Category AIRFORCE

January 20—22 In Augusta, Georgia, the Signal Corps air detachment is visited by Wilbur Wright, who is seeking feed­back to be used in the construction of a follow-on aircraft for the U. S. Army. In this capacity he thoroughly grills Captain Charles DeForest Chandler and Lieuten­ant Henry H. Arnold.

January 25 Over Augusta, Georgia, Army Lieutenant Henry H. Arnold estab­lishes an altitude record by reaching 4,674 feet; it took him 59 minutes to reach that altitude in his Wright Flyer.

January 27 Clarence H. Mackay com­missions the annual aviation trophy in his name, stipulating that it can be awarded by the War Department for the most meritorious flight of the year.

February 17 The U. S. Army publishes

its first physical examination require­ments for pilots.

February 23 In Washington, D. C., as the Army becomes more firmly wedded to airplanes, it issues War Department Bul­letin No. 32 to establish new ratings for “military aviator,” which also stipulate that prospective candidates must reach and hold an altitude of 2,500 feet in a 15 mile per hour wind, and also make a dead-stick landing within 150 feet of des­ignated areas.

MARCH 1 Over Jefferson Barracks, Mis­souri, Captain Albert Berry jumps from a Bleriot pusher airplane and deploys a par­achute for the first time; he lands safely from an altitude of 1,500 feet.

MARCH 11 In the Philippines, Lieuten­ant Frank P. Lahm opens an air school at Fort McKinley and accepts in two volun­teer pilots, Lieutenant Moss L. Love and Corporal Vernon L. Burge, as his initial students.

MARCH 21 Over Fort William McKinley, the Philippines, Lieutenant Frank P. Lahm is the first American mili­tary pilot to fly in his Wright Model B, Signal Corps No. 7. Lahm commences instruction at the first air school in that region by taking Lieutenant Moss L. Love and Corporal Vernon L. Burge as stu­dents; the latter is the first enlisted man to receive flight training.

APRIL 15 In Marblehead, Massachusetts, the Burgess Company receives its first air­plane order from the U. S. Army Signal Corps.

May 6 Over Maryland, three Signal Corps aircraft fly from College Park to Chevy Chase in the first multi-plane cross-country mission.

May 7 At College Park, Maryland, a Wright Flyer flown by Lieutenant Thomas DeWitt Milling is armed with a Lewis machine gun for the first time and Lieutenant Charles DeForest Chandler serves as his gunner.

June 1 Over College Park, Maryland, Captain Charles DeForest Chandler per­forms the first official night flight. Con­currently, Lieutenant Henry H. Arnold also takes his Burgess-Wright biplane to a record-breaking 6,540 feet.

June 5 In Augusta, Georgia, Lieutenant Colonel Charles B. Winder of the Ohio National Guard becomes the first guard officer to receive flight training.

June 7 Captain Charles DeForest Chan­dler becomes the first person to fire an automatic weapon in flight when he looses off several rounds from a Lewis machine gun while flying with Lieuten­ant Thomas DeWitt Milling. However, the U. S. Army never adopts the flexible Lewis as a standard weapon.

June 11 A Wright C pusher aircraft crashes, killing Lieutenant Leighton W. Hazelhurst and civilian Arthur L. Welsh. This is the earliest-known accident attrib­uted to stalling.

June 14 In the Philippines, Army Corpo­ral Vernon Burge is the first American enlisted man to qualify as a pilot after passing through the Army Air School.

July 5 Captain Charles D. Chandler and Lieutenants Thomas D. Milling and Henry H. Arnold become the Army’s first “Military Aviators,” the first recipi­ents of a new golden badge. Arnold becomes closely associated with the growth and maturation of American military air power in subsequent decades.

July 29—August 1 Lieutenant Benja­min D. Foulois, flying a Wright B Flyer, successfully concludes a series of airborne radio transmission tests, whereby his sig­nals were received at distances of up to 10 miles away.

AUGUST 10—17 Over Bridgeport, Connecticut, Lieutenants Benjamin D. Foulois and Thomas DeWitt Milling participate in army maneuvers. This is the first time that aircraft have flown in conjunction with ground forces. Specifi­cally, the craft is tested as a radio and reconnaissance platform for close co­operation with troops below.

