Return to Aviation
Historical Chronology
Return to Aviation
Historical Chronology
THE THIRTIES
The Thirties began quietly with an international treaty extending
previous agreements to reduce naval armament, but as the years
passed the quiet was dissipated as the nations of the world moved
inexorably toward war.
In the United States, the period began with disturbing indications
of a dark economic depression that soon became harsh reality.
Forced by this circumstance to effect rigid economies, the expansion
of naval aviation was slowed, the aircraft inventory was barely
sufficient to equip operating units, research and development
programs suffered, and operations were drastically curtailed.
But as the nation began its program to recover prosperity through
the initiation of public works, money was made available for more
naval aircraft, for new ships and for modernizing naval air stations.
The upward swing began.
In spite of the hardships, there were surprising gains in aviation
technology. Engineers and aircraft manufacturers produced more
dependable products, aircraft equipment and components were refined
and improved, and aircraft performance rose sharply. Better radios
of reduced size, more accurate bombsights, supercharged power
plants, controllable-pitch propellers, efficient retractable landing
gear and folding wings; all contributed to the improvement of
aircraft performance and made airplanes better instruments of
war. Hydraulic arresting gear and catapults were installed aboard
aircraft carriers. Better methods of recovering battleship and
cruiser observation planes were developed. The feasibility of
instrument flight was demonstrated ashore and at sea. Radio controlled
planes of dependable performance were put to practical use as
targets for AA gunners. Engineers and designers learned more about
the value of streamlining and clean design.
In operations, there was a change as whole squadrons began to
turn in the record performances previously accomplished by individual
pilots. Tactical innovations of the Twenties became fleet doctrine.
Three new aircraft carriers joined the fleet, raising the operational
total high enough to equip peace-time forces with a respectable
seagoing air arm. Naval aviation acquired broader respect and,
as it achieved prominence in both fleet organization and operations,
became a truly integrated arm of naval power.
Only in the field of lighter-than-air was there a serious setback.
Crashes of the Akron (ZRS-4) and the Macon (ZRS-5) sounded the
death knell of the Navy's rigid airship program; and in spite
of favorable reports from investigating committees, continued
successes in Germany, and repeated recommendations as to its value
in specialized operations; the rigid airship was finished. By
association, the non-rigid almost followed it into oblivion.
As the decade drew to its close, the ominous rumblings of limited
wars that had echoed across both oceans throughout the period,
grew louder. Naval expansion was authorized; the pilot training
program was stepped up. Ships that would make history in World
War II were designed and laid down. Aircraft that would operate
from their decks, in the bold advance across the Pacific, were
on the drawing boards; and some were getting their feel of the
air. As the rumblings burst forth into the full force of a European
war and the United States declared its neutrality; the Navy, strongly
bolstered by aviation, patrolled the Atlantic seaboard in operations
that were strangely similar to those which the same units would
later perform under conditions of war.
JANUARY
16--Lexington completed a 30-day period in which she furnished
electricity to the city of Tacoma, Wash., in an emergency arising
from a failure of the city's power supply. The electricity supplied
by the carrier totalled 4,251,160 kilowatt-hours.
29--Hydraulic arresting gear, a type which eventually proved susceptible
of great refinement to absorb the energy of heavy aircraft landing
at high speeds, was reported to be under development at NAS Hampton
Roads.
31--Lieutenant Ralph E. Barnaby made a successful air-to-ground
glider flight, dropping from the rigid dirigible Los Angeles (ZR-3)
at an altitude of 3,000 feet over Lakehurst, N.J.
FEBRUARY
7--Action to develop a means of recovering seaplanes by ships
underway was initiated by a request from the Bureau of Aeronautics
that the Naval Aircraft Factory study the problem and work up
designs for a system adaptable in recovering seaplanes of the
O2U-3 type.
14--The first monoplane designed for carrier operations, a Boeing
Model 205 fighter later purchased by the Navy and designated XF5B-1,
was delivered to NAS Anacostia for test. The Board of Inspection
and Survey in its report commented adversely on the XF5B-1's landing,
takeoff and high altitude characteristics, but recommended further
development to obtain a rational comparison of monoplane and biplane
types.
15--The design of retractable landing gear, particularly attractive
for use in fighting planes because of its promise to improve performance
and thereby enhance military value, had progressed to the point
that the Naval Aircraft Factory was authorized to construct working
models as a means of establishing the practicability of various
retracting mechanisms.
MARCH
21--The Martin XT5M-1, first dive bomber designed to deliver a
l,000-pound bomb, met strength and performance requirements in
diving tests.
APRIL
21--The Bureau of Navigation issued a circular letter directing
that no more enlisted applicants be recommended for pilot training.
When men already in the system or under instruction completed
their course in early 1932, this order caused a temporary lull
in enlisted pilot training.
22--A Naval Treaty was signed at London by the signatories of
the Washington Naval Treaty which carried forward the general
limitations of that earlier agreement and provided for further
reductions of naval armament. Under the terms applicable to naval
aviation, the definition of an aircraft carrier was broadened
to include ships of any tonnage designed primarily for aircraft
operations; and it was agreed that installation of a landing-on
or flying-off platform on a warship designed and used primarily
for other purposes would not make that ship an aircraft carrier;
and further, that no capital ship in existence on 1 April 1930
would be fitted with such a platform or deck.
MAY
31--The last Curtiss Marine Trophy Race, an annual event for service
seaplanes, was won by Captain Arthur H. Page, USMC, in an F6C-3
Curtiss fighter with a speed of 164.08 m.p.h. The race was staged
over the Potomac off NAS Anacostia.
JUNE
4--On the first anniversary of his seaplane altitude record, Lieutenant
Apollo Soucek took off from Anacostia in a Wright Apache landplane
equipped with a Pratt & Whitney 450-hp. engine; and, flying
to a new height of 43,166 feet, regained the world altitude record
he had held briefly in 1929.
JULY
21--Captain Arthur H. Page, USMC, piloted an O2U from a sealed
hooded cockpit on an instrument flight of about 1,000 miles from
Omaha, Nebr., to NAS Anacostia, via Chicago and Cleveland; the
longest blind flight to date. Lieutenant V. M. Guymon, USMC, acted
as safety pilot and took over the controls only for the landings
after Captain Page had brought the plane over the fields at 200
feet.
SEPTEMBER
1--In the race for the Thompson Trophy at Chicago, Captain Arthur
H. Page, USMC, flying an XF6C-6, was the only military entry.
Page gained and increased an early lead but on the 17th of 20
laps crashed to his death, a victim of carbon monoxide.
NOVEMBER
5--The Director of Naval Research Laboratory reported that Mr.
L. C. Young and Mr. L. A. Hyland, while conducting experiments
in the directional effects of radio, had detected an airplane
flying overhead. This led to the formal establishment of a project
at the Naval Research Laboratory for "Detection of Enemy
Vessels and Aircraft by Radio."
