(2) The
Militarization of Aviation,
1911-1914
1911
United States.Military.
==Jan.07 > The first aircraft
trials with
live bombs are held at San Francisco
==Jan.10 > The first photo is
taken from
a flying airplane, by Major Erickson over San Diego
beginning.1911 > The first US military flight school is established
at the College Park Airbase in Maryland
==Jan.18 > The US Congress
finally appropriates
funds for aviation
==Jan.18 > Eugene Ely
accomplishes the
first landing on a ship, on the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco
==Jan.26 > Glenn Curtiss
demonstrates
the first American seaplane, at San Diego
France.
==Jan.--- > France has 353
certified pilots
- compared with 57 in Britain, 46 in Germany, 32 in Italy, 27 in
Belgium,
and only 26 in America
New Zealand.
==Feb.05 > The first powered
flight in
New Zealand, by the Walsh brothers
United States.
==Feb.17 > The first amphibian
flight
to and from a ship is accomplished by Glenn Curtiss at San Diego
India.
==Feb.18 > The world’s first
official
air-mail flight, by Pequet across the Jumna River in India
United States.Military.
==Mar.04 > The first funds for US
naval
aviation are appropriated: $25,000
Belgium.Military.
==Mar.23 > Belgium establishes
its first
military flight training school
Austria-Hungary.Military.
==Mar.--- > The Austrian Army
holds its
first air trials, and buys eight Taubes
Britain.Military.
==Mar.--- > The first four Royal
Navy
pilots begin their flight training
==Apr.01 > The first British air
unit
is formed: the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers, with airship and
airplane
companies
France.Britain.
==Apr.12 > Prier makes the first
non-stop
London-to-Paris flight
United States.Military.
==May.08 > The US Navy orders its
first
aircraft - traditionally considered the birth of US naval
aviation
Britain.
==mid.May > A flying
demonstration at
Hendon impresses British MP’s, including Winston Churchill
United States.Military.
==Jun.--- > Hap Arnold becomes
the 29th
licensed pilot in America, and one of the first two in the US
Army
==Jul.01 > First flight of the
first US
naval aircraft, at Hammondsport, New York
Britain.
==Jul.04 > The first air cargo is
delivered
in Britain
United States.Military.
==Jul.06 > The first US naval
airbase
is selected at Annapolis
Germany.
==Jul.--- > The German Air Fleet
League
promotes national subsidies for the struggling German aviation
industry
United States.
==Aug.01 > The flamboyant drama
critic
Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman in America to qualify as a pilot
(or Aug.02) - see Apr.16.1912 & Jul.01.1912
==Aug.14-25 > Atwood flies from
St. Louis
to New York
Italy.Military.
==Aug.--- > For the first time,
aircraft
participate in Italian army maneuvers
Britain.
==Sep.09 > Hamel begins series of
London-Windsor
mail flights - the world’s first regular air mail service
United States.
==Sep.17-Nov.05 > The first
transcontinental
flight in North America is accomplished by C. P. Rodgers in Vin Fiz,
after surviving numerous crashes, forced landings, and injuries
==Sep.23 > The first official air
mail
delivery in America consists of a five mile flight in New York
Germany.Military.
==Sep.--- > German Army maneuvers
use
airplanes for the first time
Libya.Military.
==Oct.22 > The first known
wartime reconnaissance
flight, by Piazza between Tripoli and Azizia - considered the first
use of an airplane in war (or Oct.23)
Germany.Military.
==Oct.25 > German War Minister
Heeringen
successfully urges continued spending on airships, despite the German
Army’s
growing preference for airplanes
Austria-Hungary.Military.
==Oct.--- > Transport Command
forms the
first Austro-Hungarian air unit
France.Military.
==Oct.-Nov. > The world’s first
exhibit
of potential warplanes, in Rheims
Libya.Military.
==Nov.01 > Italian planes bomb an
oasis
in Libya - the first aerial bombing and the first offensive use of
aircraft
France.
==Nov.26 > France requires pilots
to obtain
certificates, and imposes possibly the first flight regulations
Britain.Military.
==Nov.--- > Asquith calls on the
Committee
for Imperial Defense to develop an efficient air force - ~rapid
increases
in the British aviation budget
France.Military.