September 28 Over College Park, Maryland, the first fatal accident occurs when Signal Corps No. 4 (Wright B Flyer) crashes, killing Lieutenant Lewis C. Rockwell and Corporal Frank S. Scott, the first enlisted man to die in an airplane accident.

OCTOBER 1 A Wright Flyer flown by Lieutenants Henry H. Arnold and Alfred L. P. Sands experiences a series of stalls and nearly crashes, but pilot Arnold pulls out at the last minute and lands safely.

OCTOBER 9 At College Park, Maryland, Lieutenant Henry H. Arnold wins the first Mackay Trophy by successfully com­pleting a triangular reconnaissance course. He comments that the trophy is so large it could easily hold four gallons of beer!

NOVEMBER 5—13 Over Fort Riley, Kansas, several aircraft employ direct communica­tions (by radio, dropping cards, or smoke signals) in concert with artillery units; this is the origin of artillery “spotting.”

NOVEMBER 27 The Army Signal Corps acquires three Curtiss F biplane flying boats; these also serve in the Navy under the designation C-1.

December 8 At San Diego, California, the flying school established by Glenn H. Curtiss officially becomes the U. S. Army Signal Corps Aviation School. The first personnel to arrive there have all trained on Curtiss aircraft and are jocularly known as the “Curtiss Contingent.”

February 3 At Wright Field, Ohio, Lieutenant H. A. Sutton receives a Mackay Trophy for his work testing spin characteristics of aircraft to improve avia­tion safety.

February 15 In Washington, D. C.,

President Calvin Coolidge authorizes construction of a new Army Air Corps training facility at San Antonio, Texas. This is an innovative circular design allowing squadrons to fly, train, and work close to each other in different quadrants of the housing circle and is subsequently christened Randolph Field.

MARCH 1—9 A Loening OL amphibian piloted by Lieutenants Burnie R. Dallas and Beckwith Havens makes the first transcontinental flight of an amphibious aircraft; they complete their task in 32 hours and 45 minutes.

MAY 12 At Bolling Field, Washington, D. C., a pair of Boeing PW-9 pursuit air­craft piloted by Lieutenants R. W. Doug­las and J. E. Parker set a distance record for fighter aircraft after arriving from France Field, Panama Canal Zone.

Over Florida, Army Air Corps lieuten­ant Julian S. Dexter finishes a two-month mapping mission photographing 65,000 square miles of the Everglades.

June 9 At Langley Field, Virginia, Lieu­tenant Earle Partridge wins his third con­secutive Army Air Corps aerial gunnery match.

June 15 An Air Corps blimp flown by Lieutenants Karl S. Axtater and Edward H. White delivers a mail satchel to the clerk of a moving train, thereby completing the first aircraft-to-train mail transfer.

June 16 Over Wright Field, Ohio, a new supercharger allows improved engine performance at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet. Previously, aircraft engines were sus­ceptible to power loss owing to the thin­ness of the air.

June 28 Langley Field, Virginia, is ordered to serve as an experimental air station for developing new aircraft and technologies.

June 30—July 1 In Detroit, Michigan, Captain W. E. Kepner and Lieutenant W. O. Eareckson win the Gordon Ben­nett International Balloon Race. The distance covered is 460 miles; this is the third consecutive victory by American aircrews.

AUGUST 18 Randolph Field, San Anto­nio, Texas, is turned over to the Army by city officials and quickly establishes itself as a leading aviation center.

October 10 At Wright Field, Ohio, Captains St. Clair Streett and A. W. Stevens set a world’s record for aircraft with more than one person in flight by climbing to an altitude of 37,854 feet.

February 11 In Washington, D. C., West Virginia congressman James Hay introduces the first bill mandating an inde­pendent aviation corps, but it is defeated.

February 17 An autopilot device (gyro – stabilizer) invented by Elmer Sperry is tested for the first time on a U. S. Army aircraft.

MARCH 2 The Army establishes flight pay at 35 percent over base pay for pre­scribed aviation duties, given the inherent risks of flying. Presently, only 30 officers qualify for such emoluments. The Army also mandate that not more than 30 offi­cers could be involved in flying at any given time, and rank no higher than major.

MARCH 5 At Augusta, Georgia, the 1st Provisional Aero Squadron is formed with 5 pilots, 7 Wright pushers, and 21 enlisted men. The unit subsequently ships to Texas City, Texas, in response to a possible border crisis with Mexico, where it submits to additional training. This unit is also the lineal predecessor of the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, the oldest for­mation in the U. S. Air Force.

