Category AIRFORCE

January 2 In Washington, D. C., Major General Charles T. Menoher assumes office as director of the Air Service.

JANUARY 6 Four Army Curtiss JN-4H Jennies fly 4,000 miles during a cross­country flight to select airfields for the forthcoming airmail service.

January 18 A Loening monoplane flown by Major Rudolph W. Schroeder and powered by a 300-horsepower His – pano engine reaches a record altitude of 19,500 feet.

January 24 Over Issoudun, France, Lieutenant Temple M. Joyce performs 30 consecutive loops without mishap, impressing onlookers.

FEBRUARY 21 The prototype Thomas – Morse fighter (MB-3) makes its maiden flight; it is eventually accepted into pro­duction as the first American designed fighter aircraft. Because 200 will be con­structed, this constitutes the largest order for military aircraft for the next 17 years.

MARCH 10 In Washington, D. C., Briga­dier General William “Billy” Mitchell gains appointment as commander ofMili – tary Aeronautics under the Director of Air Service.

APRIL 19 At New York City, a De Havil – land DH-4B flown by Captain E. F. White and mechanic H. M. Schaefer arrives after traveling nonstop from Chicago, Illinois, in 6 hours and 50 minutes; an American distance record of 738.6 miles.

APRIL 28 At McCook Field, Ohio, civil­ian Leslie L. Irvin jumps from a DH-9 at 1,500 feet while wearing the experimen­tal Model AA backpack parachute. Despite the fact he fractures an ankle upon landing, the Army orders 400 para­chutes from his company.

MAY 17 In Washington, D. C., the War Department issues regulations making the national star a standard insignia on all American military aircraft.

MAY 19 Over McCook Airfield, Ohio, Sergeant Ralph W. Bottriell safely demonstrates the “Type A” parachute by jumping from an aircraft; he receives the Distinguished Flying Cross.

JUNE 1 In California, Major Henry H. Arnold, commanding Rockwell Field, California, begins the first fire patrol on the West Coast to assist the District For­ester of San Francisco.

July 24-November 19 At Bolling Field, Washington, D. C., a twin-engine Martin MB-2 bomber piloted by Lieu­tenant Colonel R. S. Hartz, Lieutenant

F. E. Harmon, and their crew, begins the first peripheral flight around the U. S. borders; the journey takes 155 hours and covers nearly 10,000 miles.

SEPTEMBER 1 At Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the first experiment in dive-bombing is conducted by a DH – 4B flown by Lieutenant Lester B. Sweely (Air Service Reserve), which drops a fuselage-mounted 300-pound bomb.

SEPTEMBER 6 At Dayton, Ohio, Major Rudolph W. Schroeder and Lieutenant

G. A. Elfrey set an unofficial two-man altitude record of 28,250 feet flying a Packard-LePere LUSAC II aircraft over McCook Field. To do so the aircraft was fitted with a special Moss Turbo Super­charger while Schroeder was fitted with an oxygen system.

SEPTEMBER 26 Near Arcadia, Florida, flight-testing begins on the Liberty Eagle pilotless flying bomb; of fourteen launches only five become airborne.

OCTOBER 7 At New York, a flight of 44 military aircraft departs for the West Coast on a reliability and endurance test; only 15 machines are available for the return flight, and only 10 of these actually complete the trip. Lieutenant B. W. Maynard wins the Mackay Trophy for coming in first, while Major Carl A. Spaatz registers the fastest west-east flight.

OCTOBER 12-15 At New York, a De Havilland DH-4 bomber flown by Lieu­tenant Belvin Maynard departs Roosevelt Field and flies roundtrip to San Francisco and back. He covers 5,400 miles in the first transcontinental flight.

OCTOBER 27 In Washington, D. C., Major General Charles T. Menoher, Director of the Air Service, rejects Congressional pro­posals to establish an independent air force that is free of Army control.

OCTOBER 30 At McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, the first experiments with a reversible-pitch propeller are successfully conducted. This device slows an aircraft down while landing, allowing aircraft to brake on shorter runways.