==Nov.--- > French air units
undergo bombing
exercises
United States.Military.
==Dec.20 > The US Navy begins
experiments
in radio transmissions from aircraft
Britain.Military.
==Dec.--- > The Royal Naval
Flying School
is established
==Dec.--- > Churchill encourages
the development
of British naval air forces - he foresees a combat role for aircraft;
makes
machine-gunnery and bombing a part of training
==Dec.--- > Lt. Sampson
successfully flies
off the deck of HMS Africa
United States.
==1911 > Stunt pilot Lincoln
Beachey attains
an altitude of 11,600 feet by simply flying upwards until he runs out
of
fuel
United States.Military.
==1911 > American Lt. Scott makes
the
first bomb sight
Britain.Military.
==1911 > Captain Lefron achieves
a thirty
mile radio transmission from the British airship Beta
==1911 > de Havilland builds the B.
E. I. biplane, archetype of the WWI fighters
France.Military.
==1911 > The ship Foudre
is converted
to a seaplane tender - the first French proto-aircraft carrier
==1911 > Nieuport becomes the
first to
equip an aircraft with a machine-gun
Italy.Military.
==1911 > The first torpedo is
released
from an airplane, by Guidoni
Russia.
==1911 > Yuriev designs a modern
helicopter
configuration
Russia.Military.
==1911 > The first Russian naval
aviation
unit is formed, in Sebastopol
==1911 > Russian pilots practice
aerial
attacks on submarines
Japan.Military.
==1911 > The origins of the
Japanese
Naval Air Force: the first six officers are sent abroad for pilot
training
- the first Naval Air Base is established at Oppama (Yokosuka)
1912
United States.Military.
==Jan.10 > First flight of a
flying boat,
by Glenn Curtiss in New York
France.Military.
==Jan.25 > France begins
organizing its
military aircraft into regular squadrons
United States.Military.
==Jan.--- > The Los Angeles Air
Show stages
Glenn Martin’s mock bombing of a city, with assistance from US Army and
Navy - the audience cheers wildly
United States.
==Feb.08 > The first flight from
the American
west to east coasts lands in Jacksonville, Florida
France.Military.
==Feb.11 > A rally at the
Sorbonne successfully
raises money to expand the French Air Force
France.
==Feb.22 > The Deperdussin
Monocoque Racer
1912 version sets a speed record exceeding 100 mph - it boasts and
advanced
design with a stress-supporting wooden fuselage and a rotary engine
Libya.Military.
==Feb.24-25 > Captain Piazza
takes the
first known aerial photos of enemy forces - Arab tribesmen in
Tripoli
Britain.Military.
==Feb.28 > Henderson’s Committee
for Imperial
Defense subcommittee recommends the formation of a Royal Flying
Corps
Germany.Military.
==Feb.--- > Captain Seuter warns
the German
Committee of Imperial Defense that in the event of war, aerial combat
is
inevitable and control of the air is crucial - he is ignored
United States.Military.
==Mar.01 > The world’s first
parachute
descent from an airplane, made by Captain Berry at St. Louis
Libya.Military.
==Mar.10-Jun > Italy is using
non-rigid
airships in Libya for reconnaissance and light bombing
France.Military.
==Mar.29 > The French Parliament
passes
a bill organizing military aeronautics
Germany.Military.
==Apr.04 > The Kaiser’s son
Prince Henry
appeals to the public for funds to develop German aviation
United States.
==Apr.06 > US Naval aviator
Captain Chambers
coins the terms ‘airplane’ and ‘landing gear’
France.Britain.
==Apr.16 > The American Harriet
Quimby
is the first woman to fly the English Channel, but her feat is driven
off
the front pages by the sinking of the Titantic
Libya.Military.
==Apr.19 > Italians take the
first known
aerial movies of enemy positions, from an airship over Tripoli
Britain.Military.
==May.09 > The Royal Navy
demonstrates
the use of planes for bombing and for submarine detection - ~achieves
the
first seaplane takeoff from a moving ship
==May.13 > The British Royal
Flying
Corps is formed from earlier army and navy air units
United States.Military.
==May.22 > Lieutenant Cunningham
becomes
the first US Marine officer to report for flight training - the start
of
USMC aviation - in Aug, Cunningham solos after only three hours of
instruction
United States.
