Hoping somebody can assist with identifying the unit or individual Curtiss "Jenny" from the number on its tail-fin. I recently acquired two photos of such an aircraft, apparently taken in the U.S. c. 1917-18, prior to it receiving its active service/overseas markings, for it merely has "T-78" painted on it's tail-fin, and the barn from which it was apparently stored, also has "T-78" painted over its massive doorway.

Thanks for any assistance provided.

Niall

As a trainer would a Jenny have active service markings? Overseas markings sound unlikely as I've not seen any cases of US Army Jennys going abroad (apart from some use over Mexico) - plenty of Jennys in UK service. Is this aircraft a JN 3 or a JN 4? A number of JN 4s were used in the USA for training RFC personnel. They appear to have had 'school' markings - one such school in Texas having a lozenge on the tail and fuselage.

Thanks for that. I'm just an old infantryman, so assumed that Jennys I've seen with the tricolour on the fin and/or roundel on the wings were ones that had made it to France or Flanders...details on the photos aren't too crisp, but it's surrounded by Doughboy crewmen and would appear to be a JN4.

American aircraft serving in theatre adopted a roundel and fin stripes to be consistent with the rest of the Allies (in the confusion of combat its the shape of the marking that counts as much as the colour - which is why in WW2 some British and New Zealand aircraft in the Pacific had their roundel on a bar to look similar to US aircraft). In the US a star was used. It seems to have been common practice in some Canadian training units to have the name of the 'school' on the side of the aircraft. This made accident reporting easier. Possibly the same may have applied to some US aircraft and the number is that of a training unit. Its also worth remembering that some pilot training was done by civilian establishments - Curtis running a number of these. Aircraft from these establishments would not have a star on the aircraft.

Thought this might be of interest here, "The Inverted Jenny"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...toryId=96228893



Fitzee