|
Curtiss-Wright
| |
|---|---|
| Type |
Aircraft manufacturer |
| Leader |
Glenn Wagner, CEO |
| Headquarters | |
| Aircraft |
Curtiss-Wright J3 Eagle Curtiss-Wright J4 Crusader |
Calling itself "The Original Airplane Company", the Curtiss-Wright Corporation was founded as the Wright Company by Orville and Wilbur Wright, inventors of the first heavier-than-air craft to enter sustained flight. Despite earning millions from royalties, the Wright Brothers lost futher millions fighting patent infringment. In 1915, three years after Wilbur's death, Orville sold the company to a New York finance company, and Curtiss-Wright was born.
With its new financial muscle, Curtiss-Wright spread out, establishing plants in upstate New York; Columbus, Ohio; St Louis, Missouri; and Louisville, Kentucky.
With the Wall Street Crash in 1929 and the collapse of the Union, Curtiss-Wright survived only by virtue of its superior aircraft. The J2 Fury was their main breadwinner until the equally-popular P2 Warhawk became available in 1933. On the back of these two successful designs, Curtiss-Wright became one of the most profitable companies in North America.
Curtiss-Wright’s multinational holdings pose a particular problem, with research and manufacturing sites spread across the Empire State, the ISA, Dixie and Appalachia. The mutually antagonistic relationships between these countries have prompted Curtiss-Wright to develop inventive shipping and management policies, and the company is legally headquartered in neutral Columbia. CEO Glenn Wagner has won concessions from the governments in whose territory his plants lie to allow free passage of Curtiss-Wright goods in exchange for favorable purchase deals. Ironically, the Fury has become a mainstay of pirate bands like the Black Swan’s and others, and is frequently used to attack Curtiss-Wright airships.