28--The Chief of Naval Operations Admiral W. V. Pratt issued a
new naval air policy, effective 1 April 1931, which essentially
reorganized aviation and established it as an integral part of
the Fleet to operate with it under the direct command of the Commander
in Chief U.S. Fleet. The policy stressed the importance of fleet
mobility and the need for offensive action in protecting against
invasion from overseas, assigned the development of the offensive
power of the fleet and advanced base forces as the primary task
of naval aviation, and relegated participation in coast defense
to the status of a secondary task. To complete the change, the
policy also directed that air stations in strategic naval operating
areas henceforth be assigned to, and operate under the Fleet;
and only such other stations as necessary for training, test,
aircraft repairs and similar support functions would be maintained
under shore command.
DECEMBER
2--The seaplane tender Aroostook (CM 3), one utility and
two patrol squadrons of the Battle Fleet reported for duty to
Commander Base Force, thereby providing that command with its
first aviation organization.
JANUARY
8--Further development of dive-bombing equipment and tactics was
insured as tests completed at the Naval Proving Grounds, Dahlgren,
showed that displacing gear eliminated the recently encountered
danger of a bomb colliding with its releasing airplane.
9--An agreement was announced between the Chief of Naval Operations
Admiral William V. Pratt and the Army Chief of Staff General Douglas
MacArthur, governing the operations of their respective air forces,
which climaxed a long standing interservice controversy over the
division of responsibilities for coast defense. Under the terms,
the functions of the two air forces were closely associated with
those of their parent services; the naval air force was defined
as an element of the Fleet to move with it and to carry out its
primary mission; and the Army air force as a land-based air arm
to be employed as an essential arm of the Army in performing its
general mission, including defense of the coast at home and at
possessions overseas.
22--The Navy ordered its first rotary winged aircraft, the XOP-1
autogiro, from Pitcairn Aircraft, Incorporated.
FEBRUARY
25--A new pilot training syllabus was issued which added a course
in Advanced Seaplane Training and returned the courses in Bombing
and Torpedo, and Observation and Gunnery, dropped in November
1929, thereby expanding the regular flight course to 258.75 hours
and, for those also taking Advanced Combat, to 282.75 hours. The
ground school course was also expanded in some areas and with
the inclusion of a short course in photography, totalled 386.5
hours.
MARCH
2--A propeller development program, which led to the adoption
of variable pitch propellers, was initiated with the award of
a contract to Hamilton Standard Propeller Company for two such
propellers suitable for use on fighting planes.
3--A recommendation that two officers from the postgraduate aeronautical
engineering group be selected for study at the California Institute
of Technology was approved. As a result, the policy of assigning
postgraduate students to civilian institutions was broadened to
permit greater specialization, and for the next three school years
students were assigned in two groups: one to MIT where emphasis
was on aircraft engines, the other to CalTech for study of aircraft
structures.
31--When a disastrous earthquake shook Nicaragua and destroyed
most of the city of Managua, Lexington was ordered from Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, to assist other Navy and Marine units in relief operations.
Early the next afternoon, she inaugurated carrier aircraft relief
operations in the U.S. Navy, by launching five planes carrying
medical personnel, supplies and provisions to the stricken city.
APRIL
1--A reorganization of the U.S. Fleet into Battle, Scouting, Submarine
and Base Forces provided for the appointment of type commanders
for each type of ship and for aircraft, and designated the aviation
type commands in the Battle, Scouting and Base Forces as Commander
Aircraft (name of Force).
2--A contract for the XFF-1 two-seat fighter, the first naval
aircraft to incorporate retractable landing gear for the purpose
of improving aerodynamic cleanness and thereby increasing performance,
was issued to Grumman.
9--A contract was issued to the Glenn L. Martin Company for 12
BM-1 dive bombers. This aircraft, which was a further development
of the XT5M-1, was the first dive bomber capable of attacking
with a heavy (1,000 pound) bomb to be procured in sufficient quantity
to equip a squadron.
JUNE
1--New specifications for aircraft marking were issued which directed
use of 20-inch-wide colored bands around the fuselage of section
leader planes, assigning royal red, white, true blue, black, willow
green and lemon yellow for sections 1 through 6 respectively.
The same order permitted use of distinguishing colors on the empennage
whenever two or more squadrons of the same class operated together.
JULY
1--The Naval Air Stations at Coco Solo, C.Z. and Pearl Harbor
were redesignated Fleet Air Bases to conform with their transfer
to the U.S. Fleet and their function of providing mobile air units
for fleet operations.
19-20--A Navy balloon, piloted by Lieutenant T. G. W. Settle and
Lieutenant (jg) W. Bushnell, won the Litchfield Trophy and the
National Elimination Balloon Race at Akron, Ohio, with a distance
of 195 miles to Marilla, N.Y., thereby qualifying for the International
Race.
SEPTEMBER
10--Rear Admiral Moffett directed that the Bureau's program for
test and evaluation of variable-pitch propellers be expedited
and noted that in recent tests at NAS Anacostia, a variable-pitch
propeller on a Curtiss F6C-4 had provided a 20 percent reduction
in takeoff run and a slight increase in high speed.
23--Lieutenant A. M. Pride piloted the Navy's first rotary wing
aircraft, an XOP-1 autogiro, in landings and takeoffs aboard Langley
while underway.
26--The keel for Ranger, first ship of the U.S. Navy to be designed
and constructed as a carrier, was laid at the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Drydock Company.
30--The Bureau of Aeronautic reported that studies were being
conducted on catapulting landplanes on wheels. This, the preliminary
step in the development of flush deck catapults for launching
landplanes from carriers, visualized the installation of powder
catapults on hangar decks. The development was expanded to include
the use of compressed air, and by the end of 1932 the Naval Aircraft
Factory had successfully launched an O2U-3 landplane with this
latter gear.
OCTOBER
7--In a bombing demonstration conducted from an altitude of 5,000
feet against the anchored target ship Pittsburgh (Armored
Cruiser No. 4), 50 percent hits were obtained with the newly developed
Norden Mark XV bombsight as compared to slightly over 20 percent
hits with the earlier Mark XI model.
7--Evaluation of the experimental K Class airship, the K-1, was
begun at NAS Lakehurst. It featured an enclosed all-metal car
and a 320,000 cubic-foot envelope, which made it the largest non-rigid
airship designed especially for the Navy until that time.
27--The rigid airship Akron (ZRS-4), having made its first trial
flight on 23 September 1931 at Akron, Ohio, was commissioned at
NAS Lakehurst with Lieutenant Commander C. E. Rosendahl as Commanding
Officer.
NOVEMBER
2--Marine Scouting Squadrons VS-14M and 15M embarked in Saratoga
and Lexington, respectively, to operate as an integral part of
Aircraft, Battle Force. These squadrons, first of the Marine air
units assigned to carriers, were carrier-based until late 1934;
and from then until 1941, other Marine squadrons maintained some
carrier proficiency through periodic operations afloat.