February 19 In New York City, William G. “Billy” Mitchell, America’s leading air power proponent, dies. Though not recognized at the time, many of his prophecies are strikingly realized during World War II.

June 6 The Saucony-Vacuum Company uses the catalytic cracking method to pro­duce the world’s first 100-octane aviation fuel, use of which greatly boosts the per­formance of military aircraft.

June 7 Major Ira C. Eaker performs the first-ever blind transcontinental flight as he pilots an airplane from New York to Los Angeles, California, relying solely upon instruments.

June 16 On Long Island, New York, the Seversky Aircraft Company contracts with the Army Air Corps to manufacture its first all-metal fighter with enclosed cockpits and retractable landing gear. It enters service as the P-35.

June 29 Major General Frank M. Andrews and Major John Whitney set a world airline record by flying a Douglas YOA5-2 1,430 miles between San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Langley Field, Virginia.

OCTOBER 13 At Roswell, New Mexico, the rocket facility operated by Dr. Robert D. Goddard, is visited by Army lieutenant John W. Sessums, who seeks to gauge possible military applications. He reports this technology might be useful in pro­pelling gliders.

December 2 In Washington State, Boe­ing’s YB-15 prototype performs its maiden flight. This large aircraft, equipped with numerous gun blisters, is the epitome of the “aerial battleship” designed to fight its way into enemy air­space without fighter escort.

December 9 The prestigious Columbian Trophy goes to the 3rd Attack Group, Army Air Corps for best flying safety record of the year.

1937

February 11 Major J. McDuffie leads a

flight of eight Martin B-10 bombers from Langley Field, Virginia, to Airbrook Field, Panama, covering 4,000 miles without serious mishap. This is the first time that large land aircraft have operated over open water for an extended period.

MARCH 1 At Langley Field, Virginia, Boeing delivers its first YB-17A Flying Fortress to the 2nd Bombardment Group, Army Air Corps. This is the service’s first four-engine, high-speed, high – altitude aircraft, possessing sufficient range and bomb load to serve as a stra­tegic bomber.

MARCH 26 At Roswell, New Mexico, Dr. Robert H. Goddard launches a liquid-fuel rocket guided by moveable air vanes in the rocket exhaust and con­nected to a gyrostabilizer in the nose; it reaches an altitude of 9,000 feet.

APRIL 12 In England, a jet engine designed by Royal Air Force officer Frank Whittle is successfully tested at Cambridge University. Harnessing this technology takes almost a decade, but leads to breakthroughs in aviation speed.

May 7 A fully pressurized cabin is tested on the Lockheed XC-35 high-altitude research aircraft, winning the Collier Trophy. A novelty at present, pressurized cabins and passenger compartments even­tually become standard equipment on most airplanes.

May 8 The Mackay Trophy is awarded to six officers and two enlisted men from the U. S. Army Air Corps for piloting three bombers from Langley Field, Vir­ginia, to Allegan, Michigan.

June 23 In Burbank, California, the Lockheed Corporation contracts with the

U. S. Army Air Corps to develop its radical, twin-boomed XP-38 fighter. This eventually enters service as the Lightning.

June 30 In Washington, D. C., Major General Oscar Westover, chief of the Air Corps, ends the Army’s balloon program when Congressional funding ceases. Any remaining equipment is handed off to the Navy.

July 1 The Signal Corps Weather Service transfers over to the Army Air Corps.

July 20 At Langley, Virginia, the General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force receives its own uniform insignia, signaling its sta­tus as an independent air unit.

July 26 Aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran, a newcomer to the male-dominated world of aviation, sets a women’s American speed record of 203.895 miles per hour in a Beechcraft airplane.

AUGUST 5 Over Wright Field, Ohio, the XC-35 becomes the first aircraft to fly with a fully pressurized cabin.

AUGUST 23 Over Wright Field, Ohio, a Fokker C-14B piloted by Captain George

V. Holloman performs the first completely automated landing by utilizing an auto­pilot designed by Captain Carl J. Crane; both men receive the Mackay Trophy and Distinguished Flying Crosses.

September 1 At Buffalo, New York,

Lieutenant Benjamin Kelsey takes the radical Bell XFM-1, multiplace, twin – engine pusher fighter on its maiden flight.

