<p>Air racing was big news in the 1920s, especially the prestigious Pulitzer Trophy for landplanes and the international Schneider Trophy for seaplanes. Curtiss began building racers in early 1920, and achieved some success. The company built the CR series of racers for the US Navy. Naturally the Army could not let its rival steal any glory, so Curtiss was asked to design a racer for the USAAC to race in the 1922 Pulitzer. The result was the R-6, a much streamlined version of the CR with wing surface radiators to reduce drag and powered by a Curtiss CD.12 engine. Two R-6s were built (68563 and 68564), and they swept the board in the 1922 race, Lieutenant Russell Maughan finishing first in 68564 while Lieutenant Lester J. Maitland came second in 68563. Four days after the race none other than General Billy Mitchell used '64 to set a new world speed record of 224.28 mph. In March 1923 Maughan raised the record to 236.587 mph. Flying in subsequent Pulitzers, the R-6s were overshadowed by newer types, and in the 1924 race one shed its wings during a diving start.
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<p>Perturbed by the Army's triumph in 1922, the Navy looked to Curtiss to provide them with a winner for 1923. Two R2C-1s were built, powered by the 507-hp Curtiss D.12A engine and featuring the top wing actually mounted on top of the fuselage rather than on a small pylon as on the R-6. These aircraft gained first and second place for the Navy in 1923, and raised the world speed record to 266.59 mph. One was subsequently sold to the Army for $1, but this aircraft (23-1235) crashed on 2 September 1924.
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<p>For the 1925 Pulitzer, the Army and Navy pooled their resources and ordered three R3C-1s for the race. These aircraft retained Navy serials, and were similar to the R2C-1 except for an uprated Curtiss V-1400 engine and a changed wing aerofoil section. Two of them entered the 1925 Pulitzer, which was won by the Army's Lieutenant Cyrus Bettis. The Navy-flown aircraft came second.
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<p>In 1923, the Navy had won the Schneider Trophy with a CR-3, and for the 1925 competition the Army-Navy team put the three R3C-2s on floats. The Navy withdrew during the competition, leaving the Army's Lieutenant James H. Doolittle to win the race in A6979. He then rubbed salt in the wounds by setting a world seaplane record of 245.713 mph. With two consecutive Schneider wins, the United States needed just one more to take the trophy outright. Curtiss developed the R3C-3 and R3C-4 with more powerful engines, but the former crashed on trials and the latter ran out of fuel during the race. It was left to a Marine Corps pilot to fly the reserve R3C-2 to second place, so ending the US attempt to bring the Schneider Trophy home.
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<hi style=hdr1>Specification</hi>
<hi style=hdr2>Curtiss—R3C-2 floatplane</hi>
<list style=aflst>
<item><hi format=bold>Type:</hi> seaplane racer
<item><hi format=bold>Powerplant:</hi> one Curtiss V-1400 piston engine, rated at 565 hp
<item><hi format=bold>Performance:</hi> maximum speed 245 mph; range at full power 290 miles
<item><hi format=bold>Weights:</hi> empty 2,135 lb; maximum take-off 2,738 lb
<item><hi format=bold>Dimensions:</hi> wing span 22 ft 0 in; length 22 ft 0 in; height 10 ft 4 in; wing area 144 sq ft
