Curtiss Aircraft at Keuka Lake, New York, 1910-1912

In addition to his pioneering work with aileron control surfaces, Glenn Curtiss designed and built some of the earliest seaplanes in the United States. His first experiments involved little more than strapping a canoe to the bottom of a standard airplane. But by 1911, the potential of Curtiss's flying boats had earned him a contract with the U.S. Navy.