Aviation Firsts

336 Questions and Answers

Joshua Stoff

• Éditeur: Dover Publications
• Année: 2012
• ISBN:
  9780486149356

Curious about the first person to be born in an airplane, which American president was the first to fly, or who built the world's first helicopter? Answers to these and other aviation-related questions can be found in this fascinating, fact-filled book compiled by Joshua Stoff, Air and Space Curator of the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York.
You'll find the answers to questions about virtually all `firsts` in the history of flight, including these puzzlers: Who was the first licensed American woman pilot? Where was America's first airport? Which was the world's first aircraft manufacturing company? Who was the first person killed in a powered aircraft? When was a satellite first repaired in space? . . . and many more
Brimming with names, dates, and events that made aviation history, this handy reference will not only settle arguments between aviation buffs, but will also provide answers for journalists, students, and aerospace executives — and fascinating browsing for the general reader.

The Golden Age 1919–1939

106. What was the first municipal airport in the United States? The first municipal airport in the United States was at Atlantic City, New Jersey. Dedicated on May 3, 1918, the airport (greatly expanded) still exists as Bader Field.

107. When was regular airmail service begun in the United States? Regular airmail service in the United States began May 15, 1918, when two Curtiss JN-4s (top speed 40 mph) departed from Washington D.C. and Belmont Park, New York, each headed for the other city. The flight from Washington was made by Army Lieutenant Torrey Webb, who was forced to land in Maryland, the first day’s mail reaching its destination by train.

108. Who made the first transatlantic flight? A Navy Curtiss flying boat called the NC-4 made the first crossing of the Atlantic by air. Commanded by A. C. Read, with a crew of five, the huge flying boat departed Rockaway, Long Island, on May 8, 1919. After stopping at Halifax, Newfoundland, the Azores, and Lisbon, the NC-4 arrived at Plymouth, England on May 31. Total distance flown was 3925 miles in 57 hours of flying time at an average speed of 68 mph.

109. What was the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean? The first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean took place on June 14–15, 1919, when Captain John Alcock and Lt. Arthur Brown flew a British Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Ireland. Powered by two Rolls Royce engines, the 1936-mile flight took nearly 16 hours. Both men were knighted for their achievement.

110. What was the first airship (lighter than air) to fly the Atlantic Ocean? The first airship crossing of the Atlantic, and also the first east-to-west flight, was made by the British rigid airship R-34 between July 2–6, 1919. Commanded by L. H. Scott, with a crew of 30, the R-34 departed East Fortune, Scotland and flew to Roosevelt Field, Long Island. After two days in New York, the airship flew back to England, making this the first round-trip crossing of the Atlantic. Total distance covered was 6330 miles in 183 hours, 8 minutes. On the westward leg, the R-34 also carried the first aeronautical stowaway, William Ballantyne, a rigger who was eliminated from the crew to save weight, but who did not want to be left behind.

111. When was the first wedding in an airplane? The first wedding in an airplane took place on May 31, 1919, in a converted Handley Page bomber. Flying at 2000 feet over Ellington Field, Texas, Marjorie Dumont and Lieutenant R. W. Meade were married by an army chaplain.

112. Who made the first free-fall parachute jump in the United States? The first free-fall parachute jump from an airplane in the United States was made by Leslie Irving at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio on April 28, 1919. Irving leapt from an Air Service DH-9 flown by Floyd Smith, designer of the parachute.

113. When was the first transcontinental air race? The first transcontinental air race began on October 8, 1919. On that day 15 airplanes left San Francisco and 48 left Roosevelt Field, New York on a 5400-mile round-trip race across the continent sponsored by the American Flying Club of New York. The race was won by Lieutenant Belvin Maynard, flying a DH-4, who left Roosevelt Field and arrived in San Francisco 3 days, 6 hours later. His return trip took 3 days, 21 hours.

114. What was the first airliner with a radio? The first airliner with a radio was an Aircraft Transport & Travel Ltd. DH-42 that went into service in June 1919. Flying between London and Paris, the aircraft was equipped with a AD 1/s radio set installed by the Marconi company.

