What standard did the Aeromarine 39-B introduce?

Short answer

More than a technical standard, an operational first: the 39B made the first landing on a US aircraft carrier, on the moving USS Langley (CV-1), on 26 October 1922. Compared with the 39A, it debuted a single float with outrigger floats, a larger vertical tail and a Curtiss OXX engine.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What standard did the Aeromarine 39-B introduce?

Aeromarine 39B landing aboard USS Langley (CV-1) in October 1922 (NH 93178)

From the 39A to the 39B

Fifty examples of the original design, later called the 39A, were produced, with twin floats and a Hall-Scott A-7 engine. The later redesign increased the wingspan to generate more lift on takeoffs from water, and that version came to be known as the 39B. The other changes were a switch to a single float with outrigger floats, a larger vertical stabilizer, and replacement of the powerplant with a Curtiss OXX.

The first landing on a US aircraft carrier

On 26 October 1922, Lieutenant Commander Godfrey DeCourcelles Chevalier landed a 39B on a moving ship, USS Langley (CV-1), which was sailing off Cape Henry. It was the first landing on a US Navy aircraft carrier, and the aircraft that made it already had the 39B's single float, enlarged tail and Curtiss OXX engine.