MARCH 31 Over Texas, Lieutenant W.

C. Sherman draws the first aerial map on a plane flown by Lieutenant Tommy Milling as he flies between San Antonio and Texas City.

May 27 In Washington, D. C., the War Department issues General Order No. 39, requiring all qualified pilots to receive a Military Aviator’s Certificate, along with a badge. Presently, there are only 24 qualified army pilots.

MAY 28 Over Texas, Army Lieutenants Thomas D. Milling and W. C. Sherman set a flight endurance record of four hours and 22 minutes while flying between Texas City and San Antonio.

May 30 In Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Institute of Techno­logy (MIT) initiates one of the first aero­dynamics courses under the aegis of navy officer Jerome C. Hunsaker.

June 12 The first Curtiss tractor-type (pro­peller in front) aircraft is accepted by the Army Signal Corps. Aerodynamically, this is a vast improvement over earlier pushers.

AUGUST 8 In Hawaii, Lieutenant Harold Geiger pilots a Curtiss E airplane over the island for the first time; he is the first graduate of the new aviation school at Fort Kamehameha.

SEPTEMBER 10 Command of the Aero­nautical Division, U. S. Army Signal Corps, reverts to Major Samuel Reber.

OCTOBER 1 In Massachusetts, Dr. Robert H. Goddard finishes the paperwork to patent his “rocket apparatus.”

December 4 In Washington, D. C., General Order No. 75 is issued by the War Department to establish the Aero Squadron as a standard formation within the Aeronautical Division.

December 18 Lieutenant Henry B. Post, flying Signal Corps airplane No. 23, establishes a new Army solo altitude record of 10,600 feet.

December 29 A reconnaissance compe­tition near San Diego, California, is won by Lieutenants C. J. Carberry and Fred Seydel, which results in their receipt of a Mackay Trophy.

JANUARY 1 —7 Over Los Angeles, California, the Fokker C-2 Trimotor Question Mark, piloted by Army Major Carl Spaatz, Captain Ira C. Eaker, and Lieutenants Elwood Quesada and Harry Halveson, establishes a flight endurance record of 150 hours and 40 minutes. They are refueled 37 times by a pair of specially rigged Douglas C-1 transports.

JANUARY 9—16 A Fokker C-2 transport piloted by Major Paul Beck flies 3,130 miles from Wright Field, Ohio, to France Field, Panama Canal Zone, becoming the first military aircraft ferried abroad by the Army Air Corps.

February 23 At Wright Field, Ohio, the perfection of heated goggles, gloves,
and oxygen bottles is announced by the laboratory there.

April 14 In a major development, Edward A. Link patents his “flight trainer” (or flight control simulator), which becomes part of every pilot’s basic flight instruction. By the advent ofWorld War II, over half a million American and Allied pilots train on these devices en route to getting their wings.

May 16 In Hollywood, California, the World War I aerial drama Wings receives the first Oscar award for best picture. The film was shot with many real and reconstructed World War I fighter craft and highlights the nation’s continuing interest in aviation.

May 21—22 In response to a directive from Assistant Secretary of War for Avia­tion Turbee Division, the Army Air Corps directs a Keystone bomber to fly roundtrip and nonstop from Dayton, Ohio, to New York. However, the mis­sion is scrubbed when bad weather grounds the refueling aircraft. The bomber continues on to Washington, D. C., and, on the following day, rendez­vous with the tanker.

May 30 In Washington, D. C., a Liberty – powered DH-4 completes cross-country air refueling tests while flying in from New York.

July 17 Near Auburn, Massachusetts, Dr. Robert H. Goddard successfully test launches a liquid-propelled rocket that carries a camera aloft which takes photos of a barometer and a thermometer on board.

AUGUST 15 In Spokane, Washington,

Lieutenants Nicholas B. Mamer and Arthur Walker fly their Buhl Sesquiplane Spokane Sun God nonstop to the East

Coast and back. They cover 7,200 miles while being refueled in the air 11 times.

September 24 At Mitchel Field, New York, Lieutenant James H. Doolittle makes aviation history by successfully completing the first “blind” airplane flight. He flies his Consolidated NY-2 biplane for hours in a canvas-covered canopy using only instruments and no radio. Years later, Doolittle considered this feat his greatest contribution to aviation.

