The Syrian airfield prepare for reception of military aircraft of China
The latest news about fast emergence in borders of Syria of navy of China encouraged Syrians and res[...]
1914
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.