Curtiss Kingbird
Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.The Curtiss Model 55 Kingbird was an airliner built in small numbers in the United States in the early 1930s. It was a twin-engine aircraft with a fuselage derived from the single-engine Curtiss Thrush. The Kingbird had two engine nacelles mounted on the struts on either side of the fuselage that braced the wing and the outrigger undercarriage. A distinctive design feature was the aircraft's blunt nose, located behind the propeller arcs. This allowed the engines to be mounted closer to each other and to the aircraft's centerline, therefore minimising asymmetrical thrust in case of an engine failure.
Specifications
Figures for the Kingbird D-2 variant, the most representative of the family
The type first flew in 1929 (97 years ago) · About 19 units built · Production ended in 1931
Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.
The story of the type
A twin designed for safety
In the late 1920s, as multi-engined aircraft began to earn a reputation for safety, Curtiss designed a small twin-engined airliner at its Garden City plant in New York, based on the single-engined Thrush, which was being developed at the same time. The Model 55 Kingbird kept the Thrush's fuselage and high wing, braced by struts that also carried the engine nacelles and the undercarriage legs. Its most striking feature was the nose, so short that it ended behind the propeller discs: this let the engines sit close together near the aircraft's centreline, reducing asymmetric thrust with one engine out. For the same reason, the Thrush's single fin gave way to twin fins.
Three prototypes
The first Kingbird was unveiled in May 1929 with two 185 hp six-cylinder Curtiss Challenger engines. It was underpowered, so it was re-engined with Wright Whirlwind radials and renamed Kingbird J-1. The other two prototypes, the J-2 and J-3, received 225 hp Whirlwind J-6-7s as Kingbird D-1s and were later brought up to production standard.
The D-2 from St. Louis
Production moved to the Curtiss-Robertson plant in St. Louis, Missouri, but the production aircraft were not ready until the summer of 1930, by which time the Great Depression had already sunk the market. The Kingbird D-2 had two 300 hp Whirlwind J-6-9s, a biplane tail with two horizontal surfaces between the fins and a seven-passenger cabin with heating and lighting; a swing-over control wheel allowed it to be flown from either of the two front seats. It cruised at about 180 km/h and had a range of some 670 km.
Eastern and the Marines
Its main customer was Eastern Air Transport, the future Eastern Air Lines, which bought 14 and from 1930 flew them on its East Coast routes, including New York to Miami; some were modified to carry more mail and cargo, and the last ones kept flying until 1935. The Navy bought another D-2 for the Marine Corps: ordered as the JC-1, it was delivered in March 1931 as the RC-1 and served as an air ambulance. The last new Kingbird was the D-3, a five-passenger executive transport for Curtiss-Wright itself, certificated in August 1931. In all, 19 were built.
In Turkish Airlines' first fleet
The Kingbird also played an unexpected part in the history of Turkish aviation. When the Turkish state created its airline, Devlet Hava Yolları, the forerunner of Turkish Airlines, on 20 May 1933, its first fleet of five aircraft included two five-seat Kingbirds, alongside two Junkers F 13s and a Tupolev ANT-9.
Variants
Prototype powered by 185 hp (138 kW) six-cylinder Curtiss R-600 Challenger engines. One built, but found to be underpowered. Later converted to Kingbird J-1.
Second and third prototypes (previously Kingbird J-3 and J-2) powered by 225 hp nine-cylinder Wright Whirlwind J-6-7 radial engines. Later converted to D-2 standard.
Production aircraft with two 300 hp (224 kW) Whirlwind J-6-9 engines. 14 built plus two converted from D-1s.
One-off Curtiss executive transport. Two 330 hp (246 kW) Whirlwind J-6-9 engines. Seats for five passengers.
First prototype after re-engining with Whirlwind engines.
Third prototype, J-6-7 engines.
Second prototype, J-6-9 engines.
Single Kingbird D-2 for US Navy, originally ordered as JC-1 (J for utility), but delivered as RC-1 (R for transport).
Overview and history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · technical figures from the manufacturer’s published specifications and standard aviation references
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This page was last updated on October 11, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 11). Curtiss Kingbird. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/kingbird
MLA
“Curtiss Kingbird.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 11 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/model/kingbird. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Curtiss Kingbird.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 11, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/kingbird.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Curtiss Kingbird. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/kingbird (Accessed: 17 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_model_kingbird,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Curtiss Kingbird}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-11},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/kingbird},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/kingbird}},
urldate = {2026-10-17},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/kingbird |title=Curtiss Kingbird |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-11 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}