1925

JANUARY 18 At Bolling Field, Washing­ton, D. C., the new Loening amphibian is publicly displayed after a year in secret development; this all-metal biplane oper­ates on either land or water and, carries three passengers for 700 miles.

AUGUST 22 The Army Air Service devel­ops an in-flight system to record an aircraft’s speed and bearing while aloft; this is a pre­cursor to the modern-day “black box.”

September 3 At Cleveland, Ohio, a Granville GB racer piloted by Major James H. Doolittle reaches 294 miles per hour, a world speed record.

September 12 In Washington, D. C., President Calvin Coolidge appoints an aeronautical advisory board under Dwight W. Morrow. He is to report on the state of American aviation and pos­sible future trends.

September 29 In Washington, D. C., Colonel William Mitchell testifies before Congress that the nation needs an inde­pendent air force. He further characterizes contemporary military attitudes respect­ing aviation as out of touch. Mitchell is court-martialed in consequence.

October 15 At Mitchel Field, New York, Lieutenant Cyrus Betts takes the 1925 Pulitzer race in his Curtiss R3C-1 racer and also establishes a new world speed record of 248.9 miles per hour.

OCTOBER 26—27 In Baltimore, Mary­land, a Curtiss R3C-2 floatplane flown by Lieutenant James H. “Jimmy” Doolit­tle wins the Schneider Cup Race with a top speed of 230 miles per hour. On the following day, Doolittle sets a new world record of 245.713 miles per hour in the same aircraft.

NOVEMBER 10 In New York City, an aircraft piloted by Major Thomas G. Lamphier touches down after covering 500 miles from Selfridge Field, Michigan, in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

NOVEMBER 30 In Washington, D. C., the Morrow Board presents its findings to President Calvin Coolidge. While falling short of recommending an inde­pendent air force, it recommends that the Air Service be renamed the Air Corps, that an assistant secretary of war for air be appointed, and that a five – year plan be adopted for expanding of the air arm.

December 6 Dr. Robert H. Goddard successfully test fires a liquid-fuel rocket that produces 100 pounds of thrust and lifts its own weight for 10 seconds.

DECEMBER 14 In Washington, D. C., the Lampert Committee makes its report to the House of Representatives; they favor creation of a Department of Defense, greater aviation representation in higher military circles, and a pay raise for aviators.

December 17 A military court finds Briga­dier General William G. Mitchell guilty of insubordination. He is sentenced to rank and pay suspension for five years, but President Calvin Coolidge revises it to five years’ suspension at half pay. Mitchell none­theless resigns his commission to serve as a one-man spokesman on behalf of air power.

December 24 In Connecticut, the Pratt and Whitney company constructs its famous Wasp radial engine.