115. What was the first ship specifically designed and built as an aircraft carrier? The first ship ever specifically designed and built as an aircraft carrier was the 7470-ton displacement Hosho, built for the Japanese Navy. The ship’s keel was laid down on December 19, 1919, and it began sea trials off Tateyama on November 30, 1922. She carried 21 aircraft and had a maximum speed of 25 knots.

116. What airplane had the first fully retractable landing gear? The world’s first airplane with a fully retractable landing gear was the Dayton-Wright RB racing monoplane of 1920. Built for the Gordon Bennett Aviation Trophy Race, the aircraft was a remarkably advanced design featuring retractable landing gear, variable camber wings, and a top speed of 200 mph. It was forced to withdraw from the Bennett race due to engine problems.

117. When was the first Intercollegiate Air Meet? The first Intercollegiate Air Meet was held May 7, 1920, at Mitchel Field, New York. Conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Air Service, all participating students flew Army Curtiss JN-4 “Jennies.” Of the 11 colleges participating, Yale University won with nine points.

118. When was the first coast-to-coast airmail flight? The first coast-to-coast airmail flight was made February 22–23, 1921. Jack Knight, in a DeHavilland DH-4, flew from San Francisco to Roosevelt Field, New York in 33 hours, 20 minutes.

119. What was the first American airline to fly between the United States and a foreign country? The first American airline to fly between the U.S. and a foreign country was Aeromarine Airways in February 1920. Using converted Curtiss F5L flying boats, Aeromarine carried passengers between Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba. Fourteen passengers could be carried at a time in two separate compartments.

120. What was the first airliner with a toilet? The first airliner with a toilet was a DeHavilland DH-34 belonging to Diamler Airlines, England. Diamler began service in August 1920 between Paris and London. Their single-engine DH-34s could carry eight passengers.

121. Who was the first person to reach 35,000 feet in an airplane? The first person to reach an altitude of 35,000 feet was Curtiss test pilot Roland Rohlfs. On September 18, 1919, over Curtiss Field, Long Island, he reached that altitude in an open cockpit Curtiss 18T triplane. He sucked on a tube from an oxygen bottle so he could breathe at that altitude.

122. What was the first trimotored airliner? The first three-engined airliner was the Curtiss Eagle, built shortly after World War I. On October 24, 1919, an Eagle carried eight passengers from Garden City, Long Island, New York, to Washington, D.C.

123. When was an airplane first used in a political campaign? The first time an aircraft was used for a political campaign was October 31, 1920. On that day a Curtiss JN-4 bombarded Toledo, Ohio with socialist literature on behalf of candidate Eugene V. Debs.

124. When was a battleship first sunk by airplanes? The first battleship ever sunk by airplanes was the Ostfriesland, a former German battleship. The sinking took place on July 21, 1921, near Hampton Roads, Virginia, during a bombing demonstration conducted by General William Mitchell. Martin bombers at first made three hits out of five with 1000-pound bombs, and later the ship was sunk with seven 2000-pound bombs. The ship sank 21 minutes after the second attack began.

125. When was the first mid-air collision between airliners? The first mid-air collision between airliners took place on April 7, 1922, between a Diamler Airways DH-18 and a Grand Express Aériens Farman Goliath. Both aircraft were following the same road on reciprocal courses and collided 18 miles north of Beauvais, France. All nine aboard were killed.

126. When was the first coast-to-coast crossing of the United States in a single day? The first crossing of the U.S. in a single day was made on September 4, 1922, by Lieutenant James Doolittle flying an improved DH-4B from Pablo Beach, Florida to Rockwell Field, San Diego. The 2163-mile flight took 21 hours, 20 minutes, including a short refueling stop in Texas.

127. Who was the first woman to make a transcontinental flight as a passenger? The first woman passenger on a transcontinental flight was Lillian Gatlin of Santa Ana, California. Between October 5 and 8, 1922, she flew between San Francisco and Mineola, New York, in a U.S. Post Office DH-4. The 2680-mile nine-stop flight took 27 hours, 11 minutes flying time.

