1926

JANUARY 8 Over Scott Field, Illinois,

Lieutenant Orvil Andersen pilots the RS-1, then the world’s largest semi-rigid airship, being 282 feet long, 70 feet in diameter, and displacing 755,500 cubic feet when inflated. Andersen and his crew of eight circle the airfield at speeds of 40 miles per hour.

JANUARY 27 Brigadier General William G. Mitchell resigns from the Army, intend­ing to champion American air power as a civilian. This move costs him retirement benefits commensurate with his rank, but he presses his beliefs with urgency.

JANUARY 29 At Dayton, Ohio, a XCO – 5A flown by Lieutenant John A. Macready reaches 38,704 feet over McCook Field, a world record.

MARCH 8 At Clark University, Massa­chusetts, Dr. Robert H. Goddard tests an oxygen-pressure-fed rocket motor on a static stand for the first time.

MARCH 16 Near Auburn, Massachusetts, Dr. Robert H. Goddard successfully launches his first liquid-fueled rocket, a major technological development. The propellant burns but 2.5 seconds, yet pro­pels the missile 184 feet. However, mili­tary implications for such new technology remain pending.

July 2 In Washington, D. C., Congress, cognizant of the growing importance of military aviation and recommenda­tions of the Morrow Board, founds the Army Air Corps (AAC) as a separate branch of the service. This new arm is authorized at 16,650 men and 1,800 air­craft, and includes a new assistant secre­tary of war for air. Major General Mason M. Patrick is also appointed chief of the new Army Air Corps. Congress further mandates that no less than 20 percent of all military pilots must be drawn from enlisted ranks.

The Distinguished Flying Cross medal is established for all military individuals who distinguish themselves through some aerial activity; the award is retroactive to April 6, 1917.

July 16 In Washington, D. C., F. Trubee Davidson gains appointment as the first assistant secretary of war for air within the War Department.

December 7 Flight surgeon Captain Charles T. Buckner, in the world’s first study in aerospace medicine, flies a DH-4B to 28,000 feet without an oxygen tank to study the effects of high altitudes.

December 21 At Kelly Field, San Anto­nio, Texas, five Loening AO-1A

Amphibians under Major Herbert A. will Tour of South and Central America,

Dargue commence a Pan-American Good – covering 25 nations and 22,000 miles.