounted on the cowling and synchronized through the propeller; a 30 cal. Lewis machine gun on a scarf ring universal mount on the rear cockpit, and bomb racks.
About the author
Randy Malmstrom grew up in a family steeped in aviation culture. His father, Bob, was still a cadet in training with the USAAF at the end of WWII, but did serve in Germany during the U.S. occupation in the immediate post-war period, where he had the opportunity to fly in a wide variety of types that flew in WWII. After returning to the States, Bob became a multi-engine aircraft sales manager and, as such, flew a wide variety of aircraft; Randy frequently accompanied him on these flights. Furthermore, Randy’s cousin, Einar Axel Malmstrom, flew P-47 Thunderbolts with the 356th FG from RAF Martlesham Heath. He was commanding this unit at the time he was shot down over France on April 24th, 1944, spending the rest of the war as a prisoner of war. Following his repatriation at war’s end, Einar continued his military service, attaining the rank of Colonel. He was serving as Deputy Wing Commander of the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing at Great Falls AFB, MT at the time of his death in a T-33 training accident on August 21, 1954. The base was renamed in his honor in October 1955 and continues to serve in the present USAF as home to the 341st Missile Wing. Randy’s innate interest in history in general, and aviation history in particular, plus his educational background and passion for WWII warbirds, led him down his current path of capturing detailed aircraft walk-around photos and in-depth airframe histories, recording a precise description of a particular aircraft in all aspects.