==May.30 > Wilbur Wright dies of
typhoid
fever at age 45
United States.Military.
==Jun.02 > The first automatic
weapon
is fired from an airplane: Lt. Colonel Lewis tests his new light
machine
gun - the cold response from the US military causes Lewis to take his
invention
to Europe
Britain.Military.
==Jun.19 > The British Army
establishes
the Central Flying School
Britain.
==Jun.--- > The Royal Navy
achieves a
ten mile radio transmission from an airplane
Germany.Military.
==Jun.--- > The first German
Naval Airship
Division is formed
France.Military.
==mid-year > Five French air
squadrons
are in service with field armies, with a sixth squadron in
Algeria
United States.
==Jul.01 > Harriet Quimby, the
first female
pilot in America, becomes the world’s first female air fatality when
she
is flipped out of her plane over Boston
==Jul.02 > The Akron, the first
American
dirigible, explodes off Atlantic City, killing five
Italy.Military.
==summer > The Italian Army forms
an aviation
inspectorate and an experimental institute
United States.
==Aug.16 > The Glenn L. Martin
Company
is incorporated in Santa Ana - ~the origins of the California
aeronautics
industry
Britain.Military.
==Aug.--- > The Royal Flying
Corps orders BE-2 aircraft as standard equipment
Belgium.Military.
==Sep.12 > The Belgian Army test
fires
a machine gun from an aircraft
Germany.Military.
==Sep.26 > A German General Staff
committee
recommends an expanded, autonomous air command - but no action is
taken
Britain.Military.
==Sep.--- > In maneuvers in East
Anglia,
the British Army makes extensive use of airships and airplanes for
reconnaissance
United States.Military.
==Oct.26-Dec.18 > The US Navy
conducts
its first trials for submarine spotting from an airplane, over
Chesapeake
Bay
France.Military.
==fall > The French National
Aviation
Committee is established, chaired by Clemenceau - it raises four
million
francs to develop aviation
France.
==Nov.03 > First flight of the
first all-metal
plane, near Issy
United States.Military.
==Nov.12 > The US Navy’s first
successful
launch of an airplane by catapult
International.
==Dec.05 > Jacques Schneider of
France
proposes to sponsor international seaplane speed races
International.
==1912 > The Paris Aviation
Conference
unanimously rejects the ban on aerial bombardments
United States.Military.
==1912 > The US Army cuts
aviation funding
United States.
==1912 > The Loughead brothers
form an
aircraft company in California which will become known as
Lockheed
Britain.Military.
==1912 > The British de Havilland
BS.1
is flown - the origins of fighter aircraft
Britain.
==1912 > Sopwith Aviation Company
is established
in Britain
Scandinavia.
==1912 > In Denmark, aviation
pioneer
Ellehammer builds an early helicopter capable of lifting off of the
ground
Germany.
==1912 > Anthony Fokker
establishes an
aircraft factory in Germany
==1912 > The first regular air
service
is begun, between Berlin and Friedrichshaven by rigid airship
Austria-Hungary.Military.
==1912 > The Austrian air arm is
organized
under Uzelac
Russia.Military.
==1912 > The Russian Army attains
second
place behind France in the early race to build aircraft
Japan.Military.
==1912 > The Japanese Navy
establishes
an Aeronautical Research Committee
==1912 > Takijiro Onishi is
commissioned
in the Imperial Navy; he becomes a pioneering Japanese military aviator
and, in 1945, creator of the kamikaze corps
1913
Britain.Military.
==Jan.03 > Churchill encourages
the military
development of airships
United States.Military.
==Jan.06 > The US Navy uses
aircraft on
maneuvers for the first time, off Guantanamo Bay
Britain.Military.
==Jan.07 > Churchill announces to
the
Committee for Imperial Defense that he's developing an early
anti-aircraft
gun
United States.
==Jan.13 > The first regular air
cargo
service in America begins delivering baked beans from Boston to New
York
City
Italy.Military.
==early.1913 > Italian naval
aviation
is begun
Ottoman Empire.Military.
==Feb.06 > A Greek plane drops
grenades
on Turkish ships at Nagara in the Dardanelles, in a very early instance
of aerial bombing
Britain.Military.
==Feb.21-Mar.08 > Numerous
nighttime sightings
are reported in England of ‘German airships’, to the amusement of the
German
press
United States.Military.
==Mar.05 > The US Signal Corps
forms the
First Aero Squadron at San Diego, the US Army’s first aviation
unit
France.Military.
==Mar.--- > Ferdinand Foch
allegedly says
“aviation is fine as sport... but as an instrument of war it is
useless.”
International.
==Apr.16 > The first Schneider
Trophy
race is held at Monaco in a seaplane meet - after WWI, the Schneider
Trophy
will be a major stimulus in aircraft development
Latin America.
==Apr.27 > Fowler flies across
the Panama
Canal Zone, in what is technically the first nonstop transcontinental
flight
Mexico.Military.
==Apr.--- > Mexican dictator
Huerta sends
fifty officers to France to study aviation
United States.
==May.01 > The Langley
Aerodynamical Laboratory
is reopened by the Smithsonian Institution
Russia.
==May.13 > First flight of Igor
Sikorsky’s
four-engined Bolshoi (or Le Grande), the first
truly large
plane
Mexico.Military.
==May.29-Aug > ~Mexican Federal
gunships
are bombed in Guaymas Bay in the Gulf of California by Masson, flying
for
revolutionary General Obregón - the world’s first serious
air
attack on warships
United States.
==May.30 > MIT begins teaching
aerodynamics
Italy.Military.
==Jun.--- > The Italian War
Ministry props
up the Caproni aircraft factory - ~Caproni designs the first aircraft
conceived
as a bomber
United States.
==Jul.19 > Bryant introduces
skywriting,
over Seattle
United States.Military.
==Jul.--- > Congress finally
funds the
US Army aviation section - ~the army has only six aviators and twelve
planes
United States.
==Aug.10 > Sperry demonstrates an
aircraft
automatic pilot based on a ship’s gyroscope (or 1909 or 1914)
France.
==Aug.20 > The first instance of
a pilot
parachuting from an aircraft, in France
Russia.
==Aug.27 > Lt. Nesterov performs
the world’s
first aerial loop at Kiev, and is promptly arrested for endangering
government
property
Britain.Military.
==Sep.17 > First flight of the
Avro 504
- 8,000 will be built during WWI and it will be used by the RAF as late
as 1940
France.Military.
==Sep.21 > Pegoud makes the first
sustained
inverted flight
==Sep.23 > First flight across
the Mediterranean:
Garros takes eight hours to fly 453 miles from the French Riviera to
Tunisia
==Sep.29 > The Deperdussin Monocoque
Racer 1913 version sets a speed record exceeding 200 kmph (126 mph)
- the record stands until after WWI
France.Military.
==Sep.--- > French army maneuvers
in Languedoc
make successful use of air reconnaissance.
Germany.Military.
==Sep.---(to Oct) > The first two
German
naval airships crash, killing the unit commander and nearly destroying
the program
United States.Military.
==Oct.19 > The first
comprehensive American
plan for developing naval aviation
Germany.Military.
==Oct.--- > Semi-autonomous
airship and
airplane commands are established by the German Army
Mexico.Military.
==Nov.30 > American pilots flying
for
different factions in the Mexican Revolution exchange pistol shots,
near
Naco in Sonora - the world’s first air-to-air combat
France.Military.
==late.1913 > The French Army is
using
the Morane Parasol monoplane
Germany.Military.
==late.1913 > Fifty German airmen
are
killed in a military dirigible accident
Britain.Military.
end.1913 > The Royal Navy is building a chain of coastal naval air
stations
==Dec.20 > Hugh Dowding receives
his pilot’s
license
France.Military.
==Dec.28 > In France, Legagneux
becomes
the first pilot to use oxygen in flight, reaching 20,079 feet
Britain.Military.
==Dec.--- > The British Army
creates an
Aeronautics Inspection Department
Russia.Military.
==Dec.--- > Russian air command
is divided
between the General Staff and the Technical Directorate, creating
administrative
confusion
Mexico.Military.
==winter > In Mexico, Huerta’s
French-trained
air corps is operational
United States.Military.
==1913 > The US has spent less
than $1/2
million on military aviation since 1908, 1/50 the amount of France or
Germany
United States.
==1913 > The Glenn Martin Company
builds
the world’s first trainer aircraft
Britain.Military.
==1913 > HMS Hermes is
commissioned
as the world’s first seaplane carrier
==1913 > Hugh Trenchard takes
command
of the Royal Flying Corps flight school
France.Military.
==1913 > The French naval air
service
is established
Italy.Military.
==1913 > Italian military
theoretician
Douhet publishes Rules for the Use of Airplanes in War in 1913,
the first doctrinal manual for airpower
Germany.Military.
==1913 > A German engineer
invents a synchronization
mechanism for a fixed machine-gun mounted on aircraft
==1913 > Germany launches a crash
program
to catch up with France in military aircraft - Fokker wins military
contracts
Japan.Military.
==1913 > The Japanese Imperial
Navy puts
a seaplane tender in service, the first Japanese proto-aircraft
carrier
1914
United States.
==Jan.01 > The US Weather Bureau
begins
publishing a daily Northern Hemisphere weather map to aid
aviators
Britain.Military.
==Jan.01 > The Royal Naval Air
Service
is established - British naval air units are again separate from the
Royal
Flying Corps (officially established Jul.01)
United States.
==Jan.01 > World’s first powered
airline
begins service by flying a passenger from St. Petersburg to Tampa - the
operation folds within four months
==Jan.13 > Orville Wright wins a
patent
suit against Glenn Curtiss
France.Military.
==mid.Jan > The French government
forms
the Superior Council of Aeronautics to consider military applications
of
aviation research
United States.Military.
==Jan.20 > The US Naval Air Base
at Pensacola
is established
Russia.Military.
==Jan.--- > First flight of
Sikorsky’s Ilya Morometz, the world’s first four-engined
bomber
Morocco.Military.
==Jan.--- > France is using
aircraft to
attack Moroccan tribesmen, dropping small bombs and bundles of
darts
Austria-Hungary.Military.
==early.1914 > Austrian Finance
Minister
Teleszky calls aviation a “worthless military fad” - ~Austrian air
units
severely underfunded
Palestine.
==end.Feb > Turkish aviators are
killed
near the Sea of Galilee during an attempt to fly from Damascus to
Jerusalem
Britain.Military.
==Feb.--- > First flight of the
Bristol Scout, which will become a widely used British fighter
in
early
WWI
RusRussia.sia.
==Feb.--- > Sikorsky’s giant Ilya
Morometz
is put in service as a passenger plane
China.
==Mar.11 > Nanyuan Aviation
School near
Peking begins flights
Britain.Military.
==Mar.--- > Churchill endorses a
plan
to use aircraft to overawe native populations in the event of colonial
revolts
International.
==Apr.20 > The much expanded
Schneider
Trophy races are held at Monaco - the British Sopwith Tabloid takes the
trophy
Mexico.Military.
==Apr.25 > US naval aviators go
into combat
for the first time, near Veracruz
France.Military.
==Apr.--- > France establishes
the ‘Twelfth
Directorate’, an autonomous air unit directly under War Minister
Mexico.Military.
==May.02 > US pilots fly the
world’s first
air mission in direct support of ground troops, near Veracruz
==May.06 > US Pacific Fleet
commander
Admiral Howard protests primitive air raids on Mazatlán by
pilots
flying for the Mexican revolutionaries
Britain.Military.
==May.--- > Future Air Marshall
Portal,
riding for Oxford, defeats Cambridge in a renowned motorcycle race
Atlantic.
==Jun.06 > The first
long-distance flight
over sea, Scotland to Norway
France.Military.
==mid.Jun > A French War Ministry
commission
concludes that bombing by airplanes offers interesting
possibilities
Britain.Military.
==late.Jun > The Royal Flying
Corps conducts
reconnaissance exercises
Russia.
==Jun.29 > Sikorsky serves the
first in-flight
meal during a flight from St. Petersburg to Kiev on his massive Ilya
Mouromets
France.Military.
==Jun.--- > A French attempt at
an armored
plane proves too heavy
Britain.Military.
==Jul.28 > RNAS Commander
Longmore practices
torpedo bombing
International.
==Jul.28-Aug.04 > WORLD WAR I
BEGINS
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