128. What was the first airplane to land at the U.S. Capitol? The first airplane to land at the U.S. Capitol was a Sperry Messenger, flown by Lawrence Sperry. On March 23, 1922, Sperry landed on the concrete plaza in front of the Capitol and turned the plane up the Capitol steps to stop, as it had no brakes. The small scout plane weighed 500 pounds and had a wingspan of 20 feet.

129. When was the first air-to-air refueling of an aircraft? The first successful air-to-air refueling took place on June 27, 1923, over San Diego. Captain L. H. Smith and Lieutenant J. P. Richter in a DH-4B were refueled by another DH-4 lowering a fuel line in preparation for an endurance record attempt. On August 27–28, they stayed aloft for 37 hours, 15 minutes, to set a new world endurance record. In that effort they were air-to-air refueled 15 times.

130. What was the first illuminated airway? The first illuminated airway was the Chicago to Cheyenne route, which was switched on on August 21, 1923. Forty-two landing fields on the route were lit by 30, 6-inch electric arc beacons. The lights of 5.3 million candlepower were visible for 50 miles.

131. What was the first widely used civilian lightplane? The first widely used civilian lightplane was the British DH Moth, designed by Geoffrey deHavilland in 1924. The two-seat wood and fabric biplane first flew in February 1925, and initially sold for 650 pounds. The Moth was used to establish a state-subsidized flying club movement in Britain that was copied in many countries. About 2000 Moths were built, followed by about 9200 of a more developed version, the Tiger Moth.

132. What was the first six-engined American aircraft? The first six-engined American aircraft was the Barling XNBL-1, first flown in 1923. Powered by six 420-hp Liberty engines, this huge experimental long-range bomber had a wingspan of 120 feet and a maximum loaded weight of 42,569 pounds. Unfortunately its huge fuel consumption and slow speed gave it a range of only 170 miles with a bomb load. Built at a cost of $350,000, the project was abandoned after only one was built.

133. When was the first nonstop crossing of the United States by air? The first nonstop air crossing of the United States took place on May 2–3, 1923. Lieutenants O. G. Kelly and J. A. Macready, flying an Air Service Fokker T-2, took off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island and arrived at Rockwell Field, San Diego, 26 hours, 50 minutes later. The distance flown was 2520 miles.

134. What was the first American-built rigid airship? The first American-built rigid airship was the ZR-1, named the Shenandoah, commissioned on August 20, 1923 at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Commanded by Lt. Commander Zachery Lansdowne, it was destroyed in a thunderstorm on September 3, 1925, over Caldwell, Ohio. Lansdowne and 14 members of the crew were killed.

135. What were the first airplanes to fly around the world? The first successful around-the-world flight was accomplished by two Douglas “World Cruisers” (modified Navy torpedo bombers) between April 6 and September 28, 1924. Four airplanes started the journey from Seattle, but two were lost to crashes enroute. The aircraft made a total of 58 stops and flew a total of 27,553 miles. The flight took a total of 175 days, with a flying time of 365 hours.

136. When were troops first airlifted? The first time soldiers were airlifted was April 1923 during the Kurdish uprising. A fully-equipped fighting force of 280 Sikh troops were flown by the RAF from Kingarban, Iraq to Kirkuk, Iraq, in 12-seat Vickers Vernon transports. The time taken to transport the whole force the 75-mile distance was a day and a half, or about 10 flying hours. The journey normally would have taken five days march.

137. What was the first airplane inspected by the Federal Government? The first airplane inspected by the Federal Government (the Commerce Department) was a Stinson Detroiter being delivered to Canadian Air Express. It was inspected by Ralph Lockwood of the Aeronautics Branch on December 7, 1926. It passed.

138. Where was the first air passenger international arrivals building? The first air passenger international arrivals building was established at Meacham Field, Key West, Florida on October 28, 1927. The first flight from the station was made by Pan American Airways to Havana, Cuba.

139. What was the first aircraft noise complaint reported to the Aeronautics Branch of the Commerce Department? On January 31, 1928, the proprietor of the Cackle Corner Poultry Farm, Garrettsville, Ohio, complained that low-flying planes were disrupting egg production. The Commerce Department suggested to National Air Transport, the private company operating the New York to Chicago airmail route, that its planes make a special effort to maintain altitude over Garrettsville.

140. Who made the first east-to-west ...