3--The rigid dirigible Akron (ZRS-4) made a 10-hour flight out
of Lakehurst carrying aloft 207 persons, a new record for the
largest number of individuals carried into the air by a single
craft.
DECEMBER
9--Langley completed 9 days of operations off the New England
coast in which the cold weather operating capabilities of carrier
deck gear and carrier aircraft, and the effectiveness of protective
flight clothing were given a practical test.
JANUARY
9--The Secretary of the Navy informed the Secretary of War of
work being conducted at the Naval Research Laboratory in detecting
ships and aircraft by radio and suggested that since one obvious
application of the method was in air warning systems for large
areas, the Army might be interested in undertaking further work.
MARCH
24--The Army Air Corps, in response to enthusiastic reports from
its observers who had witnessed the performance of the Mk XV Norden
bombsight in trials against Pittsburgh (Armored Cruiser No. 4)
the previous October, requested the Navy to provide it with 25
Mk XV sights. This was the Army's first commitment for the Navy-developed
sight that was to become essential to high altitude precision
bombing of World War II.
APRIL
2--Torpedo Squadron 5A (ex-VT-20) sailed from the Philippines
aboard Jason (AC 12). When VS-8A, the only squadron remaining
in the area, was disestablished the following June, aviation in
the Asiatic Fleet was reduced to the observation aircraft on board
cruisers.
MAY
2--The Bureau of Aeronautics directed that hydraulic cylinder
type arresting gear be installed on Langley to replace weight
type gear used earlier. This decision resulted from operational
experience of Langley with two sets of hydraulic gear installed
in June and September 1931.
18--With enough qualified students on hand to fill several classes
at Pensacola, Fla., the practice instituted in 1930 of waiving
the requirement of two years of sea duty before assignment to
elimination flight training was discontinued. In effect, this
marked the beginning of almost a year in which no new prospective
aviators were enrolled.
JUNE
1--The resignation of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for
Aeronautics David S. Ingalls was accepted by the President and
it was announced that, as an economy measure, the appointment
of a successor was not contemplated. The office remained vacant
until 1941.
30--Los Angeles (ZR-3) was decommissioned for economy reasons
at NAS Lakehurst after eight years of service and over 5,000 hours
in the air.
JULY
1--The requirement of an earlier law that 30 percent of the Navy's
pilots be enlisted men, was reduced to 20 percent as an amending
Act became effective. The restrictive nature of the requirement
was modified by an additional provision that it was applicable
except when, in the opinion of the Secretary of the Navy, it was
impracticable to obtain the required number of enlisted pilots.
28--Research into the physiological effects of high acceleration
and deceleration, encountered in dive bombing and other violent
maneuvers, was initiated through a Bureau of Aeronautics allocation
of funds to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery for this purpose.
The pioneer research, pointing to the need for anti-G or anti-blackout
equipment, was performed at Harvard University School of Public
Health by Lieutenant Commander John R. Poppen MC, under the direction
of Dr. C. K. Drinker.
SEPTEMBER
25-27--The International Balloon Race, held at Basel, Switzerland,
was won by Lieutenant T. G. W. Settle and Lieutenant W. Bushnell
in a flight which ended on the Polish-Latvian border near Vilna
and established a new world distance record of 963.123 miles for
balloons in three categories of volume.
NOVEMBER
10--A contract for 125 sets of GF radios was issued to the Aviation
Radio Corporation. This was the first production order for radio
equipment suitable for installation in single-seat fighters.
22--Following tests of the OP-1 autogiro in Nicaragua, Major Francis
P. Mulcahy, USMC reported that the autogiro's chief value in expeditionary
duty was in inspecting small fields recommended by ground troops
as landing areas, evacuating medical "sitting" cases,
and ferrying of important personnel.
JANUARY
4--A new plan for postgraduate work was approved which combined
the existing programs for specialists and for the General Line,
and extended the aeronautical engineering program to three years.
Under the new plan, all officers selected for postgraduate work
began with 1 year in the School of the Line. Those demonstrating
ability and interest in advanced technical specialties were given
a second year in that area of study and, in the third year, were
sent to a civilian institution for work, in most instances leading
to a Master of Science degree.
25--The Bureau of Navigation announced that the assignment of
naval officers to flight training at Pensacola, Fla. would be
resumed in May or June, or almost a year since the last group
had been assigned.
FEBRUARY
16--The President presented to Colonel Nathan D. Ely, USA (Ret),
the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded posthumously to Colonel
Ely's son, Eugene B. Ely, for extraordinary achievement as a pioneer
aviator and for significant contribution as a civilian to the
development of aviation in the Navy when in 1910 and 1911 he demonstrated
the feasibility of operating aircraft from ships.
APRIL
1--Fleet Aviation was reorganized and assigned to two principal
commands each exercising type functions within his Force, and
one of whom, Commander Aircraft, Battle Force, served as type
commander for all fleet aircraft. Carriers, with their aircraft,
were assigned to Battle Force and all tender-based air and Fleet
Air Bases at Pearl Harbor and Coco Solo, C.Z. were assigned to
Base Force. The command Aircraft Scouting Force was abolished.
4--The rigid airship Akron (ZRS-4) crashed in a severe storm off
Barnegat Light, N.J. Among the 73 fatalities were Rear Admiral
William A. Moffett, Chief, Bureau of Aeronautics, and Commander
Frank C. McCord, Commanding Officer of the Akron (ZRS-4).
18--Lieutenant G. A. Ott piloting an O2U seaplane, with Lieutenant
(jg) B. A. Van Voorhis as passenger, made the first operational
test of a device, later called the Plane Trap, installed on the
stern of Maryland (BB 46). Proposed by Lieutenant Lisle J. Maxson,
the device was a V-shaped float attached to the stern of the ship
by a system of struts which permitted it to ride at an even depth
in the water. In operation, the seaplane taxied toward the float
pushing a knobbed probe on the nose of its pontoon into the V-float
which engaged the probe and held the seaplane in position for
hoisting aboard. The device was an immediate success and proposals
were made to install the same gear on five additional battleships.
29--The Bureau of Aeronautics recommended resumption of postgraduate
instruction in aerology which had been suspended in 1929. By the
end of the year, arrangements were
completed for a two-year course at the Postgraduate School and
a third year at a civilian university.
JUNE
6--Two Franklin gliders were received at NAS Pensacola for use
in a test to determine whether inclusion of glider training in
the student flight syllabus would replace or simplify elimination
flight training and thereby reduce dual instruction time. Instructor
training in the new craft began immediately under the direction
of Lieutenant R. S. Barnaby, and glider training, as an experimental
feature of the training program, continued into 1936.
13--A contract for the development of special radio equipment
for making blind landings aboard carriers was issued to the Washington
Institute of Technology.