Eventually christened the Airacuda, it does not enter into production.

SEPTEMBER 21 Over Detroit, Michigan, gender barriers in aviation continue fall­ing as aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran, flying a civilian version of the Seversky P-35 fighter, establishes a woman’s speed record of 293 miles per hour.

OCTOBER 15 At Seattle, Washington, Boeing’s gigantic XB-15 makes its maiden flight; though impressive in terms of size, the XB-15 is grossly underpow­ered and only one is built.

December 3 Major Alexander P. de Seversky flies an aircraft of his own design from New York City to Havana, Cuba, setting a new record of five hours and three minutes. This same day, aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran sets another new record by flying from New York to Miami, Florida, in four hours and twelve minutes.

AUGUST 3 At Oakland, California, Cap­tain Thomas S. Baldwin conducts the first American dirigible flight. He flies an air­ship, equipped with a Curtiss motor, in a complete circuit.

September 20 At Dayton, Ohio, Wilbur Wright again makes aviation history with the first circular flight of a heavier-than – air craft around Huffman Prairie.

FEBRUARY 22 At San Diego, California, Lieutenant W. D. Coney makes the first solo transcontinental flight by flying his DH-4B to Jacksonville, Florida, in 22 hours, 27 minutes. This is also one of the earliest mail-service flights.

FEBRUARY 25 At Langley Field, Vir­ginia, the first Air Service School is established; it becomes the Air Corps Tactical School in July 1926.

FEBRUARY 27 Over Dayton, Ohio, a Packard-LePere LUSAC 11 biplane flown by Major R. W. Schroeder reaches a world-record altitude of 33,114 feet. The aircraft is powered by a modified Liberty 400 engine.

May 1 At Dayton, Ohio, the GA-1 tri­

plane, the Army’s first armored aircraft, debuts. This twin-engined bomber is heavi­ly armed with eight machine guns and a 37mm cannon, but only flies at 105 miles per hour; it does not enter production.

May 14—16 At Bolling Air Field, Wash­ington, D. C., the first Army Air Tourna­ment, which features several captured German aircraft, draws a crowd of

10.0 people.

June 4 In Washington, D. C., Congress

passes the Army Reorganization Bill of 1920, which grants the Air Service per­manent status on par with the infantry, cavalry, and artillery. The military rating of “airplane pilot” also arises, with authorized flight pay of 50 percent above existing base pay. Furthermore, the Air Service is authorized 1,514 officers and

16.0 enlisted men.

June 5 To ease competition fears from

the Navy, Congress passes legislation restricting the Air Service to land bases.

June 8 Over San Antonio, Texas, Lieu­tenant John H. Wilson makes an unoffi­cial world-record parachute jump from 19,861 feet.

June 11 At Langley Field, Virginia, Wind Tunnel 1, which is only five feet in length, is successfully tested. Results obtained convince the National Advisory Commit­tee for Aeronautics (NACA) that a larger device is necessary for meaningful results.

June 28 Army and Navy representatives are encouraged by NACA to enroll air offi­cers to the Massachusetts Institute of Tech­nology (MIT) to study aeronautical science; among those assigned there is James H. Doolittle, who garners a doctorate.

July 1 In Ohio, the Wright Aeronautical Company constructs a Hispano-Suiza air­plane engine capable of firing a 37mm cannon shell down the propeller shaft.

July 15-October 20 At Mitchel Field, New York, four DH-4Bs under Captain St. Clair Streett fly to Nome, Alaska, and back; the trip covers

9,0 miles and is successfully concluded.

September 11 At Langley Field, Vir­ginia, three airships fly under radio com­munication and are directed while aloft and still in formation.

October 3 On the Potomac River near Washington, D. C., a Huff-Daland HD-4 Bridget aircraft flown by Lieutenants Godfrey L. Cabot and Harold R. Harris retrieves a five-gallon can of gasoline from a float. This constitutes an early attempt at in-flight refueling.