NOVEMBER 23 In New York, the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics awards Dr. Robert H. God­dard a $50,000 grant to assist his research with rockets.

November 29 Over Antarctica, a Ford Trimotor flown by Navy Com­mander Richard E. Byrd, Bernt Balchen, and Harold June makes an epic flight across the South Pole for the first time. They are accompanied by Army captain Ashley McKinley, who serves as the trip photographer.

January 7 At San Diego, California, the 1st Aero Squadron is formally structured by the chief of signals at 8 airplanes, 20 officers, and 90 men.

January 15 In Washington, D. C., the War Department issues new safety

regulations for pilots governing dress. Henceforth, all pilots are to be clad in helmets and leather coats while flying overland, and waterproof coats for over­water flying.

FEBRUARY 5 Lieutenant Joseph C. Mor­row, Jr., is the last “Military Aviator” to be qualified under the original rules first established for the rating.

FEBRUARY 9 Tragedy strikes after Lieu­tenant Henry B. Post exceeds his old alti­tude record by reaching 12,140 feet, then his aircraft falls apart during its descent, killing him.

February 14 A Burgess H tractor air­craft flown by Lieutenant Townsend F. Todd and Sergeant Herbert Marcus sets an American duration and distance record of 244.18 kilometers in 4 hours and 43 minutes.

FEBRUARY 16 Over San Diego, California, Lieutenants Joseph E. Carberry and Walter R. Taliaferro set a new Army altitude record of 8,700 feet in a Curtiss aircraft.

FEBRUARY 24 At San Diego, California, a staff meeting at the Signal Corps Avia­tion School concludes that pusher-type aircraft are too dangerous to fly and are to be replaced with tractor-type machines such as the Curtiss Model J.

June 24 At San Diego, California, the Signal Corps Aviation School accepts delivery of the first Curtiss J, a precursor of the famous JN-2 “Jenny.” This is a tractor design with the engine mounted in front.

July 7-14 At Worcester, Massachusetts, Dr. Robert H. Goddard receives a government patent for his multistage rocket concept. He soon after receives another covering his liquid-fuel rocket design.

July 18 In Washington, D. C., Congress creates the new Aviation Section to replace the former Aeronautical Division within the Army Signal Corps; it has an assigned strength of 6 aircraft, 67 officers, and 260 enlisted personnel under Lieu­tenant Colonel Samuel Reber. More­over, all pilot candidates are to be unmarried lieutenants under 30 years of age.

July 28 At the Indian Head Proving Grounds, Stumpneck, Maryland, some early bombing tests are conducted by Lieutenant Victor D. Herbster and Ensign Bernard L. Smith. They drop both dummy and live bombs over the side of their craft from 1,000 feet and monitor the results.

On this fateful day, World War I com­mences after Austria-Hungary declares war against Serbia and a continent-wide mobilization commences.

AUGUST 17 At the Signal Corps Aviation School, North Island, California, Captain Lewis E. Goodier begins official testing of the Scott bomb-dropping device while flying a new Martin T aircraft.

SEPTEMBER 1 At San Diego, California, the 1st Aero Squadron is organized with 16 officers, 77 enlisted men, and 8 aircraft.

NOVEMBER 19 In a historic first, an air­plane belonging to the U. S. Air Service completes a 429-mile cross-country flight from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

DECEMBER 11 Over Fort William McKinley, the Philippines, Army Lieu­tenants Herbert A. Dargue and Joseph O. Mauborgne successfully demonstrate two-way radio communication with ground stations 10 miles distant from their Burgess-Wright biplane.

December 23 A reconnaissance contest won by Captain T. F. Dodd and

Lieutenant S. W. Fitzgerald results in receipt of a Mackay Trophy. They were the only competitors, as accidents and mishaps grounded all other aircraft during the event.

December 30 The Signal Corps receives its first Burgess-Dunne armored aircraft; it does not go into production.

January 8—29 At Selfridge Field, Mich­igan, a flight of Curtiss P-1C Hawks under Major Ralph Royce departs for Spokane, Washington, to train under sub-zero flying conditions; he receives the Mackay Trophy.

APRIL 6 Army captain Frank Hawks flies 2,860 miles from San Diego, California, to New York City while piloting a glider that is towed by another aircraft.