16--Under the terms of the National Industrial Recovery Act, the
President allotted $238 million to the Navy for the construction
of new ships, including two aircraft carriers. In less than two
months, contracts were awarded for carriers Nos. 5 and 6, eventually
commissioned as Yorktown and Enterprise.
22--A new underway recovery device, proposed by Lieutenant G.
A. Ott, senior aviator on Maryland (BB 46), was tested
at sea off Point Firmin, Calif. The device resembled a cargo net
fitted with a wood spreader at its forward edge and canvas underneath
which, when towed by the ship, rode the surface forward and was
slightly submerged aft so that the seaplane could taxi on it and
catch the net with a hook on the bottom of its pontoon. Recovery
over the stern was successful on the first attempt. An alongside
recovery, necessary for ships with cranes amidships, was tried
next. With the net trailing from a boom, the seaplane again caught
the net but then swung into the ship and crumpled its wing. In
spite of the partial failure, the possibilities of the plane net
were apparent and later adjustments corrected the initial deficiencies.
23--Macon (ZRS-5), having made its first flight on 21 April, was
commissioned at Akron, Ohio, with Commander Alger H. Dressel as
Commanding Officer.
AUGUST
8--Commander Aircraft, Battle Force, requested authority to use
variable-pitch propellers during forthcoming exercises on six
Boeing F4B-4's of VF-3, based aboard Langley, and on one
F4B-4 of VF-1, based aboard Saratoga. This request, which
stemmed from successful trials conducted by VF-3 aboard the Langley,
marked the initial service acceptance of the variable-pitch propeller.
9--Commander Battle Force, commenting on tests of the plane net
made by Maryland (BB 46), pointed out that construction of the
net and pontoon hook were well within the capacity of ships company
and directed that all battleships under his command experiment
with, and attempt to develop, techniques for underway recovery.
SEPTEMBER
2-4--The Navy balloon of Lieutenant Commander T. G. W. Settle
and Lieutenant C. H. Kendall took second place in the Gordon Bennett
International Balloon Race at Chicago with a distance of 776 miles,
and their 51 hours in the air set new world records for duration
in three categories of volume.
7-8--Six Consolidated P2Y-1 flying boats of Patrol Squadron 5F,
under the command of Lieutenant Commander H. E. Halland, flew
nonstop from Norfolk, Va., to Coco Solo, C.Z., making a record
distance formation flight of 2,059 miles in 25 hours 19 minutes.
OCTOBER
12--The rigid airship Macon (ZRS-5) departed NAS Lakehurst bound
for her new home on the west coast at NAS Sunnyvale, Calif. Following
the Atlantic coast down to Macon, Ga., and then westward over
the southern route to the west coast, the airship arrived at Sunnyvale
in the afternoon of the 15th, completing the 2,500 mile nonstop
flight in approximately 70 hours.
17--In an effort to prevent a shortage of pilots as a result of
the curtailment in training, additional instruction was authorized
for specially recommended student naval aviators, who had failed
to qualify on their first attempt or whose training had been interrupted.
In the next month, authorization of a requalification course for
naval aviators and naval aviation pilots, who had been on nonflying
duty, was directed toward the same end.
24--Development of anti-blackout equipment was initiated with
an authorization to the Naval Aircraft Factory to develop and
manufacture a special abdominal belt in accord with specifications
prepared by Lieutenant Commander J. R. Poppen, MC, for use by
pilots in dive bombing and other violent maneuvers.
28--A contract was issued to Consolidated for the XP3Y-1 flying
boat, marking the initiation of Navy sponsored development of
the PBY Catalina series of flying boats which were used through
and beyond World War II.
NOVEMBER
17--The sum of $7,500,000 was allotted to the Navy from funds
provided under the National Industrial Recovery Act of 16 June
1933, for the procurement of new aircraft and equipment, thereby
permitting the Bureau of Aeronautics to maintain its 1,000-plane
program, to equip operating aircraft with modern navigation instruments
and radios, and to make other improvements in naval aircraft and
their accessories which were not possible under the annual appropriation.
20--Lieutenant Commander T. G. W. Settle and Major Chester L.
Fordney, USMC, flying a 600,000 cubic foot free balloon, set a
world's altitude record of 61,237 feet in a flight into the stratosphere
with departure from Akron, Ohio, and landing near Bridgeton, N.J.
DECEMBER
20--To effect the organization of the aviation element of the
newly formed Fleet Marine Force, Aircraft Squadrons East Coast
Expeditionary Forces was redesignated Aircraft One, Fleet Marine
Force, and Aircraft Squadrons West Coast Expeditionary Forces
became Aircraft Two, Fleet Marine Force.
JANUARY
10-11--Six Consolidated P2Y-l's of Patrol Squadron 10F, Lieutenant
Commander K. McGinnis commanding, made a nonstop formation flight
from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor in 24 hours 35 minutes, thereby
bettering the best previous time for the crossing, exceeding the
best distance of previous mass flights, and breaking a nine-day-old
world record for distance in a straight line for Class C seaplanes
with a new mark of 2,399 miles.
MARCH
14--Dr. A. Hoyt Taylor, head of the Radio Division of the Naval
Research Laboratory, authorized a project for development of pulse
radar (as it was later called) to detect ships and aircraft. The
basic concept, which had been proposed by Leo C. Young, involved
special sending, receiving and display equipment all mounted in
close proximity. This equipment would send out pulses of radio
energy of a few microseconds in duration separated by time intervals
that were tens to thousands of times longer than the duration
of a pulse. Reception of an echo would indicate a target; time
of travel to the target and back, the distance; and directional
sending or receiving antenna, the bearing. As compared to the
beat in a continuous radio wave, a technique which had been under
development at the Naval Research Laboratory for nearly four years,
the pulse technique promised to be of much greater utility because
it would provide range and bearing as well as detection and because
the entire apparatus could be installed aboard a single ship.
The feasibility of the pulse technique was based upon new developments
of the radio industry including the cathode ray tube, high power
transmitting tubes and special receiving tubes.
27--An Act of Congress, approved by the President and popularly
known as the Vinson-Trammell Act, established the composition
of the Navy at the limit prescribed by the Washington and London
Naval Treaties. The Act authorized construction of a number of
ships, including one aircraft carrier of about 15,000 tons, and
in other matters relating to aviation authorized the President
to procure naval aircraft for ships and naval purposes in numbers
commensurate with a treaty Navy. It also provided that not less
than 10 percent of the authorized aircraft and engines be manufactured
in Government plants. Under the authorization, the Wasp was laid
down in 1936.
APRIL
28--The equipment and techniques of alongside recovery by plane
net had developed to the point that Commander Cruisers, Battle
Force, issued a directive describing the method that would be
used by all ships of his command. The success of the method was
such that the only plane trap in use, that on Maryland (BB 46)
was removed in June and underway recovery of seaplanes by battleships
and cruisers soon became routine.