OCTOBER 20 At Mineola Field, New York, a flight of four aircraft under Cap­tain St. Clair Streett, who departed on the previous July 15, returns after a record 9,000-mile flight to Alaska and back. Streett wins a Mackay Trophy along with the Distinguished Flying Cross for his efforts.

November 1 At Langley Field, Virginia, Major Thomas DeWitt Milling assumes command of the Field Officers School, a precursor of the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Alabama. It arises to create new air doctrines and tac­tics for fast-changing times.

November 25 At Mitchel Field, New York, Lieutenant Corliss C. Moseley, fly­ing a Verville-Packard 600, wins the first Pulitzer Air Race at an average speed of 156.5 miles per hour.

FEBRUARY 17 At Miami, Florida, Lieu­tenant Colonel Robert D. Olds leads six Boeing B-17A bombers to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to attend the inaugural of President Roberto Ortiz.

FEBRUARY 27 At Langley Field, Vir­ginia, six Boeing B-17 bombers under Lieutenant Colonel Robert D. Olds return from a 10,000-mile round trip flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and back. The trip required 33 hours and 30 minutes of flying time and the crews receive the Mackay Trophy. Moreover, their success heralds that the age of stra­tegic bombing is at hand.

April 6 At Wright Field, Ohio, testing begins on the radically different Bell XP – 39, whose engine is midway down the fuselage, behind the pilot’s compartment, with a 37mm cannon mounted to fire down the fuselage centerline. During World War II nearly 5,000 P-39s are sent to the Soviet Union, where Russian pilots praised its heavy firepower and rugged construction.

MAY 1 Along the eastern seaboard, the Army stages three days of maneuvering to establish if airplanes can repel a sea­borne attack. The exercise involves 220 aircraft and 3,000 men, and is judged successful.

MAY 12 Over the Atlantic, the Army Air Corps dispatches three B-17 bombers that intercept the Italian liner Rex 700 miles at sea. The Navy, suitably alarmed, demands that Army aircraft be limited to only 100 miles from the coast. The lead navi­gator in this stunt is Captain Curtis LeMay.

July 28 Lieutenant Harold L. Neely, fly­ing a Seversky P-35 fighter, completes a transcontinental flight in 9 hours and 54 minutes flying time.

AUGUST 3—12 At Langley Field, Vir­ginia, a flight of three Boeing B-17 bombers under Major Vincent J. Meloy, 2nd Bombardment Group, departs on a goodwill flight to Bogota, Colombia, and back.

August 19 At Mitchel Field, New York, the new Douglas B-18 Bolo bomber (adapted from the DC-3 transport) per­forms a transcontinental flight and arrives from Hamilton Field, California, in 15 hours and 18 minutes of flying time.

AUGUST 29 Major Alexander P. de Sev­ersky sets a new east-to-west transconti­nental speed record by covering 2,457 miles in 10 hours, 2 minutes, and 55.7 seconds.

SEPTEMBER 15 This year’s Mackay Tro­phy is awarded to the Army Air Corps for its development of the XC-35 and its pressurized cabin.

SEPTEMBER 21 Over Burbank, Califor­nia, Major General Oscar Westover, chief
of the U. S. Army Air Corps, is killed when his Douglas A-17AS staff aircraft suddenly crashes. An accident inquiry concludes that unpredictable, gusty winds coupled with intense heat currents rising off the ground caused the mishap.

SEPTEMBER 29 Brigadier General Henry H. Arnold gains appointment as chief of the Air Corps to replace the recently deceased Major General Oscar Westover; he also becomes a major general.

OCTOBER 14 Over Buffalo, New York, the Curtiss XP-40 prototype fighter begins flight-testing. It enters Army ser­vice as the P-40 Tomahawk and during World War II 14,000 are built for the United States and its allies before con­struction ceases in 1944.

OCTOBER 26 At El Segundo, California, the Douglas Model 7B begins flight­testing. It enters service as the A-20 Havoc and, during World War II, it becomes the most-produced Army sur­face attack aircraft. A-20s are also widely exported to Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.

November 14 In Washington, D. C., President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders the mission of the Army Air Corps expanded and pushes for a 20,000-plane force. Major General Henry H. Arnold subsequently equates this secret conference to the “Magna Carta” as far as American air power is concerned.

