January 13 – The
Aeromarine AirwaysAeromarine 75flying boatColumbus suffers engine failure during a flight from
Key West,
Florida, to
HavanaCuba, and lands in the
Florida Strait. Buffeted by 10-to-15-foot (3-to-4.5-meter) waves, it begins to fill with water. Four passengers die, but the ferry ship H. M. Flagler saves the other three passengers and both crew members.[4]
January 20 – After suffering an engine failure in flight, the
Cierva C.4autogyro uses
autorotation to land without damage.
The Italian press reports that in a test of the Italian armed forces′ ability to get all their airplanes into the air at the same time and keep them flying for one hour, only 76 were able to do so. The armed forces′ own statistics report that the
Italian Royal Army had 237 aircraft in working order and the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) had 48. The discrepancy arises from
Prime MinisterBenito Mussolini′s to depict his predecessors in the Italian government as militarily incompetent.[5]
March 28 – The
Italian Army′s air arm, the Corpo Aeronautico Militare, becomes an independent air force, the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force).
April
April 1 – The
Royal Air Force abandons the
squadron as the basic organizational unit for those of its aircraft operating from
Royal Navy ships, reorganizing them into six-plane
flights.[10]
May 21 – A
Curtissbomber and two Curtiss scout aircraft of the
Argentine Navy make a flight of just under 500 miles (800 km) along the coast of
Argentina from
Puerto Militar to
Buenos Aires. It is a significant step forward in the development of Argentine aviation.[14]
May 23 – The
Belgian airline
SABENA is formed, adding new European routes to
SNETA's routes in
Belgian Congo that it takes over.
The admirals′ committee of the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) pronounces itself in favor of the construction of at least one
aircraft carrier to operate with the Italian fleet, providing the fleet with air defense as well as an offensive aerial strike capability.[18]
Twenty-one aircraft compete in the Grand Prix de Motoaviette – a competition at
Buc, Yvelines, France, open to any aircraft with a
maximum takeoff weight of less than 250 kilograms (550 pounds), offering a 125,000
FF prize for the fastest flight of 30 laps around a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) course. Lucien Coupet wins in a
Salmson 3 Ad-powered
Farman Aviette, covering 310 kilometers (190 miles) in 4 hours 37 minutes 19 seconds.
August
The Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) participates in
Italian Royal Army maneuvers south of
Lake Garda intended to test the capabilities of the army's celeri divisions. The air force component of the maneuvers tests aerial reconnaissance capabilities and the effectiveness of attacks on enemy troops by 32 fighter aircraft and of night attacks against bridges by two bombers. Although the reconnaissance is deemed "indispensable," it is not effective due to
command and control problems. The fighter and night bombing attacks are more successful, although the ground troops′ failure to attempt to take cover from or evade air attack is of significant help to the fighters.[19]
The eighth annual
Aerial Derby is held, sponsored by the
Royal Aero Club. Thirteen participants fly over a 99.5-mile (160-kilometer) circuit beginning and ending at
Croydon Airport in
London with control points at
Brooklands,
Hertford, and
West Thurrock; the aircraft fly the circuit twice. L. L. Carter is the overall winner, completing the course in a
Gloster Mars at an average speed of 192.4 mph (309.6 km/h) in 1 hour 2 minutes 23 seconds; H. A. Hammersley wins the
handicap competition in an
Avro Viper with a time of 1 hour 49 minutes 56 seconds at an average speed of 109.5 mph (176.2 km/h) with a handicap of 51 minutes 38 seconds. It is the last Aerial Derby; plans for another one in 1924 will be cancelled due to a lack of high-speed entrants, and later talk of reviving the event comes to nothing.
The third annual
Air League Challenge Cup race is held as part of the Aerial Derby programme at Croydon Airport in London. The team relay race format of previous races is dropped; instead, the 16 competitors – all
Royal Air Force pilots – compete individually, each flying a
Bristol F.2B Fighter fitted with a 275-horsepower (205-kilowatt)
Rolls-Royce Falcon engine over a 100-mile (161-kilometer) triangular course.