APRIL 12 At Mather Field, California, Captain Hugh M. Elmendorf guides a flight of 19 Boeing P-19 fighters, 95th Pursuit Squadron, as they climb in forma­tion to 30,000 feet, a new altitude record.

APRIL 21 Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh, accompanied by wife Anne Morrow, fly a Lockheed Sirius from Glendale, Cali­fornia, to Roosevelt Field, New York, covering 2,530 miles in a record in 14 hours and 45 minutes.

June 20 At San Antonio, Texas, Randolph Field is inaugurated as the Army’s newest flight training center for primary and basic pilot instruction. In this capacity it becomes a cradle of a generation of airmen who fight and win World War II, and subsequently serves as headquarters of the Air Educa­tion and Training Command. For this reason is regarded as the “West Point of the Air.”

July 28 At Kelly Field, Texas, instrument flying is added to the regular curriculum at the U. S. Air Corps Advanced Flying School.

NOVEMBER 6 In Washington, D. C., President Herbert Hoover awards Cap­tain Edward V. Rickenbacker the Congressional Medal of Honor he should have received in 1918, had the paper­work not become lost.

NOVEMBER 9—16 From New York, Captain Roy W. Ammel pilots a Lockheed Sirius Blue Flash 2,700 miles to the Panama Canal Zone in 24 hours and 35 minutes.

NOVEMBER 16 In Washington, D. C., Major General James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps, releases his annual report, which reveals the strength of the corps at 12,032, including 1,226 officers and 378 cadets.

December 30 At Roswell, New Mexico, Dr. Robert H. Goddard’s fifth liquid-fuel rocket rises to 2,000 feet at a speed of500 miles per hour.

JANUARY 15 Army Lieutenants Joseph E. Carberry and Arthur C. Christie set a two-man altitude record by reaching 11,690 feet in a Curtiss 100 tractor biplane; they remain aloft an hour and 13 minutes doing so.

Over San Diego, California, Army Lieutenant B. Q. Jones sets a one-man endurance record by flying 8 hours, 53 minutes in a Martin T biplane. He consequently receives a Mackay Trophy for the effort.

FEBRUARY 19 Dr. Robert H. Goddard begins experimenting with Coston signal rockets, which are propelled by solid fuel, in order to measure their thrust and efficiency.

MARCH 3 In Washington, D. C., Congress creates the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA). This is the first government organization dedicated to advancing the state of avia­tion research and technology.

MARCH 4 In Washington, D. C., Congress allocates $300,000 for Army aviation during fiscal year 1916.

MARCH 12 Flying a Burgess-Renault biplane, Lieutenant Byron Q. Jones and Corporals Carl T. Hale and Robert H. Houser set a three-man endurance record of seven hours and five minutes.

April 13 Lieutenants Thomas D. Milling and B. Q. Jones are detached from the 1st Aero Squadron and ordered to deploy along the Mexican border with a single airplane to find the location of bandit leader Francisco “Pancho” Villa.

APRIL 20 Along the Mexican border, a single plane piloted by Lieutenants Thomas D. Milling and B. Q. Jones of the 1st Aero Squadron fly the army’s first combat reconnaissance mission.

April 23 In Washington, D. C., Brigadier

General George P. Scriven gains ap­pointment as chairman of the National Advisory Council for Aeronautics (NACA).

MAY 20 The Curtiss JN-2 is selected by Army Aviation Service as the first mass – produced aircraft in the United States. It will also outfit the embryonic 1st Aero Squadron.

July 3 Above San Diego, California, Lieutenant Byron Q. Jones is the first army pilot to successfully loop and stall his aircraft without crashing.

July 6 At North Island, California, Cap­tain V. E. Clark arrives for duty; he is the first air officer to receive a doctorate in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

July 12 Aviation mechanic examination requirements are adopted by the Signal Corps.

July 26 At San Diego, California, the 1st Aero Squadron under Captain Benjamin F. Foulois begins transferring its eight Curtiss JN-2 airplanes by rail to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to participate in observations experiments with the Field Artillery School there.

July 29 At Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the 1st Aero Squadron transfers from August, Georgia, under Captain Benjamin D. Foulois. A crew and aircraft are sub­sequently flown to Brownsville, Texas, to support the Army’s border patrol efforts.

October 13 At Selfridge Field, Michigan, Lieutenant T. J. Koenig flies a LePere-Liberty 400 to victory in the Lib­erty Engine Builder’s Trophy Race with a top speed of 128.8 miles per hour.