January 18 In light of their success, the Wright brothers contact the government over possible sales to the U. S. Army, but no action is taken.

February 11 At West Point, New York, the 25-foot balloon L’Alouette rises from the siege battery there under Charles Levee; among those observing
is Cadet Henry H. Arnold, Class of 1907.

OCTOBER 5 Wilbur and Orville Wright solve a difficult equilibrium (balance) problem in their nascent airplane, the Wright Flyer III. This is the first airplane capable of taking off, turning, flying for 30 minutes in a circular flight ranging 24 miles, then landing safely.

OCTOBER 27 In Washington, D. C., the War Department is again contacted by Wilbur and Orville Wright, who feel their new flying device has potential mili­tary applications. The Board of Ord­nance, however, mistaking their letter as a request for funding, again turns them down.

JANUARY 10 At McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, engineers test an experimental, 700-horsepower engine, which boasts three banks of six cylinders.

February 21—24 At Rockwell Field, California, Lieutenant William D. Conley stages a solo transcontinental flight to Jacksonville, Florida, covering 2,180 miles in 22 hours and 27 minutes of flying time.

MARCH 23 At Chanute Field, Illinois, Lieutenant A. G. Hamilton parachutes from 23,700 feet and survives.

June 8 At McCook Field, Ohio, a DH-9 bomber flown by Lieutenant Harold R. Harris conducts the first experiments with a pressurized cabin.

July 13—21 Off Hampton Roads,

Virginia, aerial avatar General William “Billy” Mitchell, Army Air Service, effec­tively displays air power by sinking the cap­tured German battleship Ostfriesland with

Martin MB-2 bombers. He also proclaims, somewhat prematurely, that the eclipse of capital ships is at hand and the supremacy ofair power beckons.

July 29 General William Mitchell leads a

dozen Martin MB-2 bombers over New York City to demonstrate its vulnerability to air attack. He hopes to convince politi­cal authorities that the Navy can no longer defend America’s coastline, and that that mission is best entrusted to the Air Service.

AUGUST In Ohio, the Orenco D-1, the first U. S.-designed American fighter craft, is jointly manufactured by the Ordnance Engineering Corporation and Curtiss. The D-1 achieves production status but is only manufactured in small quantities.

AUGUST 1 The Bureau of Ordnance tests a gyroscopic-stabilized, World War I-type high-level bombsight designed by Carl L. Norden; this is a precursor to the famous Norden bombsight of World War II.

AUGUST 3—4 At Troy, Ohio, a modified JN-6 Jenny flown by Lieutenant John A. Macready performs the first crop-dusting mission against caterpillar-infested trees.

September 13 A private report written by Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell for Chief of the Air Service Major General Charles T. Menoher, which unequivocally calls for an aviation branch within the Department of National Defense, some­how leaks its way to the press.

SEPTEMBER 23 In Chesapeake Bay, Vir­ginia, Air Service bombers send the obso­lete battleship Alabama to the bottom with a 2,000-pound bomb.

September 28 At McCook Field, Day­ton, Ohio, a Packard-LePere fighter flown by Lieutenant J. A. Macready reaches a record altitude of 34,508 feet and he wins a Mackay Trophy. He assumes a circular flight path while
climbing, the circumference of which reached 70 miles at the very top.

OCTOBER 5 In Washington, D. C., com­mand of the Air Service passes to Major General Mason M. Patrick.

OCTOBER 18 At Mount Clemens, Michigan, Brigadier General William Mitchell pilots a Curtiss R-6 racer to a world speed record of233 miles per hour.

NOVEMBER 12 At Long Beach, Califor­nia, two JN-4 Jennies conduct the first in-flight refueling when Lieutenant Wes­ley May crawls along the wing of one air­craft to the other with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back, then emp­ties it into the gas tank.

NOVEMBER 15 At Langley Field, Virginia, the Roma, the world’s largest semirigid air­ship to that date, makes its initial flight with Captain Dale Mabry at the controls.

January 12 In Washington, D. C., President Franklin D. Roosevelt requests higher priority for the development and acquisition ofmodern military aircraft.

