Between 1909 and 1911 Glenn Curtiss, a rival of the Wright Brothers, designed and built a popular aircraft known as the Curtiss pusher. It became the most widely used American exhibition plane between 1909 and World War I. Unlike many airplanes of the period, the Curtiss pusher was stable, rugged and maneuverable.

The airframe (chassis) of a Curtiss pusher was built of wood and bamboo held together with wire and tinned fasteners. Wings and control surfaces were covered with silk, canvas, cotton or Irish linen made airtight by the application of varnish. They were equipped with four, six or eight-cylinder engines developing between 26 and 100 horsepower. The higher-powered engines were a necessity at high-altitude cities such as Alburquerque. The weight of a plane varied between 550 and 1,000 pounds, depending upon the number of seats, size of the engine and configuration of the airframe. Whether built by the factory or by independent enthusiast, Curtiss Pushers were expensive and required constant maintenance. In 1911 a complete pusher delievered at the factory in Hammondsport, New York cost between $4,500 and $6,000.

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