Historical Note: Curtiss-Wright Corporation

The Curtiss-Wright Corporation was formed on July 5, 1929 by the merger of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company and the Wright Aeronautical Corporation, including numerous subsidiaries and affiliated companies. Its headquarters was in Buffalo, New York and, at the time, it was the country’s largest aviation company. Curtiss-Wright operated in three main divisions: the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division, which manufactured airframes until 1951; the Wright Aeronautical Corporation, which produced aeronautical engines; and the Curtiss-Wright Propeller Division, which manufactured propellers. The company supplied aircraft for the military, commercial uses, and private market.

The company’s assets included The Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Company; The Curtiss-Caproni Corporation; The Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company; The Keystone Aircraft Corporation; The Moth Aircraft Corporation; The Travel Air Manufacturing Company; The Wright Aeronautical Corporation; The Curtiss-Wright Flying Service; The Curtiss-Wright Sales Corporation; and The Curtiss-Wright Export Corporation.

With the onset of the Great Depression, the company had lower sales than expected and faced difficult times. Among the many changes the company was forced to make: all engine manufacturing was consolidated to the Wright Aeronautical plant in Paterson, New Jersey; an engineering facility on Long Island was closed; subsidiaries Travel Air Corporation and Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company were reorganized into the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Company; and the Curtiss-Wright Flying Service reduced their aircraft holdings and shut down numerous sites. The commercial market was very weak, but military orders, including ones from foreign countries, sustained the company until World War II. During this time, they developed new products including air-cooled engines, radial engines, and engines that exceeded 1,000 horsepower.

World War II was a time of high production for The Curtiss-Wright Company: they produced 142,840 engines, 146,468 electric propellers and 29,269 airplanes. They opened new facilities in Buffalo, New York; Columbus, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and St. Louis, Missouri. Among the aircraft they produced were the P-36 Hawk Fighter, the P-40 War Hawk, and the C-46 Commando. The Wright Aeronautical division opened additional plants in Fair Lawn, East Paterson and Wood Ridge, New Jersey as well as in Lockland, Ohio. The propeller division opened new facilities in Clifton, New Jersey and later in Indianapolis, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

After the war, when military contracts were severely curtailed, the company sold its aviation division to North American Aviation. The company tried to break into the jet market, supplying engines for such planes as the Douglas DC-7 and Lockheed Super Constellation. Over the next few decades the company moved away from the aviation industry and diversified its activities, becoming involved in plastics, electronics, automotive, earth-moving equipment, metal-extrusion, and industrial valves among other things. The company is still in operation as of 2026.

Places

• Buffalo (N.Y.) (Residence)
• New York (State) (Residence)
• New Jersey (Residence)
• Ohio (Residence)

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