Captain Horace Scott Shield, representing
RAF Eastchurch, wins the race.[21][22]
August 21 – The first electric
airway beacons start appearing at airfields in the
United States to assist in night flying operations.
August 27 – A
Farman F.60 Goliath operated by
Air Union on a scheduled passenger flight from
Berck-sur-Mer Airport in
Berck-sur-Mer,
France, to
Croydon Airport in
London,
England, makes an unscheduled landing at
Lympne, England, for repairs to its overheating left engine. After it continues its flight to Croydon, its right engine fails. Its pilot attempts a forced landing on
East Malling Heath, but goes into a spin and crashes on final approach when passengers misunderstand an instruction for some of them to move towards the rear of the aircraft, affecting the Goliath's
center of gravity. One passenger dies, but the other 10 passengers and both crew members survive.[23]
Curtiss R2Cs win first and second place in the
Pulitzer Trophy Race, the winning aircraft setting a new airspeed record of 243.6 mph (392.0 km/h).
Czech Airlines is founded by the government of
Czechoslovakia as CSA Československé státní aerolinie ("Czechoslovak State Airlines"), commencing operations on October 29 with a Prague Kbely–Bratislava flight.[28]
October 13 – Flying over Lympne Aerodrome during the light aircraft trials there, an
Avro 558 sets an altitude record for a light aircraft of its class, reaching 13,850 feet (4,220 meters).
October 23 –
GeneralPier Ruggero Piccio becomes the first Commandant General of the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force). When he leaves the position in 1925, the position will be renamed Chief of Air Staff.
October 30 – Flying the
Nieuport-Delage NiD 40R, the French pilot
Joseph Sadi-Lecointe sets a new world altitude record of 11,145 meters (36,565 feet). The record will stand until 1927.[25]
October 31 – The Italian armed forces are ordered to test their efficiency by getting all of their airplanes into the air and flying them for one hour; 420 aircraft pass the test.[5]
November
During a speech at
Centocelle Airport in
Rome, Italian
Prime MinisterBenito Mussolini says, "As head of the government with the enormous responsibility of the existence, independence, freedom, and well-being of the Italian people, I am obliged not to believe in universal peace, and still less in perpetual peace. No one knows whether the war of tomorrow will be exclusively an aerial or a land or a naval war. For me, it is enough to ponder on what others are doing. If others are arming in the skies, then we must arm in the skies."[31]
The
French Air Force has a force of 296 bombers and 300 fighters. Other than
Italy,
France is the only European continental power building a substantial air force.[31]
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 202.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 186.
^Daniel, Clifton, Chronicle of the 20th Century, Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications, 1987,
ISBN0-942191-01-3, p. 298.
^
abcGooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 54.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989,
ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 85.
^Daniel, Clifton, Chronicle of the 20th Century, Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications, 1987,
ISBN0-942191-01-3, p. 300.
^
abScheina, Robert L., Latin America: A Naval History 1810-1987, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987,
ISBN0-87021-295-8, p. 199.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989,
ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 90.
^Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917-1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 10.
^Sturtivant, Ray (1990). British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917-1990. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 215.
ISBN0-87021-026-2.
^Daniel, Clifton (1987). Chronicle of the 20th Century. Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications. p. 302.
ISBN0-942191-01-3.
^Scheina, Robert L. (1987). Latin America: A Naval History 1810-1987. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 193–194.
ISBN0-87021-295-8.
^Angelucci, Enzo (1987). The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present. New York: Orion Books. p. 94.
^Crosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Hermes House, 2006,
ISBN9781846810008, p. 46.
^Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 50.
^Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 56.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989,
ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 122.
^
abGooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 55.
^Daniel, Clifton, Chronicle of the 20th Century, Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications, 1987,
ISBN0-942191-01-3, p. 306.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 123.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 49.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 181.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 126.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 68.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 63.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 461.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 123.
