Curtiss H-16 Flying Boat — Primary-Source Documentation Archive

The Curtiss H-16 was the evolutionary apex of the Curtiss Model H family — a twin-engine maritime patrol flying boat that served both the United States Navy and the Royal Air Force during World War I. Structurally refined through British Felixstowe hull influence, the H-16 represented the most capable American-built patrol flying boat of its era.

This archive brings together surviving original documentation from multiple issuing authorities: the U.S. Navy Bureau of Construction and Repair, the U.S. Army Signal Corps Equipment Division, and the British Ministry of Munitions Technical Department — Aircraft Production.

Document Manifest

• The H-16A Flying Boat Handbook — Navy Department, Bureau of Construction and Repair, July 1918. The primary U.S. Navy airframe handbook for the H-16A variant.
• Complete Drawings of the Liberty "12" Engine — U.S.A. Standardized Aircraft Engine. Ocean Publishing Company, New York. Full engineering drawing set for the Liberty 12 powerplant as fitted to the H-16.
• Instructions for Installation, Inspection and Maintenance of the U.S.A. Standardized Aircraft Engine — Prepared by B. V. Bassett, I.A. & A.E.; Approved by E. J. Hall, Major, Signal Corps. Equipment Division, Signal Corps, U.S.A. The official maintenance and installation manual for the Liberty engine.
• The 12 Cylinder Liberty Aero Engine — Ministry of Munitions, Technical Department — Aircraft Production, H.B. 809. Classified CONFIDENTIAL, September 1918. Issued for use of members of the Royal Air Force. Signed by J. G. Weir, Brigadier-General, Controller, Technical Department.

Aerodynamic & Airfoil Data

• Wing configuration: 4-bay biplane wing cellule with unbalanced ailerons
• Airfoil profile: British RAF 6 high-lift section
• Wing chord: 2.15 m (7.05 ft)
• Cellule gap: 2.45 m (8.04 ft)
• Total lifting surface: 108.13 m² (1,164 sq ft)

Engine & Propulsion

• US Navy standard: Two Liberty 12 liquid-cooled V-12 engines — 400 hp (298 kW) each at sea level
• Royal Navy standard: Two Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII — 375 hp (280 kW) each, for North Sea operations
• Airscrew: Dual 2-bladed fixed-pitch tractor propellers
• Propeller diameter: 2.92 m (9.58 ft) at 16.17° pitch angle
• Total fuel capacity: 410 US gallons (1,552 litres) in internal fuselage tanks

Hull Design & Handling

• Deep-V planing bottom with side sponsons (fins) to deflect spray
• Longitudinal keel steps to reduce water-suction forces during takeoff run
• Monoplane tailplane with uncompensated elevators and broad water rudder
• High drag profile requiring powered glide-slope approach
• Glassy-water landing: throttle down to establish steady sink rate for surface height reference

Performance Data

Production & Variants

• 124 aircraft built by Curtiss (Hammondsport, NY)
• 150 aircraft built by the Naval Aircraft Factory (Philadelphia) — designated NAF C-1
• H-16-1: Experimental prototype with pusher powerplant layout
• H-16-2: Revised interplane wire configuration and wing bracing

Armament

• 5–6 flexible .303-in Lewis machine guns on flexible mounts
• Underwing bomb racks: four 100-lb or two 230-lb ordnance packages

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