MAY
1--Lieutenant Frank Akers made a hooded landing in an OJ-2 at
College Park, Md., in the first demonstration of the blind landing
system intended for carrier use and under development by the Washington
Institute of Technology. In subsequent flights, Lieutenant Akers
took off from Anacostia under a hood and landed at College Park
without assistance.
22--The NS-1, a single-engine biplane trainer, was ordered from
Stearman Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kans.
JUNE
4--Ranger was placed in commission at Norfolk, Captain A. L. Bristol
commanding.
21--First landings and takeoffs were made aboard Ranger by the
ship's aviators led by Lieutenant Commander A. C. Davis. After
completing normal operations, the ship went full speed astern
and aircraft were landed into the bow arresting gear.
30--A contract was issued to Douglas for the XTBD-1 torpedo bomber.
This aircraft was the prototype for the TBD Devastator which remained
in operational use through June 1942.
JULY
18--Fourteen Naval Academy graduates, Class 1933, reported at
Pensacola, Fla. for special training toward qualification as Naval
Aviators. Their designation in January 1935 climaxed a series
of events over the somewhat devious route of an honorable discharge
upon graduation in 1933; because of lack of vacancies in the Navy,
enrollment and training as Flying Cadets in the Army Air Corps;
acceptance of the Navy offer of a commission in either the Navy
or Marine Corps; and finally, completion of the special course
at Pensacola.
19--Lieutenant H. B. Miller and Lieutenant (jg) F. N. Kivette,
flying F9C-2's without their wheel landing gear, dropped from
the trapeze of Macon (ZRS-5) to scout for Houston (AK 1) returning
from a cruise in the Pacific with President F. D. Roosevelt on
board. Because of the improved performance of the aircraft on
this first flight without landing gear, it became standard operating
procedure to fly Macon (ARS 5) planes from the trapeze in this
configuration.
AUGUST
1--Lieutenant (jg) C. H. Kendall and Lieutenant (jg) H. T. Orville,
in a 206.4-mile flight from Birmingham, Ala., to Commerce, Ga.,
won the National Elimination Balloon Race and qualified for the
international race.
NOVEMBER
1-The Naval Aircraft Factory was authorized to manufacture and
test a flush-deck hydraulic catapult, Type H Mark I. This catapult
was designed to launch landplanes from aircraft carriers and was
the Navy's initial development of a hydraulic catapult, a type
which was to prove capable of extensive refinement and which eventually
was to be accepted as a primary means of launching landplanes
from carriers.
15--Plans to install hydraulic flush deck catapults aboard carriers
were formalized in a Bureau of Aeronautics request that space
be reserved on CV-5 (Yorktown) and CV-6 (Enterprise) for two bow
catapults on the flight deck and one athwartships on the hangar
deck.
18--A contract was issued to the Northrop Corporation for the
XBT-1, a two-seat Scout and l,000-pound dive bomber. This aircraft
was the initial prototype in the sequence that led to the SBD
Dauntless series of dive bombers introduced to the fleet in 1938
and used throughout World War II.
DECEMBER
14--Reinflation of the rigid airship Los Angeles (ZR-3) was completed,
and she became airborne in the hangar at NAS Lakehurst after nearly
three years of decommissioned status. Although not flown again,
she continued in use as a test and experimental ship for another
five years and, after having served that purpose, was stricken
from the inventory on October 29, 1939. Dismantling was completed
in 7 weeks.
15--The Secretary of the Navy approved acceptance of the XO3C-1,
a single-engine biplane observation seaplane; subsequently converted
to the XSOC-1. Aircraft of this type were operated from battleships
and cruisers from late 1935 and during World War II.
21--Flight test of the NS-1, Stearman biplane trainer, was completed
at NAS Anacostia.
JANUARY
5--The Bureau of Navigation stated that Lieutenant Commander J.
R. Poppen MC, would be ordered to the Naval Dispensary, Philadelphia
Navy Yard, with additional duty at the Naval Aircraft Factory,
to observe pilots, conduct their annual physical examinations
and work on hygienic and physiological aspects of research and
development projects. This was the first assignment of a Flight
Surgeon to the Naval Aircraft Factory other than as part of a
specific project.
14--Squadrons assigned to the Ranger made the first of a series
of cross-country flights from Norfolk, Va., to Hartford, Conn.,
and Buffalo, N.Y., to test the functioning of carrier aircraft,
special equipment, and flight clothing under the exacting conditions
to be encountered in cold weather. When the tests were completed
on 2 February, the lessons learned were used in preparing for
tests aboard the Ranger the next winter.
22--The Federal Aviation Commission, appointed by the President
as provided in the Air Mail Act of 12 June 1934, submitted its
report which in essence set forth a broad policy covering all
phases of aviation and the relation of the government thereto.
A major share of its recommendations referred to commercial and
civil aviation and in general stressed the needs for a strong
air transport, for expanding airport facilities, for improving
provisions for aviation in government organization, and for supporting
the welfare of the aviation industry, particularly through the
establishment of more realistic procurement practices and policy.
For military aviation, the Commission recommended: continued study
of air organization toward more effective employment of aviation
and closer interservice relationships, expansion of experimental
and development work and its close coordination through the NACA,
expansion of the Reserve organizations and larger appropriations
to support them, and a modification of personnel policies to permit
assignment of officers with special engineering ability and industrial
experience to continuous duty related to their specialty.
FEBRUARY
9--The XN3N-1, prototype of the Yellow Peril primary trainer,
was ordered from the Naval Aircraft Factory.
12--After encountering a severe gust of wind which caused a structural
failure, the rigid airship Macon (ZRS-5) crashed off Point Sur,
Calif., with two fatalities.
MARCH
12--The Navy issued a contract to Pitcairn Autogiro Company to
remove the fixed wings from the XOP-1, thereby converting it to
the XOP-2 which thus became the Navy's first heavier-than-air
aircraft without fixed wings.
APRIL
15--Passage of the Aviation Cadet Act created the grade of Aviation
Cadet in the Naval and Marine Corps Reserves. The Act set up a
new program for pilot training in which otherwise qualified college
graduates between the ages of 18 and 28 would be eligible for
one year of flight instruction, benefits of pay, uniform gratuities
and insurance; and would, after serving three additional years
on active duty, be commissioned as Ensigns or Second Lieutenants,
be paid a bonus of $1,500, and be returned to inactive duty as
members of the Reserves.
MAY
1--A new pilot training syllabus was issued requiring completion
of about 300 hours of flight instruction and 465 hours of ground
school in a total time of one year. The new course made no differentiation
between student naval aviators and student aviation pilots, but
specified an additional 90 hours of indoctrination courses for
members of the Reserve.
