G.Swanborough, P.Bowers United States Military Aircraft Since 1909 (Putnam)
BURGESS H
Seven Burgess Model H trainers were bought in 1912 as the Army’s first tractor designs. Three were converted to seaplanes by removing the wheels from the combination skid-wheel undercarriage and bolting twin pontoons to the skids. The Burgess Hs retained many earlier Wright features, notably the warping-wing method of lateral control and the Wright Model B type of landing gear. The skid under the twin rudders was merely to protect them, and not a true tailskid. The Hs were troublesome, and along with the Wright and Curtiss pushers, gave the Army Training School at North Island, San Diego, a bad reputation.
Four Burgess Hs (Serials 24, 28 and two others) were redesigned and rebuilt by Grover C. Loening, at San Diego. The 70 h.p. French Renault engine was retained, as was the basic fuselage. The wings were rebuilt to use aileron control, and the Wright control levers were replaced by Curtiss controls with wheel for rudder and shoulder yoke for the ailerons. The new tail used a single enlarged rudder with fixed vertical fin and the skid-type landing gear was replaced by an entirely new cross-axle type that Loening patented and which in its essential form was used on all subsequent American designs.
The rebuilt Burgess H No. 28, fitted with extra tanks and flown by student Q. B. Jones, set a world’s endurance record for three persons of 7 hours 5 minutes on March 12, 1915.
Jane's All The World Aircraft 1913
BURGESS. Burgess Co. & Curtis, Marblehead, Mass. Built Wright types under license, also machines of their own.
Model and date. Military Coast defence Naval flying
tractor. hydro. boat.
1912-13. 1913. 1913.
Length.....feet(m.) 37? (8.50) 33-1/3 (9.55) 31 (9.45)
Span.......feet(m.) 34? (10.50) 37? (12) 42 (13.10)
36 (10.97)
Area...sq.feet(m?.) ... ... ...
Weight,
total, lbs.(kgs.) ... ... ...
useful,lbs.(kgs.) ... 775 (352) ...
Motor..........h.p. 70 Renault 60 Sturtevant 70 Renault
muffled
Speed...m.p.h.(km.) 45 (70) 59 (95) ...
Endurance......hrs. 4? 4? ...
Number built
during 1912 ... ... ...
Remarks.-- Lumina fabric. Special clear view Boat 29?feet long.
Single screw. for observation. 2--2 step floats.
Details, 2--1 step mahogany Petrol, 48 gallons.
Aeronautics, and copper floats. Details,
(U.S.A.), Useful weight Aeronautics,
May-June,1912. includes floats. (U.S.A.), May,1913.
Details,
Aeronautics,
(U.S.A.), Feb.,1913.