"Foreword Glenn Curtiss was one of the most significant figures of pioneering aviation and engine development. He was also one of the most controversial??and one of the most complex?? figures of his time. Although he was a quiet man@ he showed a flair for racing that earned him the nickname ""Hell-Rider."" He was a man whose face inevitably froze into a stern expression whenever a camera turned his way@ yet he was remembered decades after his death for his kindness. A formally uneducated man@ he took the lead in multiple fields of engineering and entrepreneurship. Widely renowned as a man of character@ he went to his grave accused of fiduciary irresponsibility and patent theft. The historiography of Curtiss is almost impossible to separate from his mythology@ both positive and negative aspects. Long and bitter patent actions brought against him by the Wright brothers have only provided tinder for this blaze of confusion. History reads better if it has heroes and villains@ and a beginning@ a middle@ and an end. Either Curtiss is the villain and the Wrights are heroes@ or the other way around. Life is rarely so simple. Curtiss was a pioneer in several fields: airplanes (in general); seaplanes (in particular); internal combustion engines; motorcycles; dirigibles; community development; and trailers (by way of his fascination for articulated@ independently suspended road vehicles). In some cases@ he was the original innovator in his field. In others@ he seized existing innovations@ developed them further@ and made them practical and salable. Curtiss loved experimenting@ but he never lost sight of sales. Curtiss's work was always intensely personal. Therefore@ to understand his work@ we need to follow the thread of his life along with a deeper scrutiny of his technological efforts. As a young man@ Curtiss worked for the Eastman Company and briefly supported himself as a photographer. We'll borrow from his art in organizing the chapters of this book@ using ""Panoramas"" to cover his life story and setting and ""Close-Ups"" to examine his work in several fields. As a very young man@ Curtiss gained fame as an inventor and racer@ perhaps the last in a line of know-how@ can-do Yankee tinkerers who parleyed their limited educations into fortune and fame by creating or elaborating new technologies. Curtiss was 32 years old when a boys' adventure novel called Tom Swift and His Motor Cycle was published. The character of Tom was a young inventor and racing daredevil who had a plant in Shopton@ a small town on the shores of fictional Lake Carlopa in upstate New York. Author ""Victor Appleton"" used many men as models in his 1910 creation of Tom Swift@ but it's clear that a generous portion of the original mix consisted of Glenn Curtiss. [1@ 2] Tom and Glenn both remain forever young. Glenn Curtiss accomplished all that he achieved in only 52 years. Back in those exciting turn-of-the-century days@ especially in aviation@ the focus was on who was first for one accomplishment or another. Historians studying the period frequently find this to be nearly impossible to sort out@ especially given early aviation's second nature as a branch of show business. All we can say for this book is that assertions of firsts are good-faith efforts@ and we're always ready to cheerfully correct our understandings in the face of better evidence. We also need to remember that independent development is not infrequent in times such as these. It's also the case@ however@ that often more important than questions of primacy are questions of influence. Glenn Curtiss was one of the most influential men in the development of the motorcycle with its industy@ the airplane with its industry@ and the travel trailer with its industry??not to mention the development of southeastern Florida. A good portion of our transit through the sky and along the roads rests on work done by Glenn Curtiss. If his contributions are often neglected nowadays@ that would probably be all right with him. Glenn was a quiet guy. He always hated a fuss. "