January 27 At March Field, California, the Lockheed XP-38 twin-boomed, twin-engined fighter performs its maiden flight. It enters service as the P-38 Light­ning and serves throughout World War II with distinction.

FEBRUARY 10 Over Los Angeles, Cali­fornia, the North American NA-40 twin – engine bomber makes its initial flight. It enters service as the B-25 Mitchell and, during World War II, it becomes the most numerous medium bomber on the Allied side.

FEBRUARY 14 At Langley Field, Vir­ginia, Major Caleb V. Haynes pilots the giant Boeing XB-15 prototype bomber during a mercy flight to assist earthquake victims in Chile. He arrives with 3,000 pounds of badly needed medical supplies in 29 hours and 53 minutes, winning a Mackay Trophy.

MARCH 1 At Langley Field, Virginia, Major General Delos C. Emmons is appointed commander of the General Headquarters force.

MARCH 21 A board of officers consisting of Colonel Hugo E. Pitz, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph T. McNarney, and Major George Kenney is assigned the task of evaluating permanent and auxiliary air­fields in Puerto Rico.

MARCH 24 At Palm Springs, California, aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran sets another woman’s altitude record of 30,052 feet in her Beechcraft.

APRIL 3 In Washington, D. C., President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the National Defense Act into law, which gives the Army Air Corps $300 million and authorizes its expansion to 48,000 per­sonnel and 6,000 aircraft. Significantly, it also allows African Americans to receive flight training for the first time.

APRIL 18 Major General Henry H. Arnold recalls Colonel Charles A. Lind­bergh of the Missouri National Guard back to active duty; he is tasked with evaluating and uncovering weaknesses in American air power.

APRIL 27 In Washington, D. C., the Army Air Corps places an order for the first production batch of Lockheed P-38 Lightnings.

JUNE 1 Major General Henry H. Arnold, chief of the Army Air Corps, seeks to acquire as large a pool of trained pilots as possible, so he authorizes civilian flying schools to accept flying cadets as pupils.

July 1 In Washington, D. C., President

Franklin D. Roosevelt issues an executive order mandating that the Aeronautical Board, the Joint Board (eventually Joint Chiefs of Staff), the Joint Economy Board, and the Munitions Board all func­tion under the direction of the com­mander in chief.

JULY 15 The Army Air Corps acquires performance rights to the song “Wild Blue Yonder” by composer Robert Crawford; it subsequently becomes the theme song of the U. S. Air Force.

July 26 A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress sets a new speed record of 204 miles per hour while carrying a 1,123-pound bomb
load over a closed triangular course of 1,000 kilometers.

JULY 30 Over Wright Field, Ohio, the sole Boeing XB-15, piloted by Major Caleb V. Haynes and Captain W. D. Olds, reaches 8,200 feet while carrying a 15.5 payload and establishes a new payload-to-altitude record.

AUGUST 1 A Boeing YB-17A flown by Majors Charles M. Cunnings and Stanley Umstead carries a 11,023-pound payload to a new record of 34,016 feet.

AUGUST 26 Majors Charles M. Cunnings and Stanley Umstead pilot a B-17A from Miami, Florida, to the Panama Canal Zone. It reaches its objective in only six hours and underscores American ability to reinforce that strategic point by air.

September 14 In Connecticut, the VS – 300 helicopter, designed and flown by

Igor Sikorsky, reaches a height of three feet for 10 seconds during a tethered test.

SEPTEMBER 15 Over Burbank, Califor­nia, a Seversky AP-9 piloted by aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran sets a new speed record of 309.5 miles per hour over a 1,000-kilometer course.

November 7 The 2nd Bomb Group receives the Mackay Trophy for its B-17 flight from Miami, Florida, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then home to Lang­ley Field, Virginia.

December 16 At Langley Field, Vir­ginia, Major General Delos C. Emmons gains appointment as chief of the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ).

December 29 Over San Diego, Califor­nia, the Consolidated XB-24 prototype performs its maiden flight. It enters ser­vice as the B-24 Liberator and becomes the most numerous American warplane, with over 18,000 constructed.