January 13 – The
Aeromarine AirwaysAeromarine 75flying boatColumbus suffers engine failure during a flight from
Key West,
Florida, to
HavanaCuba, and lands in the
Florida Strait. Buffeted by 10-to-15-foot (3-to-4.5-meter) waves, it begins to fill with water. Four passengers die, but the ferry ship H. M. Flagler saves the other three passengers and both crew members.[4]
January 20 – After suffering an engine failure in flight, the
Cierva C.4autogyro uses
autorotation to land without damage.
The Italian press reports that in a test of the Italian armed forces′ ability to get all their airplanes into the air at the same time and keep them flying for one hour, only 76 were able to do so. The armed forces′ own statistics report that the
Italian Royal Army had 237 aircraft in working order and the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) had 48. The discrepancy arises from
Prime MinisterBenito Mussolini′s to depict his predecessors in the Italian government as militarily incompetent.[5]
March 28 – The
Italian Army′s air arm, the Corpo Aeronautico Militare, becomes an independent air force, the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force).
April
April 1 – The
Royal Air Force abandons the
squadron as the basic organizational unit for those of its aircraft operating from
Royal Navy ships, reorganizing them into six-plane
flights.[10]
May 21 – A
Curtissbomber and two Curtiss scout aircraft of the
Argentine Navy make a flight of just under 500 miles (800 km) along the coast of
Argentina from
Puerto Militar to
Buenos Aires. It is a significant step forward in the development of Argentine aviation.[14]
May 23 – The
Belgian airline
SABENA is formed, adding new European routes to
SNETA's routes in
Belgian Congo that it takes over.
The admirals′ committee of the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) pronounces itself in favor of the construction of at least one
aircraft carrier to operate with the Italian fleet, providing the fleet with air defense as well as an offensive aerial strike capability.[18]
Twenty-one aircraft compete in the Grand Prix de Motoaviette – a competition at
Buc, Yvelines, France, open to any aircraft with a
maximum takeoff weight of less than 250 kilograms (550 pounds), offering a 125,000
FF prize for the fastest flight of 30 laps around a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) course. Lucien Coupet wins in a
Salmson 3 Ad-powered
Farman Aviette, covering 310 kilometers (190 miles) in 4 hours 37 minutes 19 seconds.
August
The Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) participates in
Italian Royal Army maneuvers south of
Lake Garda intended to test the capabilities of the army's celeri divisions. The air force component of the maneuvers tests aerial reconnaissance capabilities and the effectiveness of attacks on enemy troops by 32 fighter aircraft and of night attacks against bridges by two bombers. Although the reconnaissance is deemed "indispensable," it is not effective due to
command and control problems. The fighter and night bombing attacks are more successful, although the ground troops′ failure to attempt to take cover from or evade air attack is of significant help to the fighters.[19]
The eighth annual
Aerial Derby is held, sponsored by the
Royal Aero Club. Thirteen participants fly over a 99.5-mile (160-kilometer) circuit beginning and ending at
Croydon Airport in
London with control points at
Brooklands,
Hertford, and
West Thurrock; the aircraft fly the circuit twice. L. L. Carter is the overall winner, completing the course in a
Gloster Mars at an average speed of 192.4 mph (309.6 km/h) in 1 hour 2 minutes 23 seconds; H. A. Hammersley wins the
handicap competition in an
Avro Viper with a time of 1 hour 49 minutes 56 seconds at an average speed of 109.5 mph (176.2 km/h) with a handicap of 51 minutes 38 seconds. It is the last Aerial Derby; plans for another one in 1924 will be cancelled due to a lack of high-speed entrants, and later talk of reviving the event comes to nothing.
The third annual
Air League Challenge Cup race is held as part of the Aerial Derby programme at Croydon Airport in London. The team relay race format of previous races is dropped; instead, the 16 competitors – all
Royal Air Force pilots – compete individually, each flying a
Bristol F.2B Fighter fitted with a 275-horsepower (205-kilowatt)
Rolls-Royce Falcon engine over a 100-mile (161-kilometer) triangular course.