NOVEMBER 1 In Mineola, New York, the 1st Aero Company, New York

National Guard, organizes under Captain Raynal C. Bolling. This is the first National Guard aviation unit and consists of four officers, forty enlisted men, and seven aircraft. The latter have been loaned by the New York City Aero Club.

November 18-19 At Fort Sill,

Oklahoma, six Curtiss JN-3s of the Army Air Service begin the first squadron-level cross-country flight, which ends at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 429 miles distant.

December 11 At San Diego, California, the Signal Corps Aviation School hosts four Portuguese Army officers; these are the first foreign pilots trained in the United States.

December 19 At Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the 1st Aero Squadron flies six Curtiss JN-3s in from Fort Sill, Oklahoma; this is also the first cross-country flight by an entire aviation unit.

JANUARY 9 In Washington, D. C., Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur and Chief of Naval Operations William V. Pratt agree to allow the Army Air Corps to monopolize coastal defenses, while the Navy remains free to concentrate on carrier aviation and mobile air operations at sea.

FEBRUARY 15 At Selfridge Field, Michi­gan, the first nighttime deployment of aircraft unfolds when 19 planes take off, navigate nocturnally, then land safely at Bolling Field, Washington, D. C.

May 9 The War Department approves

reproduction of the A-2 leather flying jacket as stand issue for aviators.

May 21—30 Brigadier General Benjamin D. Foulois directs a massive aerial training exercise, involving 667 aircraft and 1,400 crew members, as it commences across the nation. Every manner of aerial opera­tion, including pursuit, bombardment, and observation, is successfully con­ducted; Foulois receives the Mackay Tro­phy for directing these ambitious maneuvers.

MAY 27 At Langley Field, Virginia, Army and NACA personnel construct the nation’s first full-scale wind tunnel for testing full-size aircraft.

July 15-31 Maxwell Field, Montgom­ery, Alabama, becomes the new site of the Air Corps Tactical School. It becomes a hotbed of new air power theories throughout the ensuing decade. Foremost among them is the notion oflong-range, daylight strategic missions employing

precision bombing techniques. This becomes the backbone of American aerial strategy during World War II.

July 29 At Tokyo, Japan, Colonel Charles Lindbergh, accompanied by his wife, flies a Lockheed Sirius in from New York in one of the earliest transpa­cific flights.

AUGUST 11 At Maxwell Field, Alabama, Major John Curry gains appointment as commander of the Air Corps Tactical School.

September 4 A Laird Racer flown by Lieutenant James H. Doolittle wins the first Bendix Transcontinental Race by flying from Los Angeles, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, in 9 hours and 10 minutes. He then refuels and contin­ues on to Newark, New Jersey,
completing a coast-to-coast flight in only 11 hours and 16 minutes. Doolittle refuels again, returns to Cleveland to claim his trophy, then flies into St. Louis, Missouri, and home.

NOVEMBER 1 At Randolph Field, Texas, the aviation school enrolls its first class of 198 students, which includes members from West Point, the enlisted ranks, and civilian candidates.

DECEMBER 18 Over Hawaii, a glider flown by Lieutenant William A. Cooke sets an airborne record of 21 hours, 34 minutes, and 15 seconds.

December 19 In Washington, D. C., Major General Benjamin D. Foulois gains appointment as commander of the Army Air Corps.

he popular expression “Wild Blue Yonder” conjures up imagery of fleets of American warplanes, invincible in combat and in seemingly end­less abundance. However, such popular notions belie the relatively humble origins of the U. S. Air Force, and its forebears. American military aviation is rooted in the U. S. Army Signal Corps, which operated reconnaissance balloons during the Civil War. It was not until airplanes became tech­nologically feasible that the Signal Corps Aeronautical Division manifested in 1907, which, in turn, gave way to the Signal Corps Aviation Section in 1917. However, the United States had fallen far behind Europe in terms of military aviation by the advent of World War I, and it was not until May 1918 that the U. S. Army Air Service arose to manage the 10-fold increase in machines and personnel. Despite this shaky start, the Air Service acquitted itself well in combat, downing 756 enemy aircraft and 76 balloons at a cost of 289 aircraft, 48 bal­loons, and 237 crewmen. Success here stimulated cries for an independent air force, free of army control, and of which General William G. “Billy” Mitchell was the most vocal proponent.

