A Little Information On The Jenny
The Curtis JN-4 "Jenny" two seat biplane. A legend. It was arguably the most popular airplane of all time. Although it was technologically unremarkable, it was the first mass produced airplane. More of these trainers were produced than any other American airplane up to that time. That was achievement enough but it's real claim to fame was in it's role as a trainer. The Jenny never saw military action but was used to train some 95 percent of all U.S. and Canadian pilots from the time that the U.S. entered WW I in April of 1917.
A whole generation of pilots learned to fly on Jennys including U.S. and Canadian pilots and in flying schools in Great Britain and France. After the war, these airplanes were surplused and thousands were sold to civilians who started barnstorming across America. Although many of these aircraft were poorly maintained and there were many casualties, the barnstorming era helped awaken America to aviation. But while they became part of American folklore, their large number and low cost effectively killed the market for new aircraft until the mid-1920s. New models of aircraft did not gain a foothold until the supply of surplus aircraft was exhausted.
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