Captain Horace Scott Shield, representing
RAF Eastchurch, wins the race.[21][22]
August 21 – The first electric
airway beacons start appearing at airfields in the
United States to assist in night flying operations.
August 27 – A
Farman F.60 Goliath operated by
Air Union on a scheduled passenger flight from
Berck-sur-Mer Airport in
Berck-sur-Mer,
France, to
Croydon Airport in
London,
England, makes an unscheduled landing at
Lympne, England, for repairs to its overheating left engine. After it continues its flight to Croydon, its right engine fails. Its pilot attempts a forced landing on
East Malling Heath, but goes into a spin and crashes on final approach when passengers misunderstand an instruction for some of them to move towards the rear of the aircraft, affecting the Goliath's
center of gravity. One passenger dies, but the other 10 passengers and both crew members survive.[23]
Curtiss R2Cs win first and second place in the
Pulitzer Trophy Race, the winning aircraft setting a new airspeed record of 243.6 mph (392.0 km/h).
Czech Airlines is founded by the government of
Czechoslovakia as CSA Československé státní aerolinie ("Czechoslovak State Airlines"), commencing operations on October 29 with a Prague Kbely–Bratislava flight.[28]
October 13 – Flying over Lympne Aerodrome during the light aircraft trials there, an
Avro 558 sets an altitude record for a light aircraft of its class, reaching 13,850 feet (4,220 meters).
October 23 –
GeneralPier Ruggero Piccio becomes the first Commandant General of the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force). When he leaves the position in 1925, the position will be renamed Chief of Air Staff.
October 30 – Flying the
Nieuport-Delage NiD 40R, the French pilot
Joseph Sadi-Lecointe sets a new world altitude record of 11,145 meters (36,565 feet). The record will stand until 1927.[25]
October 31 – The Italian armed forces are ordered to test their efficiency by getting all of their airplanes into the air and flying them for one hour; 420 aircraft pass the test.[5]
November
During a speech at
Centocelle Airport in
Rome, Italian
Prime MinisterBenito Mussolini says, "As head of the government with the enormous responsibility of the existence, independence, freedom, and well-being of the Italian people, I am obliged not to believe in universal peace, and still less in perpetual peace. No one knows whether the war of tomorrow will be exclusively an aerial or a land or a naval war. For me, it is enough to ponder on what others are doing. If others are arming in the skies, then we must arm in the skies."[31]
The
French Air Force has a force of 296 bombers and 300 fighters. Other than
Italy,
France is the only European continental power building a substantial air force.[31]
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 202.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 186.
^Daniel, Clifton, Chronicle of the 20th Century, Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications, 1987,
ISBN0-942191-01-3, p. 298.
^
abcGooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 54.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989,
ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 85.
^Daniel, Clifton, Chronicle of the 20th Century, Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications, 1987,
ISBN0-942191-01-3, p. 300.
^
abScheina, Robert L., Latin America: A Naval History 1810-1987, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987,
ISBN0-87021-295-8, p. 199.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989,
ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 90.
^Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917-1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 10.
^Sturtivant, Ray (1990). British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917-1990. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 215.
ISBN0-87021-026-2.
^Daniel, Clifton (1987). Chronicle of the 20th Century. Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications. p. 302.
ISBN0-942191-01-3.
^Scheina, Robert L. (1987). Latin America: A Naval History 1810-1987. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 193–194.
ISBN0-87021-295-8.
^Angelucci, Enzo (1987). The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present. New York: Orion Books. p. 94.
^Crosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Hermes House, 2006,
ISBN9781846810008, p. 46.
^Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 50.
^Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 56.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989,
ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 122.
^
abGooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 55.
^Daniel, Clifton, Chronicle of the 20th Century, Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications, 1987,
ISBN0-942191-01-3, p. 306.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 123.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 49.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 181.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 126.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 68.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 63.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 461.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 123.