JUNE
5--The designation of specially qualified officers for the performance
of aeronautical engineering duty only (AEDO) was authorized by
an Act of Congress. The appointment of a board in September to
select the first officers for this AEDO designation and the subsequent
approval of its report by the Secretary brought about the assignment
of 11 officers of the line and 33 from the Construction Corps
to this new specialist category.
JULY
20--The first class of Aviation Cadets to report for flight training
convened at NAS Pensacola. First of the group to become a Naval
Aviator was Elliott M. West who was designated on 12 June 1936
and assigned number 4,854.
30--The first blind landing aboard a carrier was made by Lieutenant
Frank Akers, who took off from NAS San Diego in an OJ-2 with hooded
cockpit, located Langley underway in an unknown position, and
landed aboard catching the number four arresting wire. Lieutenant
Akers subsequently received a Distinguished Flying Cross for this
flight.
SEPTEMBER
26--The President approved a joint Army-Navy proposal for the
transfer of air station properties, climaxing several years of
study and discussion of the joint use of aviation facilities in
certain areas. By this approval and a subsequent Executive Order,
the Army agreed to turn over to the Navy: Rockwell Field on North
Island, Luke Field on Ford Islands and Bolling Field at Anacostia,
while the Navy agreed to turn over to the Army the Naval Air Station
at Sunnyvale, Calif. In this exchange, it was understood that
the Army would construct new fields at Bolling adjoining its previous
location, and Hickam Field on Oahu, Hawaii.
OCTOBER
5--The first G Class airship, the G-1, was delivered to NAS Lakehurst.
This airship, formerly the Defender of Goodyear's commercial fleet,
was used by the Navy for training purposes.
14-15--Lieutenant Commander K. McGinnis, Lieutenant (jg) J. K.
Averill, NAP T.P. Wilkinson, and crew of three flew an XP3Y-1
Consolidated patrol plane, powered with two 825-hp. Pratt &
Whitney engines, from Cristobal Harbor, Canal Zone, to Alameda,
Calif., in 34 hours 45 minutes and established new world records
for Class C seaplanes of 3,281.383 miles airline distance and
3,443.255 miles brokenline distance.
NOVEMBER
15--The Chief, Bureau of Aeronautics, approved recommendations
from a fighter design competition and thereby initiated development
of the Grumman XF4F-1 biplane and the Brewster XF2A-1 monoplane.
The developmental sequence thus set in motion, although it included
many subsequent changes and modifications, provided prototypes
of the Navy's first-line fighters in use when the United States
entered World War II.
JANUARY
20--The Bureau of Engineering, acting in response to a request
from the Bureau of Aeronautics, initiated naval support to the
Bureau of Standards for the development of radio meteorographs.
These instruments, later renamed radiosondes, were to be attached
to small free balloons and sent aloft to measure pressure, temperature
and humidity of the upper atmosphere, and to transmit this information
to ground stations for use in weather forecasting and flight planning.
22--Ranger, with 23 aircraft on board, arrived in Cook Inlet,
Alaska, and began three weeks of operational tests to study the
effects of cold weather on operating efficiency and to determine
material and other improvements necessary for increasing carrier
capabilities under extreme weather conditions.
MARCH
18--The flight test of the XN3N-1, prototype of the Yellow Peril,
a primary trainer biplane, was completed at NAS Pensacola.
APRIL
1--The Marine Corps Aviation Section, which had been set up independently
under the Commandant in the previous year, was established as
a Division. With the change, the Officer-in- Charge was given
the title Director of Aviation and as such continued to serve
in the dual capacity of advisor to the Commandant on aviation
and head of the Marine Corps organization in the Bureau of Aeronautics,
under an arrangement which had been in effect since the establishment
of that Bureau.
28--R. C. Guthrie and R. M. Page, at the Naval Research Laboratory,
began testing a laboratory model of a pulsed radio wave detection
device (pulse radar). As tests proceeded, aircraft were detected
at distances up to 25 miles.
MAY
6--Construction of the facility, which was later named the David
W. Taylor Model Basin, was authorized by legislation, providing
buildings and appliances for use by the Bureau of Construction
and Repair in investigating and determining shapes and forms to
be adopted for U.S. vessels, including aircraft.
JUNE
11--In an effort to adapt commercial airplane maintenance techniques
to naval use, the Bureau of Aeronautics authorized Commander Aircraft,
Base Force, to provide patrol squadrons with an extra aircraft
for use as a rotating spare to replace squadron planes that were
undergoing maintenance inspection.
JULY
10--The Chief, Bureau of Aeronautics, approved a program of improvements
to the F4F and F2A fighters being developed by Grumman and Brewster.
Most important were the conversion of the Grumman design from
a biplane to the monoplane XF4F-2 prototype for the F4F Wildcat
of World War II, and the installation of larger engines in both,
which promised a top speed of 300 m.p.h.
21--Lieutenant Commander D. S. Fahrney received orders to report
to the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics and the Director of
the Naval Research Laboratory for duty in connection with an experimental
project. This marked the initial step in implementation of a recommendation
made by the Chief of Naval Operations the preceding May that radio
controlled aircraft be obtained for use as aerial targets. Fahrney,
in his subsequent report, not only proposed a procedure for developing
radio controlled target planes but also recognized the feasibility
of using such aircraft as guided missiles.
23--A contract was awarded to Consolidated for the XPB2Y-1 four-engined
flying boat. This aircraft had been selected for development as
a result of a design competition held late the previous year,
and in later configurations, it became the Navy's only four-engined
flying boat to be used as a patrol plane during World War II.
AUGUST
7--A change in the flight syllabus was approved which placed more
emphasis on instrument flying. The new course, which was inserted
between the service seaplane and fighter courses, was given by
a new instrument flying unit formed at Pensacola, Fla., for the
purpose, and included six hours in Link trainers, nine hours of
modified acrobatics in NS aircraft, and two hours radio range
flying under the hood.
19--Lieutenant B. L. Braun, pilot and ACOM W. B. Marvelle completed
test bombing against the submarine R-8 off the Virginia Capes.
Flying a T4M-1 at an altitude of 2,500 feet, they dropped twelve
100-pound bombs in a 2-day period and obtained four near-misses
with a cumulative effect which caused the submarine to sink.
SEPTEMBER
15--Langley, first aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy, was
detached from Battle Force and assigned to Commander Aircraft,
Base Force, for duty as a seaplane tender. After a brief period
of operation, she went into the yard for conversion, from which
she emerged early in 1937 with the forward part of her flight
deck removed.
FEBRUARY
27--Expansion of the Working Committee of the Aeronautical Board
and the extension of its functions to include work in aeronautical
standardization, were approved by the Secretaries of the War and
Navy Departments. By this decision, interservice efforts in standardization
changed from a part-time program of annual conferences to one
employing a joint staff of officers and civilians on a full-time
basis.
