Aviation
Historical Chronology
Aviation
Historical Chronology
THE TWENTIES
The twenties stand out in the history of naval aviation as a decade
of growth. The air arm steadily increased in size and strength
while improving its administrative and operational position within
the Navy. The period began under the leadership of a Director
without authority to direct. It ended with a flourishing Bureau
of Aeronautics. At the beginning, a small air detachment in each
ocean fleet was proving itself effective under conditions at sea.
At the end, three carriers were in full operation, patrol squadrons
were performing scouting functions, and aircraft were regularly
assigned to battleships and cruisers. Together these elements
played important roles in the annual fleet war games.
Impressive technical progress also characterized the period. With
slim funds, the radial air-cooled engine was developed into an
efficient and reliable proven power. Better instruments came into
use, and an accurate bomb-sight was developed. Aircraft equipped
with oleo struts and folding wings enhanced the operating capability
of carriers. Each year, aircraft flew faster, higher and longer.
Of the many world records placed on the books, U.S. Naval aircraft
won their share.
Tactics were developed. Dive bombing was established almost before
anyone knew enough about it to call it by name. Marine Corps expeditionary
troops learned through experience the value of air support. The
techniques of torpedo attack, scouting, spotting for gunfire and
operating from advanced bases, were investigated and learned.
The skills of naval pilots turned the airplane to new uses in
polar exploration and photographic survey. Everywhere it was evident
that the Navy was solving its basic and unique problem of taking
aviation to the sea.
But the period was also one of controversy that went beyond the
Navy. Newspapers reported angry statements by the proponents of
air power and virulent retorts from its opponents. There were
charges of duplication, inefficiency, prejudice and jealousy.
There was discussion over the role of air power and such issues
as the role of the services in coastal defense. Even the further
need for a Navy was questioned. Naval aviators were unhappy with
their career limitations and lack of command responsibility. The
aircraft industry was discontented with small peacetime orders
and Government procurement policies and Government competition.
Most of this controversy was typical of a new technology developing
at a rapid pace, but not all of the questions would be answered
before the decade's end.
JANUARY
8--The policy of the Army and Navy relating to aircraft was published
for the information and guidance of the services. It defined the
functions of the Army, Navy and Marine aircraft as a guide to
procurement, training and expansion of operating facilities; it
set forth the conditions under which air operations would be coordinated
in coast defense; it enunciated the means by which duplication
of effort would be avoided; and it provided for the free exchange
of technical information. An outgrowth of discussion in the previous
year, this statement was one of many in a long line of interservice
agreements on function and mission which spanned the years to
and beyond the more familiar Key West and Newport agreements reached
by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1948.
19--The Commandant NAS Pensacola reported that in the future no
student would be designated a Naval Aviator or given a certificate
of qualification as a Navy Air Pilot unless he could send and
receive 20 words a minute on radio telegraph.
20--The development and purchase of 200 hp. radial air-cooled
engines from the Lawrance Aero Engine Corporation was initiated
with an allocation of $100,000 to the Bureau of Steam Engineering
for this purpose.
MARCH
17--To overcome an acute shortage of pilots, a change in the flight
training program was approved which separated the heavier-than-air
(Seaplane) and the lighter-than-air (Dirigible) courses; and reduced
the overall training period from 9 to 6 months for the duration
of the shortage.
27--A successful test of the Sperry gyrostabilized automatic pilot
system in an F5L was completed at Hampton Roads.
APRIL
2--The NAS Hampton Roads reported that successful night weather
soundings had been made since January, using candlelighted free
balloons to measure the force and direction of the wind.
MAY
1--Developmental and experimental work in metal construction for
aircraft was disclosed in a Bureau of Construction and Repair
report. Twelve Fokker (German) D-VII planes, which used welded
steel extensively, were to be obtained from the Army and two sets
of metal wings for the HS-3 flying boat were being procured from
Charles Ward Hall.
JUNE
18--A reversible pitch propeller designed by Seth Hart and manufactured
by the Engineering Division, Army Air Service was installed on
the C-10 airship at Rockaway Beach. That same month a Hart reversible
pitch propeller was ordered for the VE-7.
22--The Bureau of Navigation announced plans to select four officers
for a two-year postgraduate course in aeronautical engineering
at the Naval Academy and M.I.T., and asked for volunteers for
the fall semester. Part of the requirement was that appointees
take flight instruction and qualify as naval aviators after completing
their studies.
28--Six F5L's of the Atlantic Fleet Airboat Squadron, commanded
by Lieutenant Commander B. G. Leighton, returned to Philadelphia
completing a seven-month cruise through the West Indies on which
the squadron logged 12,731 nautical miles, including 4,000 flown
on maneuvers with the Fleet.
JULY
6--In a test of the radio compass as an aid to navigation, an
F5L left Hampton Roads and flew directly to Ohio (BB 12),
94 miles at sea in a position unknown to the pilot. Without landing,
the plane made the return trip to Hampton Roads, this time navigating
by signals from Norfolk.
12--A General Order provided for the organization of the naval
forces afloat into the Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic Fleets; and
for the formation of type forces within each designated Battleship,
Cruiser, Destroyer, Submarine, Mine, Air and Train. Under this
order, the Air Detachments in each fleet became Air Forces.
17--The Secretary prescribed a standard nomenclature for types
and classes of naval vessels, including aircraft, in which lighter-than-air
craft were identified by the type "Z" and heavier-than-air
craft by the letter "V". Class letters assigned within
the Z type were R, N and K for rigid dirigibles, non-rigid dirigibles
and kite balloons respectively, while F, O, S, P, T and G were
established for fighter, observation, scouting, patrol, torpedo
and bombing and Fleet planes as classes within the V type.
SEPTEMBER
17--The site of the naval aviation activities on Ford Island was
officially designated NAS Pearl Harbor.
NOVEMBER
4--The third of a series of tests to determine the effectiveness
of aerial bombs against ships was completed, using the old battleship
Indiana (Battleship No. 1) as a target. The tests which
began on 14 October were conducted at Tangier Sound in the Chesapeake
Bay under carefully controlled conditions to determine both the
accuracy with which bombs could be dropped on stationary targets
and the damage caused by near-misses and direct hits.
JANUARY
20--The Secretary of the Navy approved a recommendation that development
of radiocontrolled aircraft be undertaken by the Bureau of Ordnance
and the Bureau of Engineering.
20--A Naval Aircraft Factory design of a turntable catapult, powered
by compressed air, was approved by the Bureau of Construction
and Repair for fabrication at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
MARCH
7--Captain William A. Moffett relieved Captain T. T. Craven as
Director of Naval Aviation.
15--The Metallurgical Laboratory at the Naval Aircraft Factory
reported that a high-strength, chromium-vanadium steel alloy had
proven satisfactory both in extensive laboratory tests and in
the actual manufacture of aircraft fittings. These findings marked
an important advance in the development of metal as a high-strength
aircraft structural material.
JUNE
16--Two CR-1 Curtiss racers were ordered, the first of the series
with which Navy and Army fliers captured many world speed records.
JULY
1--The following basic ratings were established in the Aviation
Branch: Aviation Machinist's Mate, Aviation Metalsmith, Aviation
Carpenter's Mate, Aviation Rigger and Photographer. Although prior
to this time certain general service ratings had been identified
parenthetically as pertaining to aviation, qualifications for
them required meeting the standards of the general rating in addition
to those required for the aviation specialty. The ratings established
on this date were the first concerned specifically with aviation
and based solely on aviation requirements.
12--An Act of Congress created a Bureau of Aeronautics, charged
with matters pertaining to naval aeronautics as prescribed by
the Secretary of the Navy.
21--THE BOMBING TESTS--The battleship Ostfriesland was
sunk by heavy bombs dropped by Army bombers in the last of a series
of tests to determine the effectiveness of air weapons against
combatant ships, and the means by which ship design and construction
might counter their destructive capability. The tests, in which
the Army participated at the invitation of the Navy, were carried
out off the Virginia capes beginning 21 June. On that day, the
German submarine U-117 was sunk by 12 bombs dropped from
Navy F5L's at 1,100 feet. On the 29th, Navy aircraft located the
radio-controlled U.S. battleship ex-Iowa (Battleship No. 4) in
1 hour and 57 minutes after being alerted of her approach somewhere
within a 25,000 square mile area and attacked with dummy bombs.
On 13 July, Army bombers sank the German destroyer G-102, and
on the 18th the light cruiser Frankfurt went down under the combined
effect of 74 bombs delivered by Army and Navy aircraft. Tests
against the Ostfriesland began on 20 July when Army, Navy and
Marine Corps planes dropped 52 bombs, and they ended the next
day when the Army delivered eleven 1,000- and 2,000-pounders.
The Navy had originally planned the tests to provide detailed
technical and tactical data on the effectiveness of aerial bombing
against ships and the value of compartmentation in enabling ships
to survive bomb damage; the Army participated for the purpose
of portraying the superiority of air power over sea power. The
divergence in purposes and resulting differences in operational
plans were not reconciled and, in consequence, the Navy's purposes
were not realized. The significance of the tests was hotly debated,
and became a bone of contention between a generation of Army and
Navy air officers. The one firm conclusion that could be drawn
was that aircraft, in unopposed attack, could sink capital ships.
AUGUST
1--A World War I high-altitude bombsight, mounted on a gyroscopically
stabilized base, was tested by the Torpedo Squadron, Atlantic
Fleet at Yorktown, Va., marking the successful completion of the
first phase of Carl L. Norden's development of an effective high-altitude
bombsight for the Bureau of Ordnance.
9--Rear Admiral B. A. Fiske, USN (Ret.), proposed as a landing
surface for aircraft carriers, "a nice soft cushion"
so mounted "that it would take up the forward motion of the
airplane and not check its forward velocity at once."
10--A General Order established the Bureau of Aeronautics, and
defined its duties under the Secretary of the Navy as comprising
"all that relates to designing, building, fitting out, and
repairing Naval and Marine Corps aircraft"; gave it authority
to recommend to the Bureau of Navigation and the Commandant of
the Marine Corps on all matters pertaining to aeronautic training
and the assignment of officer and enlisted personnel to aviation;
described the scope of its relationships with other bureaus having
cognizance of aeronautical materials and equipment; and also directed
that special provision be made in its organization to furnish
information "covering all aeronautic planning, operations
and administration that may be called for by the Chief of Naval
Operations."
11--Practical development of carrier arresting gear was initiated
at Hampton Roads as Lieutenant A. M. Pride taxied an Aeromarine
onto the dummy deck, and engaged arresting wires. These tests
resulted in the development of arresting gear for the Langley,
consisting essentially of both athwartship wires attached to weights,
and fore and aft wires.
24--During its fourth trial flight, the R-38 (ZR-2) rigid airship
built for the Navy by the Royal Air Force, broke into two parts
and fell into the Humber River at Hull, England. It carried to
their deaths 28 British nationals and 16 Americans, including
Air Commodore E. M. Maitland and Commander L. H. Maxfield, the
latter the prospective American commanding officer.
SEPTEMBER
1--The Bureau of Aeronautics, under its Chief, Rear Admiral W.
A. Moffett, began functioning as an organizational unit of the
Navy Department.
OCTOBER
26--A compressed air, turntable catapult, in its first successful
test, launched an N-9 seaplane piloted by Commander H. C. Richardson
from a pier at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
NOVEMBER
3--A Curtiss-Navy racer, powered by a 400-h.p. Curtiss engine,
on loan to the builder and piloted by Bert Acosta, won the Pulitzer
Race at Omaha with a world record speed of 176.7 m.p.h.
DECEMBER
1--The first flight of an airship inflated with helium gas was
made at Norfolk, Va. The airship, the C-7, was piloted by Lieutenant
Commander R. F. Wood.
16--Wright, a seaplane tender and balloon carrier, was commissioned
the AZ 1 at New York, with Captain A. W. Johnson in command.
20--To meet requirements expressed by several Pacific Fleet commands,
the commanding officer of NAS San Diego was authorized to establish
a school for training naval aviators in the use of landplanes.
JANUARY
16--PARACHUTES ISSUED FOR HEAVIER-THAN-AIR USE--The Bureau of
Aeronautics directed that army-type seat pack parachutes be shipped
to Marine Corps aviation units at Haiti, the Dominican Republic,
Guam and Quantico.
FEBRUARY
6--The Washington Treaty, limiting naval armament, was signed
at Washington, D.C., by representatives of the British Empire,
France, Italy, Japan and the United States. The treaty established
a tonnage ratio of 5-5-3 for capital ships of Great Britain, the
United States and Japan respectively, and a lesser figure for
France and Italy. The same ratio for aircraft carrier tonnage
set overall limits at 135,000-135,000-81,000 tons. The treaty
also limited any new carrier to 27,000 tons with a provision that,
if total carrier tonnage were not exceeded thereby, nations could
build two carriers of not more than 33,000 tons each or obtain
them by converting existing or partially constructed ships which
would otherwise be scrapped by this treaty.
7--The completion of a 50-hour test run of the Lawrance J-1, 200
hp., radial aircooled engine by the Aeronautical Engine Laboratory,
Washington Navy Yard, foreshadowed the successful use of radial
engines in naval aircraft.
MARCH
2--Experimental investigation and development of catapults using
gunpowder was initiated, eventually producing a new type catapult
for use in launching aircraft from capital ships.
20--Langley, converted from the collier Jupiter (AC 3)
as the first carrier of the U.S. Navy, was placed in commission
at Norfolk, Va., under command of her Executive Officer, Commander
Kenneth Whiting.
25--The Secretary established an Experimental and Research Laboratory
as had been provided for in a public law passed in August 1916.
Following the construction of necessary buildings at Bellevue,
D.C., the Aircraft Radio Laboratory from NAS Anacostia, the Naval
Radio Research Laboratory from the Bureau of Standards and the
Sound Research Section of the Engineering Experiment Station were
consolidated at the new organization prior to its establishment
in July 1923. In view of the research orientation of this facility,
it was generally called the Naval Research Laboratory, and its
name was officially changed to that by the Naval Appropriations
Act for 1926.
27--To comply with a provision of the law establishing the Bureau
of Aeronautics that its Chief and at least 70 percent of its officers
be either pilots or observers, the Bureau of Aeronautics defined
the functions and qualifications of Naval Aviation Observers,
and recommended a course of study for their training. Upon its
approval by the Bureau of Navigation, Rear Admiral W. A. Moffett
reported for training, and on 17 June 1922 qualified as the first
Naval Aviation Observer.
29--A change in the aircraft designation system was promulgated
which added the identity of the manufacturer to the model designation.
Symbols consisted of a combination of letters and numbers in which
the first letter identified the manufacturer and the second, the
class (or mission) of the aircraft. Thus MO was a Martin observation
plane. Numbers appearing between letters indicated the series
of designs within class built by the same manufacturer (the 1
being omitted) and numbers following a dash after the class letter
indicated modifications of the basic model. Thus, the second modification
of the MO became MO-2, while the second-design observation plane
built by Martin became M2O.
APRIL
1--Descriptive specifications of arresting gear of the type later
installed in Lexington and Saratoga were sent to various design
engineers, including Carl L. Norden and Warren Noble. "The
arresting gear will consist of two or more transverse wires stretched
across the fore and aft wires . . . [and which] lead around sheaves
placed outboard to hydraulic brakes. The plane after engaging
the transverse wire is guided down the deck by the fore and aft
wires and is brought to rest by the action of the transverse wire
working with the hydraulic brakes."
22--The Secretary of the Navy approved a recommendation of the
General Board that one spotting plane be assigned to each Fleet
battleship and cruiser, and that the feasibility of operating
more aircraft from these ships be tested.
24--In efforts to increase the service life of aircraft engines
beyond the 50-hours then required, the Bureau of Aeronautics issued
a contract to the Packard Motor Car Company for a 300-hour test
of a Packard 1A-1551 dirigible engine. Such endurance testing,
whereby the weaker components of an engine were identified in
runs to destruction, and then redesigned for longer life, came
to be an important step both in increasing the operating life
of engines and in the development of new high performance engines.
25--The first all-metal airplane designed for the Navy made its
first flight. The ST-1 twin-engine torpedo plane, built by Stout
Engineering Laboratory, was test-flown by Eddie Stinson. Although
this aircraft possessed inadequate longitudinal stability, its
completion marked a step forward in the development of all-metal
aircraft.
MAY
24--Routine operation of catapults aboard ship commenced with
the successful launching of a VE-7 piloted by Lieutenant Andrew
C. McFall, with Lieutenant D. C. Ramsey as passenger, from Maryland
(BB 46) off Yorktown, Va. A compressed air catapult was used.
As catapults were installed on other battleships and then on cruisers,
the Navy acquired the capability of operating aircraft from existing
capital ships. Techniques were thus developed for supporting conventional
surface forces, particularly in spotting for ships guns, and experimentation
was conducted with aerial tactics that would later be further
developed by the carrier aviation. Perhaps more important, the
capabilities and limitations of aircraft were demonstrated to
officers and men throughout the Navy.
31--In the National Elimination Balloon Race at Milwaukee, the
Navy was represented by two balloons: one manned by Lieutenant
Commander J. P. Norfleet and Chief Rigger J. F. Shade, and the
other by Lieutenant W. F. Reed and Chief Rigger K. Mullenix. Norfleet's
balloon was filled with helium, the first use of the gas in a
free balloon. Reed finished third in the race with a distance
of 441 miles and was the only Navy qualifier for the International
Balloon Race to be held at Geneva, Switzerland, later in the year.
JUNE
17--The practice of numbering aircraft squadrons to conform to
the number of the ship squadron they served, was changed to a
system of numbering all squadrons serially by class in the order
in which they were initially authorized. The use of letter abbreviations
to indicate mission was also adopted.
17--In anticipation of a reorganization that would merge the Atlantic
and Pacific Fleets into a U.S. Fleet, the fleet aviation commands,
whose titles had previously been changed from Air Forces to Air
Squadrons, were retitled Aircraft Squadrons of the Scouting and
Battle Fleets, which commands would replace the Atlantic and Pacific
Fleets, respectively.
26--The rigid airship Los Angeles (ZR-3) was ordered from the
Zeppelin Airship Company, Friedrichshafen, Germany. This zeppelin,
part of World War I reparations, was obtained as a non-military
aircraft under the terms approved by the Conference of Ambassadors
on 16 December 1921.
JULY
1--Eight medical officers, the first to report for flight training,
began their instruction at NAS Pensacola. Four had previously
completed the flight surgeon's course at the Army Technical School
of Aviation Medicine.
1--Congress authorized conversion of the unfinished battle cruisers
Lexington and Saratoga to aircraft carriers, as permitted under
the terms of the Washington Treaty.
1--Navy men began training in the care and packing of parachutes
when 10 Chief Petty Officers reported for two months instruction
at the Army School at Chanute Field, Rantoul, Ill.
3--Class XVI, the first Class of Student Naval Aviators to be
trained in landplanes, began training at Pensacola.
17--The Chief of Naval Operations forwarded a list of Bureau and
Division representatives to the Bureau of Navigation with the
request that they be ordered to meet as a board for the purpose
of drawing up tactical doctrine governing the employment of spotting
aircraft in fleet fire control.
SEPTEMBER
27--The first mass torpedo practice against a live target was
conducted off the Virginia capes by 18 PT aircraft of Torpedo
and Bombing Plane Squadron One. The squadron attacked the designated
target, Arkansas (Battleship No. 33), which was one of a formation
of three battleships that were maneuvering while running at full
speed. The attack lasted over a 25 minute period during which
the aircraft approached the ships from port and starboard and
released 17 Mk VII Model 1 "A" torpedoes at distances
of 500 to 1,000 yards and obtained eight hits on the designated
target. Subsequent analysis emphasized artificialities which prevented
the practice from demonstrating combat capability of either the
surface or air units but the outstanding fact demonstrated was
that torpedoes could be successfully launched from aircraft, and
be made to run straight.
27--The Commanding Officer, NAS Anacostia proposed that radio
could be used to detect the passage of a ship at night or during
heavy fog. The means proposed, the "Beat method of detection,"
resulted from the unexpected nature of a radio signal observed
by Commander A. Hoyt Taylor and Mr. L. C. Young of the Aircraft
Radio Laboratory, NAS Anacostia, when a passing river steamer
interrupted experimental high frequency radio transmissions between
Anacostia and a receiver across the River at Hains Point. The
observation and analysis of the phenomenon was a basic step in
the chain of events that led to the U.S. Navy's invention of radar.
OCTOBER
8--The Curtiss Marine Trophy Race for seaplanes, held at Detroit
as an event of the National Air Races, was won by Lieutenant A.
W. Gorton, flying a TR-1 powered by a Lawrance, J-1 engine. He
averaged 112.6 m.p.h. over the 160 mile course. Second place went
to Lieutenant H. A. Elliott in a Vought VE-7H.
14--Lieutenants H. J. Brow and A. J. Williams, flying CR-2 and
CR-1 Curtiss Racers with Curtiss D-12 engines, finished third
and fourth in the Pulitzer Trophy Race at Detroit, making speeds
of 193 and 187 m.p.h., respectively.
17--The first carrier takeoff in the U.S. Navy was made by Lieutenant
V.C. Griffin in a Vought VE-7SF from Langley, at anchor in the
York River.
26--Lieutenant Commander G. deC. Chevalier, flying an Aeromarine,
made the first landing aboard the carrier Langley while underway
off Cape Henry.
NOVEMBER
14--Lieutenant Commander Godfrey dec. Chevalier, Naval Aviator
No. 7, died in the Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, of injuries received
in a plane crash two days before at Lochaven, near Norfolk.
18--Commander Kenneth Whiting, piloting a PT seaplane, made the
first catapult launching from the carrier Langley. This ship was
at anchor in the York River.
29--Lieutenants Ben H. Wyatt and George T. Owen, piloting DH-4B's,
arrived at San Diego and completed a round trip transcontinental
flight that began from the same place on 14 October. The planes
made the trip in short hops, flying a southern route through Tucson,
New Orleans and Pensacola on the outward leg; and from Washington,
D.C., through Dayton, Omaha, Salt Lake City and San Francisco
on the homeward leg; completing the 7,000-mile trip in about 90
hours of flight. Layovers caused by mechanical difficulties, bad
gasoline, weather and lack of navigating equipment accounted for
most of the elapsed time.
FEBRUARY
6--Transfer of the Aeronautical Engine Laboratory from the Washington
Navy Yard to the Naval Aircraft Factory was authorized by the
Secretary of the Navy, thereby clearly establishing the Naval
Aircraft Factory as the center of the Navy's aeronautical development
and experimental work.
12--The Bureau of Navigation informed the Commandant at Pensacola
that two year's service in an operating unit subsequent to graduation
from flight training was no longer a requirement for designation
as a Naval Aviator.
18-22--Aviation was employed in a U.S. Fleet Problem for the first
time as Problem I was worked out to test the defenses of the Panama
Canal against air attack. Blue Fleet and Army coastal and air
units defending the Canal, were assisted by the operations of
18 patrol planes of Scouting Plane Squadron 1 based on the tenders
Wright (AZ 1), Sandpiper (Minesweeper No. 51) and Teal (Minesweeper
No. 23). The lack of carriers and planes for the attacking Black
Fleet was made up by designating two battleships as simulated
carriers. On the approach one of these, Oklahoma (BB 37), launched
a seaplane by catapult to scout ahead of the force (21 Feb.),
and early the next morning a single plane representing an air
group took off from Naranyas Cays, flew in undetected and, without
either air opposition or antiaircraft fire, theoretically destroyed
Gatun Spillway with 10 miniature bombs.
21--Tests of aircraft handling were made aboard Langley with Aeromarines
operating in groups of three. Results showed that it required
two minutes to prepare the deck after each landing; and in the
best time for the day three planes were landed in seven minutes.
21--In recognition of the fact that the newer aircraft engines
offered advantages of longer life and lower cost, the Bureau of
Aeronautics issued guidelines that severely restricted the repair
and reuse of engines over two years old. Through this means, the
Navy was able to expend promptly its residual stocks of World
War I engines and equip most new aircraft with newer engines.
More importantly, freed of the millstone of stocks of obsolescent
engines, the Navy could aggressively sponsor the development of
improved aircraft engines to meet its various requirements.
MARCH
7--Navy participation in aviation fuel research and development
was indicated in the Aeronautical Engine Laboratory report on
systematic tests, conducted by the Bureau of Standards, on mixtures
of alcohol-gasoline and benzol-gasoline. Industrial and governmental
research with fuels, of which this was a part, eventually resulted
in the development of tetraethyl-lead as an additive for aviation
fuels and of iso-octane as a standard for antiknock characteristics.
10--The aircraft model designation system was modified by reversing
the order of letters in the combination, placing the class letter
first and manufacturer's letter last. Thus, the designation FB
indicated a fighter built by Boeing. Although this modification
applied only to new aircraft and did not change designations already
assigned, the system so established remained in use until 1962.
15--The training of nucleus crews for the rigid airships Shenandoah
(ZR-1) and Los Angeles (ZR-3), which had been underway since 1
July 1922 at NAS Hampton Roads, opened at a new location when
ground school work started at NAS Lakehurst under Captain Anton
Heinan, lighter-than-air expert, formerly of the German Navy.
APRIL
15--The Naval Research Laboratory reported that equipment for
radio control of aircraft had been demonstrated in an F5L, and
was found satisfactory up to a range of 10 miles. It also stated
that radio control of an airplane during landing and takeoff was
feasible.
17--Lieutenant Rutledge Irvine, flying a Douglas DT equipped with
a Liberty engine, established a world altitude record for Class
C airplanes with a useful load of 1,000 kilograms, reaching 11,609
feet over McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio.
MAY
26--The Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics agreed with the Chief
of the Air Service that it would be advantageous to both the aviation
industry and the military services to work under identical aeronautic
specifications whenever possible and further stated that he considered
it desirable for the Army and Navy to work together toward that
end immediately. When Lieutenant R. S. Barnaby was ordered to
McCook Field as the Bureau's representative at an interservice
conference on standardization in December, a series of annual
meetings was initiated that continued until 1937, when the Aeronautical
Board assigned a full-time staff to carry on the work.
JUNE
6--Planes and pilots of Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, established
seven world records for Class C seaplanes at San Diego, Calif.,
as follows:
Lieutenant (jg) M. A. Schur, in a DT-2 torpedo plane, set the
speed record for 500 kilometers at 72 m.p.h.
Lieutenant H. T. Stanley, in an F5L patrol plane, set distance
and duration records with a payload of 250 kilograms at 574.75
miles and 10 hours, 23 minutes, 58 seconds.
Lieutenant H. E. Halland, in an F5L patrol plane, set distance
and duration records with a 500-kilogram payload at 466 miles
and 7 hours, 35 minutes, 54 seconds.
Lieutenant R. L. Fuller, in a DT-2 torpedo plane, set distance
and duration marks with a 1,000-kilogram payload at 205.2 miles
and 2 hours, 45 minutes, 9 seconds.
7--Pilots at San Diego continued their assault on the record books
with eight new world marks for Class C seaplanes as follows:
Lieutenant E. B. Brix, in a DT-2, set an altitude record of 10,850
feet for planes carrying a 250-kilogram useful load.
Lieutenant R. L. Fuller, in an F5L, set an altitude record of
8,438 feet for planes carrying a 500-kilogram load.
Ensign E. E. Dolecek, in an F5L, set an altitude record of 7,979
feet for planes with a 1,000-kilogram load.
Lieutenant C. F. Harper, in a DT-2, set the altitude record of
13,898 feet for planes with no useful load.
Lieutenant H. T. Stanley, in an F5L, with a 1,500-kilogram load
set the duration mark at 2 hours, 18 minutes, and an altitude
record of 5,682 feet.
Lieutenant H. E. Halland, in an F5L with a 2,000-kilogram load,
set a duration record of 51 minutes and an altitude record of
4,885 feet.
12--Lieutenant (jg) M. A. Schur, flying a DT-2 Douglas torpedo
plane powered with a Liberty engine, set three world records at
San Diego for Class C seaplanes with a duration mark of 11 hours,
16 minutes, 59 seconds, a distance mark of 792.25 miles, and a
speed of 70.49 m.p.h. for 1,000 kilometers.
13--At San Diego, Lieutenant R. A. Ofstie, in a TS seaplane equipped
with a Lawrance J-1 engine, set world speed records for Class
C seaplanes for 100 and 200 kilometers with speeds of 121.95 and
121.14 m.p.h., respectively.
JULY
21--The Bureau of Aeronautics established a policy of assigning
experimental airplanes to fleet squadrons for operational evaluation
before adopting them as service types.
AUGUST
13--Constructive action towards building an effective aviation
branch of the Naval Reserve Force was marked by the establishment
of Naval Aviation Reserve Units at Fort
Hamilton, N.Y. and Squantum, Mass.
SEPTEMBER
4--Shenandoah (ZR-1) made its first flight at NAS Lakehurst, Captain
F. R. McCrary commanding.
28--U.S. Navy aircraft won first and second places in the international
seaplane race for the Schneider Cup at Cowes, England, and in
winning established a new world record for seaplanes with a speed
of 169.89 miles per hour for 200 kilometers. Lieutenant David
Rittenhouse, the new record holder, marked up 177.38 miles per
hour for the race and Lieutenant Rutledge Irvine placed second
with 173.46 m.p.h. Both were flying CR-3's equipped with Curtiss
D-12 engines.
OCTOBER
6--Navy planes swept the Pulitzer Trophy Race at St. Louis, taking
the first four places all at faster speeds than the winning time
of the previous year. Both first and second places bettered the
world's speed mark, with the winner Lieutenant A. J. Williams
in an R2C setting the new records for 100 and 200 kilometers at
243.812 and 243.673 m.p.h., respectively.
NOVEMBER
2--Lieutenant H. J. Brow, flying an R2C-1 equipped with a Curtiss
D-12 engine, established a world's speed record at Mitchel Field,
Long Island, averaging 259.47 m.p.h. in four flights over the
3-kilometer course.
4--Lieutenant A. J. Williams, flying an R2C-1 equipped with a
Curtiss D-12 engine, raised the world's speed record to 266.59
m.p.h. at Mitchel Field, Long Island, bettering the record set
by Lieutenant Brow only two days before.
5--A series of tests, designed to show the feasibility of stowing
a seaplane aboard the submarine S-l and launching it, were completed
at the Hampton Roads Naval Base. A crew from the Langley, supervised
by Lieutenant Commander V. C. Griffin, had cooperated with the
S-l's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant P. M. Rhea, in carrying out
the tests which involved removing a disassembled Martin MS-1 from
a tank on the submarine, assembling it, and launching it by submerging
the submarine.
6--Lieutenant A. J. Williams, in an R2C-1, climbed to 5,000 feet
in 1 minute, bettering the best previously reported climb of 2,000
feet in the same time.
16--The Bureau of Aeronautics directed that all aircraft attached
to vessels of the fleet be overhauled once every six months.
DECEMBER
3--The establishment of a special service squadron, for the purpose
of developing long-distance scouting planes, was approved by the
Chief of Naval Operations. The squadron, designated VS Squadron
3, was initially based at NAS Anacostia and commanded by Lieutenant
Commander C. P. Mason.
7--The Bureau of Aeronautics established a new designation system
for catapults whereby a type letter, "A" for compressed
air, "P" for powder, and "F" for flywheel,
indicated the energy source while major design modifications were
indicated by Mark numbers. Under this system, the compressed air,
turntable catapult demonstrated at the Naval Aircraft Factory
and installed aboard Maryland (BB 46) was designated type "A"
Mark I, and Langley's catapult was designated type "A",
Mark III. This designation system was subsequently extended, with
some modification, to include other energy sources, notably the
type letter, "H" for hydraulic catapults.
JANUARY
3--VT Squadron 20, commanded by Lieutenant Commander G. D. Murray,
sailed from San Diego on board Vega for transfer to the Philippine
Islands to operate from Ajax (Collier No. 44) as the first air
unit of the Asiatic Fleet.
FEBRUARY
4--The Bureau of Aeronautics directed that the practice of striping
or camouflaging aircraft be discontinued and that by 1 July all
aircraft should be painted in accordance with the prescribed naval
gray except stretched fabric on wing and tail and some fuselage
surfaces which were to be aluminum. The one exception permitted
was that all squadrons of a station, force, or fleet could uniformly
paint the upper wing chrome yellow or other color to increase
visibility in case of forced landing.
26--VS Squadron 3 was authorized to fly one division of CS seaplanes
from Anacostia to Miami and Key West and return, for the purpose
of conducting services tests under actual operating conditions.
MARCH
8--The race for the Curtiss Marine Trophy at Miami was won by
Lieutenant L. V. Grant in a Vought VE-7, at an average speed of
116.1 m.p.h.
21--The Bureau of Aeronautics directed that service parachutes
be used by all personnel on all flights.
APRIL
21--The Bureau of Aeronautics requested the Bureau of Steam Engineering
to investigate development of a single-wave radio sending and
receiving set, suitable for installation in fighting planes, with
a 20-mile sending radius, and powered by a small battery or engine
driven generator.
MAY
2--A DT plane, carrying a dummy torpedo, was launched by catapult
from Langley, at anchor in Pensacola Bay. The plane was piloted
by Lieutenant W. M. Dillion and also carried Lieutenant S. H.
Wooster as gunnery officer.
JUNE
19--The Bureau of Ordnance issued a contract to the Ford Instrument
Company for development of an antiaircraft director for shipboard
fire control.
22-23--Lieutenants F. W. Wead and J. D. Price, in a Curtiss CS-2
equipped with one Wright T-3 Tornado engine, set five world records
for class C seaplanes at Anacostia; one for distance with 963.123
miles; one for duration for 13 hours, 23 minutes, 15 seconds;
and three for speeds of 73.41 m.p.h. for 500 kilometers, 74.27
m.p.h. for 1,000 kilometers, and 74.17 m.p.h. for 1,500 kilometers.
24--A technical order was issued which prescribed the external
color of naval aircraft. Overall color was to be aluminum enamel
with clear varnish on wooden spars and struts. Naval yellow enamel
was to be used on the top surfaces of upper wings of training
planes and yellow or other high visibility color could similarly
be applied to all aircraft of any station, force or fleet.
JULY
11-12--Lieutenants F. W. Wead and J. D. Price, flying a CS-2 equipped
with a Wright Tornado engine, broke world records for Class C
seaplanes at Anacostia, with new marks for distance of 994.19
miles and for duration of 14 hours, 53 minutes, 44 seconds.
23--The Bureau of Aeronautics announced that it was assuming cognizance
of pigeon boxes for use in aircraft.
AUGUST
8--Shenandoah (ZR-1) secured to the mooring mast on Patoka (AO
9) while underway in Narragansett Bay, remained moored to the
ship during her passage to anchor off Jamestown, R.I., and cast
off next day, almost 24 hours later. This was the first use of
the mooring mast erected on shipboard to facilitate airship operations
with the fleet.
11--Observation planes from the light cruiser Raleigh (CL 7) took
off from the water near the Arctic Circle on the first of several
reconnaissance flights over the Greenland coast from Angmagsalik
to Cape Farewell to locate suitable emergency landing areas for
the Army flyers, then crossing the Atlantic, via Iceland, on the
last leg of their round-the-world flight.
15--In the first use of rigid airships with the fleet, Shenandoah
(ZR-1) departed Lakehurst to take part in a Scouting Fleet problem
300 miles at sea. She discovered the "enemy" fleet but
heavy rains forced her early retirement to base where she arrived
17 August after 40 hours in the air.
SEPTEMBER
1--A parachute school opened at NAS Lakehurst to train enlisted
men in the care, operation, maintenance and testing of parachutes--the
first school of its kind in the Navy.
15--An N-9 seaplane, equipped with radio control and without a
human pilot aboard, was flown on a 40-minute flight at the Naval
Proving Grounds, Dahlgren. Although the aircraft sank from damage
sustained while landing, this test demonstrated the practicability
of radio control of aircraft.
18--The repair ship Medusa (AR 1) was commissioned and a section
of Observation Squadron VO-2, consisting of two officers and 20
men, was organized and assigned as a ship-plane repair detail
to support the operations of VO-1.
OCTOBER
10--A CS-2 seaplane, piloted by Lieutenants Andrew Crinkley and
Rossmore D. Lyon, landed at Quantico, Va., after a continuous
flight from NAS Anacostia of 20 hours, 28 minutes, and 1,460 miles
logged. Although the flight exceeded world records for endurance
and distance, it was not officially timed and therefore not an
official record.
15--The rigid airship ZR-3 was delivered at NAS Lakehurst, completing
a 5,000-mile flight from Friedrichshafen, Germany, in 81 hours
under the command of Dr. Hugo Eckener, and with prospective commanding
officer, Captain G. W. Steele aboard.
16--EMERGENCY USE OF PARACHUTE--Following a mid-air collision
over Coronado, California, Gunner W. M. Coles, USN, of VF Squadron
1, made a successful emergency parachute jump from his JN.
25--When all foreign entrants withdrew from the Schneider Cup
Race to be held at Bayshore Park, Md., the United States agreed
to cancel the race rather than win by a flyaway. Instead, the
Navy staged a series of record attempts in which the scheduled
contestants and other naval aircraft put 17 world's records in
the book for Class C seaplanes as follows:
Lieutenant G. T. Cuddihy, in a CR-3 powered with a Curtiss D-12
engine, broke a maximum world speed record of almost two years
standing with 188.078 m.p.h.
Lieutenant R. A. Ofstie, in a CR-3 with a Curtiss D-12 engine,
broke world speed records for 100, 200 and 500 kilometers with
marks of 178.25 m.p.h. for the 100 and 200 and 161.14 for the
500.
Lieutenant G. R. Henderson, in a PN-7 flying boat equipped with
two Wright T-2 engines, set four records for speed over 100 and
200 kilometers with loads of 250 and 500 kilograms, all at 78.507
m.p.h; and four records with a useful load of 1,000 kilograms
with a speed of 78.507 m.p.h. for 100 and 200 kilometers, a distance
record of 248.55 miles and a duration record of 5 hours, 28 minutes,
43 seconds.
Lieutenant O. B. Hardison, also in a PN-7, set world records for
speed over 100 kilometers, and for distance with a useful load
of 1,500 kilograms at 68.4 m.p.h. and 62.137 miles, and three
more with a useful load of 2,000 kilograms in speed for 100 kilometers
of 68.4 m.p.h., distance 62.137 miles, and duration 1 hour, 49
minutes, 11.9 seconds.
25--The rigid airship Shenandoah (ZR-1) commanded by Lieutenant
Commander Z. Lansdowne, landed at NAS Lakehurst completing a round-trip
transcontinental cruise that began on 7 October and covered 9,317
miles in 258 hours of flight. The trip included stops at Fort
Worth, San Diego, and a stay of 11 days on the west coast, including
a flight to Camp Lewis at Tacoma, Wash.
NOVEMBER
11--Lieutenant Dixie Kiefer piloted a plane in a successful night
catapult launch from California at anchor in San Diego harbor.
The launch at 2146 was aided only by searchlights trained about
1,000 yards ahead.
14--Qualifications for Flight Surgeons were agreed upon by the
Chiefs of the Bureau of Aeronautics and the Bureau of Medicine
and Surgery, which required medical officers to complete the three-months
course at the U.S. Army School of Aviation Medicine and three
months of satisfactory service with a naval aviation unit before
designation. The requirement that a medical officer so qualified
also make flights in aircraft was limited to emergencies and the
desire of the officer.
17--Langley reported for duty with the Battle Fleet, thereby ending
over 2 years in experimental status and becoming the first operational
aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. On 1 December she also became
the flagship of Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet.
25--Mrs. Calvin Coolidge christened the ZR-3 as Los Angeles (ZR-3)
at NAS Anacostia. As a part of the ceremony it was commissioned
a ship of the Fleet, with Captain G. W. Steele commanding.
DECEMBER
13--The NM-1, an all-metal airplane, was flown at the Naval Aircraft
Factory. This aircraft was designed and built for the purpose
of developing metal construction for naval airplanes and was intended
for Marine Corps expeditionary use.
14--A powder catapult was successfully demonstrated in the launching
of a Martin MO-1 observation plane from the forward turret of
the battleship Mississippi (BB 41) at Bremerton, Wash. The aircraft
was piloted by Lieutenant L. C. Hayden with Lieutenant W. M. Fellers
as passenger. Following this demonstration, the powder catapult
was widely used on battleships and cruisers.
JANUARY
17--A special board, headed by the Chief of Naval Operations,
Admiral E. W. Eberle, submitted its report to the Secretary. Appointed
on 23 September 1924 to consider recent developments in aviation
and to recommend a policy for the development of the Navy in its
various branches, the board devoted most of its discussion to
the importance of the battleship, but in its recommendations gave
prominence to aviation. For this branch, it recommended that carriers
be built up to treaty limits, that Lexington and Saratoga be completed
expeditiously, that a new 23,000-ton carrier be laid down, and
that a progressive aircraft building program be established to
insure a complete complement of modern planes for the Fleet. In
regard to personnel, the board recommended expansion of aviation
offerings at the Naval Academy, assignment of all qualified Academy
graduates to aviator or observer training after 2 years of sea
duty, and the establishment of a definite policy governing assignment
of officers to aviation.
22--VF Squadron 2, the first trained to operate as a squadron
from a carrier, began landing practice on Langley off San Diego.
This was also the beginning of the Langley operations as a unit
of Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet.
FEBRUARY
4--Commanding officers were made responsible for determining when
aircraft attached to vessels of the fleet required overhaul, and
an earlier order of 1923 was canceled which had required complete
overhaul of such aircraft every six months.
MARCH
2-11--Fleet Problem V, the first to incorporate aircraft carrier
operations, was conducted off the coast of Lower California. Although
the air activity of Langley was limited to scouting in advance
of the Black Fleet movement to Guadalupe Island, the performance
was convincing enough for the Commander in Chief, Admiral R. E.
Coontz, to recommend that completion of Lexington and Saratoga
be speeded up as much as possible. The Admiral also recommended
that steps be taken to insure development of planes of greater
durability, dependability and radius, and that catapult and recovery
gear be further improved. He also reported that experience now
permitted catapulting of planes from battleships and cruisers
as routine.
11--ROUTINE AEROLOGICAL SOUNDING FLIGHTS--NAS Anacostia reported
arrangements were being made for daily weather flights to an altitude
of 10,000 feet to obtain weather data and to test upper-air sounding
equipment. These flights commenced in mid-April, and the following
February the schedule was extended to include Saturday, Sunday
and holiday flights, with the altitude being increased to 15,000
feet.
13--Rear Admiral W. A. Moffett was appointed for a second tour
of duty as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics.
APRIL
2--The feasibility of using flush-deck catapults to launch landplanes
was demonstrated by catapulting a DT-2 landplane, piloted by Lieutenant
Commander C. P. Mason, with Lieutenant Braxton Rhodes as passenger,
from the Langley, moored to its dock at San Diego.
8--Lieutenant John D. Price, piloting a plane of VF-1, made a
night landing on Langley, at sea off San Diego and was followed
on board by Lieutenants D. L. Conley, A. W. Gorton and R. D. Lyon.
Except for an accidental landing on the night of 5 February when
Lieutenant H. J. Brow stalled while practicing night approaches,
these were the first night landings made on board a U.S. carrier.
8--Almost two years after the special aviation uniform had been
abolished, new uniforms of forestry green for winter and khaki
for summer were authorized for Naval Aviators, Observers, and
other officers on duty involving flying. Although there were minor
modifications to the original design in later years, this uniform,
in khaki, was adopted for the entire Navy in 1941.
MAY
1-2--Lieutenants C. H. Schildhauer and J. R. Kyle, on a test flight
over Philadelphia of the PN-9 manufactured at the Naval Aircraft
Factory, broke the world endurance record for Class C seaplanes,
remaining in the air for 28 hours, 35 minutes, 27 seconds. The
plane, a metalhulled flying boat equipped with two Packard engines,
was used by Rodgers later in the year on his record flight toward
Hawaii.
5--The Secretary of the Navy approved reorganization of certain
departments at the Naval Academy as required to make aviation
an integral part of the curriculum; the establishment of a program,
beginning with the Class of 1926, to give three months of special
ground and flight instruction to all midshipmen; and additional
instruction as necessary to qualify each graduate as an aviator
or observer during the first two years after graduation.
29--The standard color of naval aircraft was modified: hulls and
floats of seaplanes were to be painted navy gray; wings, fuselages,
landing gear, etc., aluminum color; and the top surface of upper
wings, stabilizers and elevators, orange yellow.
JUNE
17--The Naval Air Detail, under Lieutenant Commander R. E. Byrd
of the MacMillan Expedition, sailed from Boston with three Loening
amphibians aboard Peary (DD 340). Bowdoin joined Peary off Wiscasset,
Maine, and after a 3,000-mile voyage, the expedition reached Etah
in North Greenland on 1 August to begin an aerial exploration
of the area that covered 30,000 square miles before the end of
the month.
JULY
1--When a law, enacted 28 February, became effective, the Naval
Aviation Reserve began to organize into 10 squadrons of four divisions
each. Authorized squadron complements for each of three scouting
and three bombing squadrons were established at 40 officers and
130 men, and for each of four fighting squadrons at 18 officers
and 20 men.
SEPTEMBER
1--Commander John Rodgers, Lieutenant B. J. Connell and crew of
three in a PN-9, attempting a flight from San Francisco to Honolulu,
were forced down by lack of fuel shortly after 4:00 in the afternoon.
Lost at sea for 10 days in spite of extensive air and sea search,
Commander Rodgers and his crew rigged sail from the wing fabric
and set course for Kaui Island. After covering about 450 miles
by sail, they were sighted on 10 September by the submarine R-4,
10 miles from their goal. The 1,841.12 statute miles, flown from
31 August to their forced landing was accepted by the F.A.I. as
a new world airline distance record for Class C seaplanes that
remained unbeaten for almost 5 years.
3--The rigid dirigible Shenandoah (ZR-1) was torn apart in a severe
line squall before daylight over Byesville, Ohio. The control
car and after section of the hull fell directly to the ground,
while the forward section with seven men aboard free-ballooned
for an hour to land all hands safely 12 miles from the scene of
the crash. In all there were 29 survivors, but 14 were killed
including Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne, the Commanding
Officer.
29--The Chief of Naval Operations directed that all heavier-than-air
Naval Aviators, not already qualified to pilot landplanes, be
given training in landplanes operation.
OCTOBER
3--In view of the need for an accumulation of upper air data for
improved weather forecasting, the Bureau of Aeronautics requested
that aircraft squadron flagships take upper air soundings twice
a day when at sea.
5--VJ-1B, first of the Utility Squadrons, was formed at San Diego
from personnel of VS-2B and assigned to Aircraft Squadrons, Battle
Fleet. Lieutenant J. F. Moloney was the first commanding officer.
26--The two Navy entries in the Schneider Cup Race at Bay Shore
Park, Md., flown by Lieutenants George Cuddihy and Ralph A. Ofstie,
were forced out of the race on the last lap with engine trouble.
27--Oleo shock-absorbing landing gear for aircraft was reported
in use on NB-1, FB-1, UO-1, SC-2 and new bombing planes being
constructed by the Naval Aircraft Factory, Douglas and Boeing.
NOVEMBER
30--The President's Aircraft Board, better known for its senior
member as the Morrow Board, submitted its report to President
Coolidge. On the basis of views expressed in extended hearings
by prominent civilian and military leaders, the Board made recommendations
in regard to the aviation industry and military aviation that
were of far reaching importance and influenced a number of legislative
actions taken in the following months. Its recommendations against
a separate air force and in favor of representation for aviation
on operational commands and high level administrative offices,
and its recognition of the need for a policy of long-range procurement
and standard replacement schedules were among those of special
interest to the Navy.
DECEMBER
14--The Lampert Committee, set up on 24 March 1924 by the House
of Representatives as the Select Committee of Inquiry into the
Operations of the United States Air Services, filed its report.
It favored establishment of a Department of National Defense and
an adequate representation of aviation in the high military councils.
It showed particular concern over the state of the aircraft industry
and recommended that the government cease competing with the industry
in the production of aircraft, engines and accessories; that the
requirement of competitive bidding be abolished in favor of other
restrictions promoting the best interests of the Government; that
the War and Navy Departments each spend $10 million annually for
new flying equipment; and that a five-year construction and procurement
program be carried out.
18--Competitive trials of Consolidated, Curtiss and Huff Daland
aircraft, designed as land, sea gunnery and training planes were
completed at NAS Anacostia. These trials led to the procurement
of the Consolidated NY series of training planes which continued
in use into the 1930's.
APRIL
21--The Secretary of the Navy directed that beginning with the
Class of 1926, all graduates of the Naval Academy be given a course
of 25 hours of flight instruction during their first year of sea
duty and that, for the purpose of providing this instruction,
flight schools be established at the naval air stations at Hampton
Roads and San Diego.
MAY
9--Lieutenant Commander R. E. Byrd and Aviation Pilot Floyd Bennett,
flying a trimotor Fokker named the Josephine Ford, made the first
flight over the North Pole, reaching it at 9:03 GCT. After circling
the Pole, they returned to base at Kings Bay, Spitzbergen, completing
the round trip in 15 1/2 hours.
14--The Curtiss Marine Trophy Race, held off Haines Point over
the Potomac, was won by Lieutenant T. P. Jeter in a Curtiss F6C-1
Hawk with a speed of 130.94 m.p.h.
JUNE
6--The last elements of the Alaskan Aerial Survey Expedition departed
Seattle for Alaska. The expedition, under command of Lieutenant
B. H. Wyatt, was composed of the tender Gannet (AM 41) the barge
YF 88 housing a photo lab, and three Loening amphibians. The work
of the expedition, which extended through the summer and into
September, was performed in cooperation with the Department of
the Interior for early aerial mapping of Alaska.
16--The Bureau of Aeronautics reported that the emergency barricade
on Langley had successfully prevented landing aircraft from crashing
into planes parked on the flight deck.
24--An Act of Congress, implementing the recommendations of the
Morrow Board pertaining to the Navy, provided that command of
aviation stations, schools and tactical flight units be assigned
to Naval Aviators; that command of aircraft carriers and tenders
be assigned to either Naval Aviators or Naval Aviation Observers;
that the office of an Assistant Secretary of the Navy be created
to foster naval aeronautics; and that a five year aircraft program
be set up under which the number on hand would be increased to
reach 1,000 useful planes.
JULY
1--Provisions of a law enacted 24 June became effective, establishing
a requirement that the number of enlisted pilots be not less than
30 percent of the total number of pilots on active duty in the
Navy.
2--The Distinguished Flying Cross was authorized by Congress as
an award for acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement in aerial
flight by any member of the armed services including the National
Guard and the Reserves. The award was retroactive to 6 April 1917.
10--Edward P. Warner took the oath of office as the first Assistant
Secretary of the Navy for Aeronautics.
28--The submarine S-1, commanded by Lieutenant C. B. Momsen, surfaced
and launched a Cox-Klemin XS-2 seaplane, flown by Lieutenant D.
C. Allen. It also recovered the aircraft and submerged completing
the first cycle of operations in a series of tests investigating
the feasibility of basing aircraft on submarines.
AUGUST
9--In a day of tests to determine the speed with which aircraft
could be operated at sea, pilots of VF Squadron 1 completed 127
landings aboard Langley. As a result of the experience gained,
the same squadron later landed 12 planes in 21 minutes under the
emergency conditions created when the ship ran into a heavy mist.
18--A contract was let to the Aircraft Development Corporation,
Detroit for a metal-clad airship designated ZMC-2. The descriptive
term "metal-clad" resulted from the fact that the ZMC-2's
lightly framed hull was covered with gas-tight stressed-aluminum
skin. It was also to be pressure-rigid in that the shape of the
hull was to be maintained by positive internal gas pressure.
27--Commander John Rodgers, Naval Aviator No. 2, on a flight from
Anacostia, crashed in the Delaware River near the Naval Aircraft
Factory dock and received injuries from which he died on the same
day.
OCTOBER
22--In a display of tactics developed by VF Squadron 2, Lieutenant
Commander F. D. Wagner led the F6C-2 Curtiss fighters in a simulated
attack on the heavy ships of the Pacific Fleet as they sortied
from San Pedro. Coming down in almost vertical dives from 12,000
feet at the exact time of which the fleet had been forewarned,
the squadron achieved complete surprise and so impressed fleet
and ship commanders with the effectiveness of their spectacular
approach that there was unanimous agreement that such an attack
would succeed over any defense. This was the first fleet demonstration
of dive-bombing and although the tactic had been worked out by
the demonstrating squadron in an independently initiated project,
the obvious nature of the solution to the problem of effective
bomb delivery was evident in that the same tactic was similarly
and simultaneously being developed by VF Squadron 5 on the east
coast.
NOVEMBER
13--Lieutenant C. F. Schilt, USMC, flying an R3C-2, took second
in the Schneider Cup Race at Hampton Roads, Va., with an average
speed of 231.363 m.p.h. This was the last Navy participation in
international racing competition.
19--Maryland (BB 46) conducted experimental firing with the Mark
XIX anti-aircraft fire control system which had been developed
by the Ford Instrument Company and which incorporated a stabilized
line of sight to aid in tracking approaching aircraft.
DECEMBER
13--Rear Admiral J. M. Reeves, commanding Aircraft Squadrons,
Battle Fleet, reported on the results of the first dive bombing
exercise ("light bombing," as it was then called) to
be conducted in the formal fleet gunnery competition. One Marine
and two Navy fighter squadrons and three Navy observation squadrons
participated. The Marine and Navy fighters made 45 degree dives
from 2,500 feet and at an altitude of 400 feet, dropped 25 pound
fragmentation bombs; observation squadrons similarly attacked
from 1,000 feet. Pilots of VF-2, commanded by Lieutenant Commander
F. D. Wagner and flying F6C's and FB-5's, scored 19 hits with
45 bombs on a target 100 feet by 45 feet. The uses visualized
for this tactic included disabling or demolishing flight decks,
destroying enemy aircraft in flight, attacking exposed personnel
on ship or shore and attacking light surface craft and submarines.
JANUARY
1--A flight test section was established as a separate department
at NAS Anacostia with Lieutenant G. R. Henderson in charge.
1--To test the feasibility of using enlisted pilots in fleet squadrons,
VF Squadron 2, manned with four Naval Aviators and 10 Aviation
Pilots, was put into commission at San Diego, Lieutenant Commander
J. M. Shoemaker commanding.
18--Lieutenant Commander J. R. Poppen, MC, reported for duty in
charge of the Aviation Section of the Naval Medical School, Washington,
D.C., marking the beginning of a 3-month period during which the
entire resources of the school were devoted to intensive instruction
in aviation medicine. The institution of this program also marked
the beginning of Flight Surgeon training in the Navy and the discontinuance
of an interservice agreement in effect since 1922, by which Navy
Medical Officers were trained in this specialty at the Army School
for Flight Surgeons.
MARCH
9--The first passenger transport, the JR-1 trimotor, was purchased
from the Ford Motor Company following a demonstration at NAS Anacostia.
APRIL
14--Lieutenant G. R. Henderson, flying a Vought O2U Corsair equipped
with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, broke the world altitude
record for Class C seaplanes with a useful load of 500 kilograms,
reaching 22,178 feet over Washington, D.C.
23--Lieutenant S. W. Callaway, flying a Vought O2U Corsair at
Hampton Roads, Va., set a new 100-kilometer world speed record
for Class C seaplanes with a 500 kilogram useful load, at 147.263
m.p.h.
30--Lieutenant J. D. Barner, flying a Vought O2U Corsair at Hampton
Roads, Va., broke the 500-kilometer world speed record for Class
C seaplanes carrying a useful load of 500 kilograms with a speed
of 136.023 m.p.h.
MAY
5--Lieutenant C. C. Champion took off from Hampton Roads, Va.,
in a Wright Apache, equipped with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine
and NACA supercharger, and climbed to an altitude of 33,455 feet,
breaking the existing world record for Class C seaplanes by better
than 3,000 feet.
21--Lieutenant R. Irvine, in a Vought O2U Corsair equipped with
a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, established a world record
for Class C Seaplanes for 1,000 kilometers at Hampton Roads, Va.,
with a speed of 130.932 m.p.h.
23--A major advance in the transition from wooden to metal aircraft
structures resulted from the Naval Aircraft Factory's report that
the corrosion of aluminum by salt water--hitherto a serious obstacle
to the use of aluminum alloys on naval aircraft--could be decreased
by the application of anodic coatings.
27--Dive bombing came under official study as the Chief of Naval
Operations ordered the Commander in Chief, Battle Fleet, to conduct
tests to evaluate its effectiveness against moving targets. Carried
out by VF Squadron 5S in late summer and early fall, the results
of these tests generated wide discussion of the need for special
aircraft and units, which led directly to the development of equipment
and adoption of the tactic as a standard method of attack.
JULY
1--A new system of squadron designation became effective providing,
in addition to the standard class designation letters and identification
number, a suffix letter to indicate the fleet, force, or unit
to which the squadron was assigned. Under this system VF-1B was
Fighting Squadron 1 of Battle Force.
1--The practice of sending Naval Reserve aviation officers to
one year of training duty with the fleet after graduation from
Pensacola, began with the assignment of the first group of 50
newly commissioned ensigns.
4--Lieutenant C. C. Champion, flying a Wright Apache powered with
a Pratt & Whitney engine, reached 37,995 feet over Anacostia,
thereby breaking his own world altitude record for Class C seaplanes,
established 2 months earlier. This height exceeded any previously
reached by heavier-than-air aircraft.
8--Lieutenant B. J. Connell and NAP S. R. Pope, flying a PN-10
equipped with two Packard engines, set new world duration and
distance records for Class C seaplanes with a useful load of 2,000
kilograms, and a new world duration record with a 1,000 kilogram
load, on the same flight out of San Diego, logging 11 hours 7
minutes 18 seconds in the air and a distance of 947.705 miles.
17--Major Ross E. Rowell, USMC, led a flight of five DH's in a
strafing and dive bombing attack against bandit forces surrounding
a garrison of U.S. Marines at Ocotal, Nicaragua. Although instances
of diving attacks had occurred during World War I and Marine Corps
pilots had used the same technique in Haiti in 1919, this attack
was made according to doctrine developed in training and is generally
considered as the first organized dive bombing attack in combat.
25--Three weeks after breaking the seaplane altitude record, Lieutenant
C. C. Champion took off from Anacostia in a Wright Apache rigged
as a landplane and reached 38,419 feet, establishing a new world
record that stood for 2 years.
AUGUST
15-16--Lieutenants B. J. Connell and H. C. Rodd, flying out of
San Diego in a PN-10 patrol plane equipped with two Packard engines,
broke three world records for Class C seaplanes; distance with
a 500-kilogram load, and duration with a 500-kilogram load, with
marks of 1,569.0 miles and 20 hours 45 minutes 40 seconds in the
air.
18--Lieutenants B. J. Connell and H. C. Rodd took off from San
Diego in a PN-10 flying boat with a useful load of 7,726 pounds,
and climbed to 2,000 meters to break the world record for the
greatest payload carried to that altitude by a Class C seaplane.
NOVEMBER
16--Saratoga, first carrier and fifth ship of the Navy
to bear the name, was placed in commission at Camden, N.J., Captain
H. E. Yarnell commanding.
DECEMBER
14--Lexington, first carrier and fourth ship of the Navy
to carry the name, was commissioned at Quincy, Mass., Captain
A. W. Marshall commanding.
JANUARY
5--The first takeoff and landing on Lexington was made by Lieutenant
A. M. Pride in a UO-1 as the ship moved from the Fore River Plant
to the Boston Navy Yard.
6--Lieutenant C. F. Schilt, USMC, flying an O2U-1, made the first
of 10 flights in which he landed in a street of the village of
Quilahi, Nicaragua, and evacuated 18 wounded officers and men
while under hostile fire. For this feat, which he accomplished
in 3 successive days, Schilt was awarded the Medal of Honor.
11--The first takeoff and landing on Saratoga was made by her
Air Officer, Commander Marc A. Mitscher in a UO-1.
27--Los Angeles (ZR-3) made a successful landing on Saratoga at
sea off Newport, R.I., and remained on board long enough to transfer
passengers and take on fuel, water and supplies.
FEBRUARY
1--A joint Army-Navy nomenclature for aircraft engines became
effective whereby standard type names were assigned to engines
based upon the cubic inches of piston displacement--to the nearest
ten. Under this scheme, the Vee type Curtiss D-12 engine received
the standard type name Curtiss V-1150 and the air-cooled radial
J-5 Whirlwind became the first Wright R-790.
27--Commander T.C. Ellyson, the first Naval Aviator, and Lieutenant
Commander Hugo Schmidt and Lieutenant Rogers Ransehounsen, crashed
to their deaths in a Loening amphibian in Chesapeake Bay while
on a night flight from Norfolk to Annapolis.
28--An order was issued limiting the application of standard type
names for aircraft engines to air-cooled engines of recent design.
For example the standard type name, Curtiss V-1150, was abolished
and this engine was reassigned its earlier D-12 designation. On
the other hand, the designation Wright R-790 was retained with
provisions for use of R-790-A to indicate a major modification
while earlier models of this engine kept the old designations,
J-2, J-3 and J-4.
28--The contract for the XPY-1 flying boat was issued to the Consolidated
Aircraft Corporation. This aircraft, which was designed for alternate
installation of two or three engines, was the first large monoplane
flying boat procured by the Navy, and was the initial configuration
which evolved into the PBY Catalina.
MAY
3-5--Lieutenants Arthur Gavin and Zeus Soucek, in a PN-12 equipped
with two Wright Cyclone engines, set the world duration record
for Class C seaplanes in a flight of 36 hours 1 minute over Philadelphia.
11--An Act of Congress provided that duty performed by officers
assigned to airships which required them to make regular and frequent
aerial flights, could be certified by the Secretary as service
equivalent to sea duty.
19--Major Charles A. Lutz, USMC, won the curtiss Marine Trophy
Race at Anacostia in an F6C-3, making a speed of 157.6 m.p.h.
over the 100-mile course.
25-26--Lieutenants Zeus Soucek and Lisle Maxson, in a PN-12 powered
by two Wright engines, set world marks for Class C seaplanes with
a 1,000-kilogram useful load: speed over 2,000 kilometers at 80.288
m.p.h.; distance at 1,243.20 miles; and duration at 17 hours 55
minutes 13.6 seconds.
JUNE
12--Lexington anchored in Lahaina Roads at the end of a speed
run from San Pedro to Honolulu that broke all existing records
for the distance with an elapsed time of 72 hours and 34 minutes.
26--Lieutenant Arthur Gavin, piloting a PN-12 powered with two
Pratt & Whitney Hornet engines, set a world altitude record
of 15,426 feet at Philadelphia for Class C seaplanes with a payload
of 2,000-kilograms.
27--Lieutenant Arthur Gavin, in a PN-12 equipped with two 525-hp.
Pratt & Whitney engines, made a world record altitude flight
of 19,593 feet at Philadelphia for Class C seaplanes with a useful
load of l,000-kilograms.
30--A contract was issued to the Martin Company for development
of the XT5M-1 "diving bomber," which, in a later production
version, became the BM-1. This aircraft and the Naval Aircraft
Factory's similar XT2N-1 were the first dive bombers designed
to deliver a 1,000-pound bomb.
JULY
11-12--A PN-12, powered with two Pratt & Whitney engines and
piloted by Lieutenant A. W. Gorton and Chief Boatswain E. E. Reber,
in a flight out of Philadelphia, set five world records for Class
C seaplanes as follows distance and speed for 2,000 kilometers
with both 1,000- and 2,000-kilogram loads at 1,336 miles and 81.043
m.p.h.; and a duration mark of 16 hours, 39 minutes with a 2,000-kilogram
load.
25--The removal of bow and stern catapults on Langley was authorized
since neither had been operated in 3 years.
OCTOBER
6--Contracts for the 6,500,000 cubic foot rigid airships ZRS-4
and ZRS-5, subsequently christened Akron (ZRS-4) and Macon (ZRS-5),
were let to the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation, Akron, Ohio.
DECEMBER
14--Fourteen fighting-plane radio telephone sets, operating on
a frequency of 3,000 to 4,000 kilocycles and featuring an engine-driven
generator, were shipped to VB-2B Squadron aboard the Saratoga
for service tests. This equipment had been designed at NAS Anacostia
and manufactured at the Washington Navy Yard in order to provide
early evaluation of radio equipment in single-seat aircraft.
JANUARY
16--Experience in night flying became a requirement for all heavier-than-air
Naval Aviators and Naval Aviation Pilots of the Navy and Marine
Corps. The Chief of Naval Operations ordered that prior to 1 July
1930, each qualified aviator pilot an aircraft on 10 hours of
night flying involving at least 20 landings, and that student
aviators meet the same requirement during the first year of their
first duty assignment.
21--The Naval Proving Ground recommended that three prototypes
of the production version of the Mark XI Norden bombsight be accepted
and reported that on the first trial two of the three sights had
placed a bomb within 25 feet of the target.
23-27--The carriers Lexington and Saratoga appeared in fleet exercises
for the first time, attached to opposing forces in Fleet Problem
IX. The most notable event of the Problem was the employment of
the Saratoga by the attacking Black Fleet to achieve its primary
objective, the theoretical destruction of the Panama Canal. This
carrier was detached from the main force and with an escorting
cruiser, sent on a wide southward sweep before turning north to
approach within striking distance of the Canal. On the morning
of the 26th, while it was still dark, she launched a strike group
of 69 aircraft which arrived over the target undetected shortly
after dawn and completed the theoretical destruction of the Miraflores
and Pedro Miguel Locks without opposition. This demonstration
made a profound impression on naval tacticians and in the 1930
maneuvers a tactical unit, built around the aircraft carrier,
appeared in force organization for the first time.
MARCH
1--The Secretary directed that 33 officers of the Construction
Corps and one officer of the Line designated for Engineering Duty
Only, with such additional Naval Constructors and EDO officers
as the exigencies of the Navy permitted and the needs of the Bureau
of Aeronautics required, be assigned to duty in the Aeronautical
Organization.
1--In an effort to increase the proportion of officers completing
the flight training course at Pensacola and thereby reduce per
capita training expense, the indoctrination courses at Hampton
Roads and San Diego were changed to elimination courses that would
emphasize flight familiarization to determine aptitude and be
open only to those meeting the physical requirements for aviators.
13--Rear Admiral W. A. Moffett was appointed for a third consecutive
tour as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics.
APRIL
9--The feasibility of abandoning fore-and-aft wire arresting gear
was confirmed in operations aboard Langley. These, and similar
operations aboard Saratoga later that month, culminated a year
of experimental development on the landing platform at Hampton
Roads and led to the Secretary's authorizing, in September, the
physical removal from shipboard of the fore-and-aft wires and
associated equipment.
MAY
4-6--In winning the National Elimination Balloon Race with a flight
from Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa., to Savage Harbor, Prince Edward
Island Canada, Lieutenant T. G. W. Settle and Ensign W. Bushnell
won the Litchfield Trophy, qualified for the International Race
to be held later in the year, and established world distance records
for balloons in three categories from 1,601 to 4,000 cubic meters
capacity with a flight of 952 miles.
8--The Bureau of Aeronautics announced the policy of providing
all carrier airplanes with brakes and wheel type tail skids, following
successful operations of T4M so equipped in tests carried out
aboard Langley in conjunction with the elimination of the fore-and-aft
wire arresting gear.
8--Lieutenant Apollo Soucek, flying a Wright Apache equipped with
a 425-hp. Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine set a new world record
for Class C landplanes, reaching 39,140 feet over Anacostia.
10--The Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded to Lieutenant A.
J. Williams by the Secretary of the Navy for extraordinary achievement
in aerial flight during March 1928 in which he studied the action
of aircraft in violent maneuvers and inverted flight, and developed
and applied principles of operation which contributed directly
to safety in flight and the development of more accurate methods
of testing the performance capabilities of aircraft.
25--The race for the Curtiss Marine Trophy, held at Anacostia,
was won by Lieutenant W. G. Tomlinson in an XF7C-1 with a speed
of 162.52 m.p.h.
JUNE
4--Lieutenant Apollo Soucek, in a Wright Apache equipped with
a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, set the new world altitude
mark for Class C seaplanes at 38,560 feet.
11--General standards for shielding aircraft engine ignition,
essential to long range radio reception, were established at a
conference held at the Bureau of Standards. Navy representatives
included Lieutenant Commander A. I. Price from the Bureau of Aeronautics
and C. B. Mirick and L. A. Hyland from the Naval Research Laboratory.
Basic techniques for shielding airborne radio from ignition interference
had been developed by a naval radio group at the Bureau of Standards
at the close of World War I and had permitted some rather remarkable
radio reception. Although some use of ignition shielding had been
made throughout the twenties, the results generally indifferent
in that adequate shielding had brought with it undue cost in terms
of aircraft maintenance or degradation of aircraft performance.
At the June 1929 conference, spokesmen for aircraft, engine and
radio fields and for magneto, sparkplug and cable specialties
considered each other's problems sympathetically in order to develop
practical shielding standards. Within the next year or so ignition
shielding was generally applied to the naval aircraft and a requirement
for ignition shielding was included in the 1932 edition of the
"General Specification for the Design and Construction of
Airplanes for the United States Navy."
AUGUST
9--The ZMC-2, a metal clad 200,000-cubic foot airship built by
Aircraft Development Corporation, made its first flight at Grosse
Ile (Detroit) Airport. This airship, subsequently delivered to
NAS Lakehurst, was utilized several years for training purposes.
20--Lieutenant A. W. Gorton, flying a specially equipped UO-1,
made several successful hook-ons the Trapeze of Los Angeles (ZR-3)
over NAS Lakehurst. Earlier attempts by the same pilot on 3 July
were foiled when the hook failed to operate after making contact
with the trapeze.
NOVEMBER
29--The first flight over the South Pole was made in a Ford trimotor
named the Floyd Bennett. The flight was commanded by Commander
R. E. Byrd who also did the navigating. Bernt Balchen was pilot,
Harold June was co-pilot and radio operator and Captain Ashley
McKinley, USA photographer. Take-off from Little America on McMurdo
Sound was at 10:29 p.m. on the 28th, New York time, and the Pole
was reached at 8:55 a.m. on the 29th. The round trip, including
a fuel stop on the return flight, required almost 19 hours.
DECEMBER
27--Based upon scores obtained with the new Norden gyrostabilized
MARK XI bombsight during fleet exercises, the Bureau of Ordinance
reported that the sight gave about 40 percent more hits than earlier
bombsights.
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Historical Center home page30 June 1997