Over the next decade a series of aviation boards and studies concluded that American air power merited greater recognition as a quasi-independent arm, so in 1926 the Army Air Corps was born. Despite a lack of funding brought on by the Depression era, America airmen managed to make signifi­cant technological and doctrinal strides with a number of historic flights, and new institu­tions such as the Air Corps Tactical School. Among the most significant creations was the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ), which enjoyed a measure of autonomy from the Army and formed the kernel of American strategic bombing. By 1941, the inadequacies of the Army Air Corps forced it to give way to the new Army Air Forces (AAF), whereby commander General Henry “Hap” Arnold enjoyed coequal status and recognition with leaders of traditional ground forces. The war was also a turning point in American aviation history, for the AAF emerged as a conquer­ing force of 1.2 million men and 160,000 airplanes, unprecedented in the annals of warfare. Significantly, AAF B-29s named Enola Gay and Bock’s Car ushered in a defin­ing moment in human history by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, and heralding the dawn of nuclear warfare.

The dream of an independent air arm was finally realized in 1947 when the U. S. Air Force emerged through the National Secu­rity Act of that year. The new organization performed splendidly during the Korean War, 1950-1953, the West’s first challenge of the Cold War, and by decade’s end had pioneered the development and deployment of new Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles. However, despite more capable aircraft and heroic sacrifices, the Air Force proved unable to materially change the course of events in the Vietnam War, or its collateral theaters in Laos and Cambodia. Thereafter, the Air Force concentrated on the acquisition of even more modern weapons systems, lavish in price and capabilities in combat, and proved itself capable of neutralizing the threat posed by the mighty Red Air Force. Ironically, its greatest challenge was mounted not by the Soviet Union but rather Iraq, during its invasion of neighboring Kuwait. The Air Force proved itself up to the challenge of defeating this modern, up-to-date adversary in an aerial campaign lasting 39 days, which enabled Operation desert storm to triumph in only 100 hours on the ground. Since the end of the Cold War in 1991, the Air Force has continued displaying its global flexibility and capacities in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, all of which reinforce its reputation as a high-tech, unbeatable adversary, and

America’s first line of defense in the war against terrorism.

This chronology is an attempt to capture the impressive historical sweep of the U. S. Air Force, and its antecedents, in a single volume. To that end, all important conflicts and personages are covered to properly con­textualize military events at the time they occurred. Great care is also taken to mention important laws, military texts, schools, weapons systems, and occasional political developments affecting military affairs. Overall, this book should sketch out for lay readers the growth and maturation of American military aviation, while the detailed bibliography ofthe latest scholarship points the way to subsequent inquiries. It will also afford prospective researchers a workable time frame, or stepping-off point, from which they can investigate events and personalities of interest. The author would like to thank editors Padraic Carlin and Andy McCormick for their support and advice in compiling what the author hopes is a useful and relevant addition to any library shelf, public or private.

—-John C. Fredriksen, Ph. D.

June 18 In Virginia, Professor Thaddeus S. C. Lowe sends the first aerial telegraph message from a balloon tethered to the vessel Enterprise.

September 24 Over Washington, D. C., Professor Thaddeus S. C. Lowe flies a balloon 1,000 feet across the Potomac

River; his messages assist Union gunners bombarding Confederate positions in Virginia.

OCTOBER 1 The U. S. Army establishes a Balloon Corps, which musters fifty men and five balloons. This is the first forma­tion of its kind in military history.

1916 Posted by admin in AIRFORCE on November 9, 2015 JANUARY 5 In the Philippine Islands, the 1st Company, 2nd Aero Squadron deploys as the first complete aviation unit assigned outside the United States. January 17 The United States verges on the cusp of war with Germany, yet the Army Air Service only boasts 49 per­sonnel and 25 aircraft. By the end of 1918 they will possess 19,068 aircraft, but the bulk of these are obtained from either France or England. MARCH 15 At Columbus, New Mexico, the 1st Aero Squadron under Captain Benjamin D. Foulois begins readying pilots and equipment to support General John J. Pershing in Mexico. This is the first American tactical air unit committed to military operations in the field and it operates a handful ofunderpowered Cur­tiss JN-2 biplanes. MARCH 16 Over Mexico, a Curtiss JN-2 makes aviation history’s first recorded reconnaissance flight. MARCH 21 In France, the French Air Service authorizes creation of the Esca – drille Americaine, better known as the Lafayette Escadrille, to recruit volunteer pilots from the United States. MARCH 27 The 1st Aero Squadron under Captain Benjamin D. Foulois begins making routine mail and dispatch flights for General John J. Pershing’s Punitive Expedition. April 2 In San Diego, California, Colonel William Glassford arrives to take charge of the Signal Corps Aviation School at Rockwell Field. April 3 Command of the Aeronautics Division, Signal Corps, passes to Captain William “Billy” Mitchell. April 5 At San Geronimo, Mexico, the 1st Aero Squadron establishes a base camp for closer cooperation with ground units commanded by General John J. Pershing. April 7 Over Chihuahua City, Mexico, Lieutenant Herbert A. Dargue and Captain Benjamin D. Foulois are fired upon as they deliver dispatches to the U. S. Consul; this is the first American airplane to receive hostile fire. April 16 At Luxeuil-les-Bains (Vosages), France, the Escadrille Americaine forms from American volunteer pilots and becomes part of the French Aeronautique Militaire. It sees extensive service in skies over the Western Front and, that December, it is renamed the Lafayette Escadrille after famed Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette. April 20 In France, Sergeant Major Elliot Cowdin is the first American avia­tor to receive the Medaille Militaire. May 18 Over Thann, Alsace Region, France, Sergeant Kiffin Yates Rockwell of the Escadrille Americaine downs a German observer craft; this is the first aer­ial enemy kill by an American pilot. May 20 Lieutenant Colonel George O. Squier assumes command of the Aviation Section, Signal Corps. June 3 In Washington, D. C., Congress passes the National Defense Act, which greatly enlarges the Signal Corps Aviation Section beyond its present 60 officers and 260 enlisted men. June 18 Over Verdun, France, aviator H. Clyde Balsley becomes the first American shot down while flying with the Esca – drille Americaine. The French air com­mander subsequently flies to his airfield and presents the seriously wounded aviator with a Military Medal and a War Cross. June 23 Near Verdun, France, pilot Victor Emmanuel Chapman, flying with the Escadrille Americaine in France, is the first American pilot killed in World War I. Previously, Chapman had been shot down seven times in six weeks and also claimed four German kills. July 13 At Mineola, New York, the 1st Aero Company, New York National Guard, mobilizes for service along the Mexican border. They are not deployed; however, they are the first National Guard air unit requisitioned into federal service. AUGUST 28 Major Benjamin D. Foulois reports that his 1st Aero Squadron, despite severe operational conditions, managed to complete 540 reconnaissance flights, covering 19,533 miles and staying aloft for 346 hours without serious mishap. August 29 In Washington, D. C., Congress appropriates $14 million for use by the Signal Corps to pursue military aeronautics. NACA also receives $82,500 to construct a large aeronautical labora­tory at Langley Field, Virginia. SEPTEMBER 2 Over North Island, Cali­fornia, two Signal Corps aircraft, flown by Lieutenants William A. Robertson and Herbert A. Drague, successfully exchange radiotelegraph messages in flight at a distance of two miles. September 6 Army aircraft test drop the first fragmentation bomb. September 13 In San Diego, California, the first aeronautics course for field officers is founded at the Signal Corps Aviation School. OCTOBER 11 In Washington, D. C., the secretaries of War and the Navy agree to create a joint Aeronautics Board to evalu­ate the requirements for lighter-than-air machines. November 18-20 At Mineola, New York, seven Curtiss JN-4s ofNew York’s 1st Aero Company fly to Princeton, New Jersey, and back under Captain Raynal C. Bolling. They are there to attend a foot­ball game but also manage to showcase their cross-country flying ability to the public. December 20 The Army’s new Balloon School is instituted at Fort Omaha, Nebraska. DECEMBER 22 Elmer B. Sperry files a patent application for his “aerial tor­pedo,” an unmanned airplane piloted by one of his gyrostabilizers. December 30 North of Hampton, Virginia, the Army establishes a new aviation school; it is now Langley Air Force Base, the Air Force’s oldest active base. « Previous 1 … 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next » Tweet Copyright © 2025 Aviation – airports, aircraft, helicopters … - Everything about aviation. Aviation News from around the world. Commercial and General Aviation, airports, airplanes, helicopters and other aircraft.