MARCH
15--The Bureau of Aeronautics assigned distinguishing colors to
each aircraft carrier for use as tail markings by all squadrons
on board, thereby changing the existing practice of assigning
colors to squadrons and eliminating the confusion resulting when
squadrons transferred from one carrier to another.
JUNE
21-22--Patrol Squadron 3, with 12 PBY-1 Catalinas under the command
of Lieutenant R. W. Morse, flew nonstop from San Diego to Coco
Solo in the Canal Zone, completing the 3,292-mile flight in 27
hours and 58 minutes.
30--A contract was issued to the Martin Company for the XPBM-1
two-engined flying boat patrol plane. The aircraft was the initial
prototype in the PBM Mariner series of flying boats used during
and after World War II.
JULY
1--The system of designating squadrons was revised to provide
for numbering each carrier squadron according to the hull number
of its carrier, each battleship and cruiser squadron the same
as the number of its ship division, each Marine Corps squadron
according to its Aircraft Group, and patrol squadrons serially
without regard to assignment. The change also abolished the use
of suffix letters to indicate organizational assignment, except
for Naval District and Reserve squadrons, and interposed the M
for Marine Corps squadrons between the V prefix and mission letters.
2--The Navy agreed to accept transfer of Army airships and lighter-than-air
equipment. Included in the transfer were the airships TC-13 and
TC-14, used for antisubmarine patrol in the early stages of World
War II.
15--The Ship Experimental Unit was placed in operating status
at the Naval Aircraft Factory and made responsible for development
and testing of equipment and techniques for carrier landings.
This unit consisted of officers and men which were transferred
from NAS Norfolk where this function had been performed since
1921.
AUGUST
6--A contract was issued to Goodyear for two new non-rigid airships,
the L-1 for training purposes, and the K-2 for coastal patrol.
9--The contractor's demonstration flights of the XOZ-1 rotary-winged
aircraft, which included a water takeoff, were completed at the
Naval Aircraft Factory. Pennsylvania Aircraft Corporation had
modified this aircraft from an N2Y-1 trainer into an experimental
gyroplane by installing a new engine and a rotary wing with cyclic
control.
SEPTEMBER
9--The XPBS-1, a four-engined monoplane flying boat built by Sikorsky
Aircraft, made its first flight. This aircraft, constructed as
a long-range patrol plane, was later used as a transport.
30--Yorktown was placed in commission at Norfolk, Va.,
with Captain E. D. McWorther in command.
OCTOBER
1--Patrol aviation with its tenders was transferred from Base
Force and assigned to the reestablished type command, Aircraft
Scouting Force. With the change, five Patrol Wings, numbered 1
through 5, were established as separate administrative commands
over their assigned squadrons.
DECEMBER
17--The XPTBH-2, a twin-float seaplane designed by Hall Aluminum
Aircraft Company, Inc. for patrol and torpedo attack, was accepted
by the Navy. This was the last twinfloat torpedo plane developed
for the Navy.
23--A successful unmanned radio-controlled flight was made with
a JH-1 drone, at the Coast Guard Air Station, Cape May, N.J. Take-off
and landing were made using a landbased radio set; for flight
maneuvers, control was shifted to an airborne TG-2.
APRIL
21--The delivery of the XF2A-1 to the Langley Memorial Aeronautical
Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
marked the initiation of full-scale wind tunnel tests to determine
means of decreasing aerodynamic drag and thereby increasing high
speed. These tests, conducted at the recommendation of Commander
Walter S. Diehl, indicated that the speed of the XF2A-1 could
be increased 31 m.p.h. over the 277 m.p.h. already achieved, and
led to the utilization of this technique in other high-performance
aircraft, by both the Army and the Navy. The data thus obtained
was also directly applicable to the design of new aircraft.
MAY
12--Enterprise was commissioned at Newport News, Va., Captain
N. H. White commanding.
17--The Naval Expansion Act, among its provisions for naval aviation,
authorized an increase in total tonnage of underage naval vessels
amounting to 40,000 tons for aircraft carriers, and also authorized
the President to increase the number of naval aircraft to "not
less than" 3,000. Carriers built as a result of this authorization
were the Hornet, and the Essex, laid down in 1939 and 1941 respectively.
JUNE
1--The routine use of radiosondes (or radio meteorographs, as
they were then called) to obtain data on weather conditions in
the upper atmosphere was initiated at NAS Anacostia. By the close
of the year, the California (BB 44) and Lexington were also outfitted
to use radiosondes.
8--After over two years of evaluation by Fleet Squadrons and various
shore-based naval air activities, the antiblackout or abdominal
belt, intended for use by pilots in dive bombing and other violent
maneuvers, was returned to a developmental status with a finding
by the Commander Aircraft, Battle Force, that the advantages of
this belt were not sufficient to offset its disadvantages.
8--By policy established by the Secretary of the Navy, the provisions
for maintenance of aircraft aboard carriers and aircraft tenders
were limited to those required for upkeep and minor repairs.
JULY
1--New command billets titled Commander, Carrier Air Group, were
authorized, and carrier squadrons were organized into groups each
designated by the name of the carrier to which it was assigned.
AUGUST
23--A contract was issued to Martin for the XPB2M-1 four-engine
flying boat. Initially intended as a patrol plane, this craft
was later converted to the PB2M-1R Mars transport and served as
a prototype for the JRM series of flying boats.
24--In the first American use of a drone target aircraft in anti-aircraft
exercises, the Ranger fired upon a radio-controlled JH-1 making
a simulated horizontal bombing attack on the fleet. This not only
heralded a new departure in anti-aircraft practice, but also indicated
that radio-controlled aircraft could be used as a training device
in the fleet.
SEPTEMBER
14--A radio-controlled N2C-2 target drone engaged in a simulated
dive-bombing attack against the battleship Utah (Battleship No.
31) in test firing of anti-aircraft battery. The proponents of
guided missile development view this as the first demonstration
of the air to surface missile.
OCTOBER
15--A new specification prescribing color for naval aircraft was
issued. Trainers were to be finished in orange-yellow overall
with aluminum colored floats or landing gear. The color of service
aircraft remained essentially as prescribed in 1925, aluminum
overall with orange-yellow on wing and tail surfaces that were
visible from above.
NOVEMBER
2--A revision of the pilot training syllabus was approved instituting
minor adjustments in the flight program and changes of greater
significance in the ground program. A special course was added
for flight surgeons, celestial navigation was added for enlisted
students, and gameboard problems were introduced as a practical
approach to instruction in scouting and search.
DECEMBER
1--The Hepburn Board, appointed by the Secretary of the Navy in
accordance with the Act of 17 May, reported on its survey of the
aviation shore establishment. Recognizing the demands that would
have to be met if the approach of war should precipitate a great
expansion, the Board recommended for aviation the enlargement
of 11 existing stations and the erection of 16 new ones, including
Kaneohe, Midway, Wake, Guam, and five other Pacific Islands.
16--The K-2 airship was delivered to the NAS Lakehurst for trials.
