Research aircraft
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company, 1918-1927
The Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company records include technical and sales correspondence, engineering drawings, and reports that document the development of the aerial torpedo, automatic pilot, airplane stabilizer, and other aeronautical instruments. Correspondence with the Navy's Air Service Department describes the company's research, development and testing programs. There are also a number of reports on test flights. Patents and financial records document the relationship between the Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company and the Sperry Gyroscope Company, as well as the agreements of both with the Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corporation. The Perry-Curtiss joint venture culminated with the invention of the flying bomb (1917-1918), which placed Sperry controls on a Curtiss-designed plane.