These Early Biplanes Documented the Arctic, Captured Newsreel Footage and Witnessed Lindbergh's Historic Flight. Now, a Rare Example Will Hang in a Museum

The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York, has acquired a rare Curtiss Oriole biplane, a three-seat aircraft built in the 1920s. The historic plane, which arrived in pieces, is now scheduled for a comprehensive restoration and will eventually be suspended above the museum's cafe. Once restored, it will join a 100-foot-long mural by American aviator and artist Aline Rhonie, featuring the Oriole.

The Curtiss Oriole was produced by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, a leading aircraft manufacturer during World War I and part of an effort to break into the emerging civilian aviation market after the war. The museum already has a Curtiss C-6 engine, which powered the Oriole, in its collection. This newly acquired plane, one of just a handful of known examples in existence today, was manufactured at the Curtiss factory in Garden City, not far from where the museum is located.

It was sent to Argentina and might have contributed to early South American aerial mapping efforts. The restoration manager considers the plane to be "very complete" with approximately 90 percent of its original parts, despite nearly a century of wear and tear.

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