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[...]
1934
February 18 In Washington, D. C., President Franklin D. Roosevelt directs the Army Air Corps to commence regularly scheduled airmail service along 26 selected routes. This is because of perceived fraud connected with the commercial airlines contracted to perform the task; the effort, while earnest, is plagued with accidents and fatalities.
MARCH 10—19 The Army Air Corps temporarily suspends delivery of mail nationwide following a spate of accidents and nine deaths. Once proper night and bad-weather flying instrumentation is secured, the effort then resumes with fewer routes and numbers of flights.
April 11 In Washington, D. C., Secretary of War George Dern convenes the Baker Board to evaluate the effectiveness of the U. S. Army Air Corps, and its equipment and training, in times ofpeace and war.
May 22 Captain W. T. Larson, who helped pioneer techniques pertaining to instrument flying and blind takeoffs and landings, wins a Mackay Trophy.
June 1 Once commercial contracts have been renegotiated, the Army Air Corps is relieved of domestic airmail flight. Since February, Army pilots flew over 13,000 hours in the air, covered 1.5 million miles, and delivered 777,000 pounds of mail. The numerous accidents, however, revealed shortcomings in both pilot training and equipment, and the remedial efforts adopted place the American air arm on a much sounder footing.
Th Army Air Corps initiates a plan to employ civilian flying schools for the primary training of all flying cadets. These instructors allow the military to concentrate on advanced training and flying techniques.
June 18 In Seattle, Washington, the Boeing Company stakes its future on the new Model 299, a large four-engine bomber that is accepted into service as the B-17 Flying Fortress.
June 28 In Washington, D. C., the War Department is suitably impressed by Boeing’s Model 299 and issues a contract to develop a prototype.
July 10 At Langley Field, Virginia, Lieutenant Colonel Henry “Hap” Arnold embarks on a stirring display of strategic air power by leading ten Martin B-10 bombers from to Fairbanks, Alaska, on a round-trip flight.
July 18 In Washington, D. C., a board headed by former Secretary of War Newton D. Baker concurs with the 1933 Drum Board report that a centrally controlled aerial strike force could enhance the Army Air Corps’ effectiveness.
July 28 Over Nebraska, Army Major W. E. Kepner and Captains A. W. Stevens and O. A. Anderson rise in the pressurized balloon Explorer to 60,613 feet (14 miles). However, when the air bag tears, they bail out from extremely high altitude and safely land in a cornfield; all win the Distinguished Flying Cross.
AUGUST 20 At Bolling Field, Washington, D. C., Lieutenant Colonel Henry H. Arnold returns from Fairbanks, Alaska, with his Martin B-10 bombers after covering 7,360 miles without major mishap. This is also the first trip where radio communication was maintained with ground units for the duration of the venture; Arnold wins the Mackay Trophy and a Distinguished Flying Cross.
November 8 A passenger plane piloted by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, Captain Charles W. France, and Silas Moorehouse sets a new speed record for this class of aircraft by flying nonstop from Los Angeles, California, to Newark, New Jersey, in 12 hours and 4 minutes.
November 17 At Selfridge Field, Michigan, an airplane flown by Captain Fred C. Nelson wins the Mitchell Trophy after hitting speeds of 217.832 miles per hour.
January 15 A passenger plane flown by Angeles, California, and New York in Major James H. Doolittle sets a new 11 hours and 59 minutes. world record by flying between Los
MARCH 1 At Langley Field, Virginia, the Army Air Corps activates its General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ). This is an independent strike force under Brigadier General Frank M. Andrews, which reports directly to the Army chief of staff instead of a ground commander. It proves a seminal step towards the refinement of strategic air power, and creation of an independent air force.
MARCH 8 At Roswell, New Mexico, a liquid-fuel rocket launched by Dr. Robert H. Goddard reaches 1,000 feet at a speed of 700 miles per hour, then parachutes back to Earth. At 84 pounds, this is one of Goddard’s largest rockets.
MARCH 28 At Roswell, New Mexico, a liquid-fueled, gyroscopically controlled rocket is launched by Dr. Robert H. Goddard; it reaches 4,800 feet at 550 miles per hour.
April 1 In Los Angeles, California, the North American NA-16 prototype makes its maiden flight and is quickly adopted as an advanced training aircraft. It enters the Army as the AT-6.
MAY 31 Hickam Field, Hawaii, reaches
operational status for Army aircraft.
July 22 Captain Albert F. Hegenberger wins this year’s Collier Trophy for developing and demonstrating a new blind landing system.
July 28 Over Seattle, Washington, the
Boeing Company flies its Model 299 heavy bomber prototype for the first time. It acquires the nickname Flying Fortress from inspired journalists.
August 20 Boeing’s Model 299 (B-17) prototype flies from Seattle, Washington, to Wright Field, Ohio, for flight-testing.
It covers the 2,100-mile trip at 232 miles per hour, faster than most contemporary fighters.
AUGUST 24 Major Frank M. Andrews sets three speed-with-payload seaplane records while flying a Martin B-12W bomber equipped with pontoon floats between Langley Field, Virginia, and Floyd Bennett Field, New York, and back.
September 17 At Scott Field, Illinois, TC-14, the world’s largest non-rigid airship in the world, performs its maiden flight.
September 26 The Army turns over Rockwell Field, San Diego, California; Luke Field, Ford Island, Hawaii; and Bolling Field, Anacostia, Washington, D. C. to the Navy, while the latter hands over its base at Sunnyvale, California.
OCTOBER 19 Over Selfridge Field, Michigan, Captain Ralph E. Gimmler wins the Mitchell Trophy Race by hitting a top speed of 212.96 miles per hour.
OCTOBER 30 At Wright Field, Ohio, the Boeing Model 299 bomber prototype crashes on takeoff because gust-locking mechanisms were not removed beforehand. The Army remains nonetheless interested in acquiring a fleet of such impressive heavy bombers.
NOVEMBER 11 Over Rapid City, South Dakota, the Army-crewed balloon Explorer II reaches 72,395 feet, taking photographs that show the Earth’s distinctive curvature for the first time. Captains Orvil A. Anderson and Albert W. Stevens receive the Mackay Trophy and a Hubbard Gold Medal from the National Geographic Society.
December 1 At Hamilton Field, California, 29 bombers of the 7th Bomb Group take off and land at Vero Beach, Florida, in 21 hours and 50 minutes.
December 12 An amphibious aircraft flown by Lieutenant Hugh F. McCaferty and five crewmen travels from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami, Florida, in record time, covering 1,033 miles faster than any previous craft of its kind.
December 17 Over Santa Monica, California, the Douglas DC-3 prototype makes its maiden flight. It is adopted into military service as the C-47 and sees widespread service during World War II; 10,650 are constructed between 1935 and 1947, with many still flying today.
December 22 In Washington, D. C., Brigadier General Oscar Westover gains appointment as commander of the Army Air Corps. He replaces Major General Benjamin D. Foulois, whose reputation suffered because of the airmail fiasco.
December 27 At Hilo, Hawaii, bombers from the 5th Composite Group use bombs to divert a lava flow running down the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano.