Curtiss CS

The Curtiss CS (or Model 31) was a reconnaissance and torpedo bomber aircraft used by the United States Navy during the 1920s. It was a large, single engine biplane with single-bay, unstaggered wings, the design conventional in all respects other than the fact that the lower wing was of greater span than the upper. The CS was built to allow its undercarriage to be quickly and easily swapped between wheeled, tailskid undercarriage, and twin pontoons for operation from water. Provision for the carriage of a torpedo was semi-recessed into the underside of the fuselage, blended in behind an aerodynamic fairing. The pilot and gunner sat in tandem open cockpits, while accommodation inside the fuselage was provided for a third crewmember who served as bombardier and radio operator. This station was also provided with a hatch in the dorsal side of the fuselage aft of the gunner's position, and a blister on the ventral side aft of the torpedo recess, which was used for aiming bombs or torpedoes.