This was the prototype for the World War II K Class patrol airships,
of which 135 were procured.
MARCH
27--Following the successful experimental refueling of patrol
planes by the submarine Nautilus (SS-168), the Commander in Chief
U.S. Fleet, directed that Submarine Division Four and Patrol Wing
Two conduct refueling tests at frequent intervals and carry out
an Advanced Base problem each quarter to develop to the utmost
the possibilities for refueling patrol planes under various conditions.
APRIL
7--An amphibian version of the PBY flying boat was ordered from
Consolidated. This aircraft, the first successful amphibian patrol
plane procured by the Navy, was the prototype for the PBY-5A which
was widely used in World War II.
MAY
15--A contract was issued to Curtiss-Wright for the XSB2C-1 dive
bomber, thereby completing action on a 1938 design competition.
The preceding month, Brewster had received a contract for the
XSB2A-1. As part of the mobilization in ensuing years, large production
orders were issued for both aircraft, but serious managerial and
developmental problems were encountered which eventually contributed
to discarding the SB2A and prolonged preoperational development
of SB2C. Despite this, the SB2C Helldiver would become the principal
operational carrier dive bomber.
27--Lieutenant Colonel. Alfred A. Cunningham, first U.S. Marine
Corps aviator, died at his home in Sarasota, Fla. He reported
for flight training at Annapolis on 22 May 1912, a day now celebrated
as the birthday of Marine Corps aviation; and in a relatively
short aviation career, served with distinction in many capacities.
During World War I, he organized and commanded the first Marine
aviation unit, was among those proposing operations later assigned
to the Northern Bombing Group and was Commanding Officer of its
Day Wing. In the post-war period, he served as the first administrative
head of Marine Corps aviation and then commanded the First Air
Squadron in Santo Domingo.
JUNE
13--Saratoga and the tanker Kanawha (AO 1) completed
a 2-day underway refueling test off the coast of southern California,
thereby demonstrating the feasibility of refueling carriers at
sea, a technique which was to prove vitally important to operations
in areas where bases were not available.
13--The Aviation Cadet Act of 1935 was revised to provide for
the immediate commissioning as ensigns or second lieutenants of
all cadets on active service and the future commissioning of others
upon completion of flight training. The law also extended the
service limitation to 7 years after completion of training of
which the first four would be required, and provided for promotion
to the next higher grade on the basis of examination after 3 years
of service. A reduction in the bonus payment upon release to inactive
duty was made with the provision that aviation cadets already
serving in the fleet be given the option of remaining on the old
pay scale with the $1,500 bonus or of accepting commissioned pay
and the new $500 discharge payment.
JULY
1--A standard system of numbering patrol squadrons in reference
to wings was adopted by which the first digit of a squadron designation
number became the same as the wing to which it was attached.
1--By Presidential Order the Aeronautical Board, the Joint Board
(later Joint Chiefs of Staff), the Joint Economy Board and the
Munitions Board all previously functioning by understanding between
the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy, began functioning
under the direction and supervision of the President as Commander
in Chief of the Army and Navy.
13--A Fleet Air Tactical Unit was authorized by the Chief of Naval
Operations to provide research and advisory activities relating
to operational use of new aircraft.
AUGUST
4--Yorktown and Enterprise made successful launchings
of SBC-3 and O3U-3 aircraft from flight deck and hangar deck catapults
in the first practical demonstration of launching aircraft from
carriers by means of a hydraulic flush-deck catapult and in the
first demonstrations of catapulting aircraft from the hangar deck.
24--The Acting Secretary approved the detailing of a medical officer
to the Bureau of Aeronautics for the purpose of establishing an
Aviation Medical Research Unit.
30--Lieutenant Commander Thurston B. Clark, flying a twin engined
XJO-3 equipped with tricycle landing gear, made 11 landings aboard
and take-offs from Lexington off Coronado Roads, thereby
demonstrating the basic adaptability of twin engined aircraft
and of tricycle landing gear to carrier operations.
SEPTEMBER
5--The President proclaimed the neutrality of the United States
in the European War and directed that the Navy organize a Neutrality
Patrol. In complying therewith, the Chief of Naval Operations
ordered the Commander of the Atlantic Squadron to establish combined
air and ship reconnaissance of the sea approaches to the United
States and West Indies for the purpose of reporting and tracking
any belligerent air, surface, or underwater units in the area.
8--The President proclaimed the existence of a limited national
emergency and directed measures for strengthening national defenses
within the limits of peacetime authorizations.
11--In the first redeployment of patrol squadrons on the Neutrality
Patrol, VP-33, equipped with Catalinas, transferred from the Canal
Zone to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for operations over the Caribbean.
Two days later, the Catalinas of VP-51 arrived at San Juan, P.R.,
from Norfolk to patrol the southern approaches to the Caribbean
through the Lesser Antilles.
21--Patrol Squadron 21, with 14 PBY aircraft, took off from Pearl
Harbor for the Philippines via Midway, Wake and Guam, and with
its arrival became the first patrol unit in the Asiatic Fleet
since 1932. This squadron and another which arrived later the
next year, were the nucleus of Patrol Wing 10, formed in the Philippines
in December 1940.
OCTOBER
1--To achieve an immediate expansion of pilot training, the syllabus
was revised to set up a program of concentrated instruction which
reduced the length of the training period from 12 to 6 months.
The new program provided a primary course in landplanes and a
basic phase in service landplanes and instrument flying for all
students, and restricted each student in the advanced program
to specialization in either patrol and utility aircraft, observation
planes, or carrier aircraft. Ground school was similarly concentrated
and shortened from 33 to 18 weeks.
14--The Naval Aircraft Factory was authorized to develop radio
control equipment for use in remote controlled flight-testing
of aircraft so that dives, pullouts, and other maneuvers could
be performed near the aircraft's designed strength without risking
the life of a test pilot.
DECEMBER
1--Ensign A. L. Terwilliger was designated a Master Horizontal
Bomber, the first Naval Aviator in a fleet squadron to so qualify.
8--To effect a higher degree of coordination in research, the
Secretary of the Navy directed that the Bureaus of Aeronautics
and Ordnance acting separately, and the Bureaus of Engineering
and Construction and Repair, acting as one unit, designate an
officer to head a section in the respective Bureaus devoted to
science and technology and also to act as a liaison officer with
the Naval Research Laboratory and as a member of the Navy Department
Council for Research. By the same order, the duties performed
in the Office of the Chief of the Naval Operations concerned with
research and invention were transferred to the Office of the Secretary
and placed under the administration of the Director, Naval Research
Laboratory.
20--A contract was issued to Consolidated for 200 PBY type aircraft
to support an increase in patrol plane squadrons growing out of
Neutrality Patrol requirements. This was the largest single order
for naval aircraft since the end of World War I.
Return to Naval
Historical Center home page30 June 1997