World Aviation in 1913
January
Aircraft accompany United States Navy (USN) vessels for the
first time during winter manoeuvres, under the command of
Lieutenant Towers.
1 January
The International Federation of Aeronautics announces that by
the end of 1912, 2,490 pilots had been awarded Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) licenses. 966 were awarded
in France, 382 in Britain, 345 in Germany, 193 in the USA, 58
in Belgium, 27 in Switzerland and 1 in Egypt.
6 January
The United States Navy (USN) uses aircraft on manoeuvres for
the first time off Cuba.
13 January
The first regular aerial cargo service is established in the
USA by Harry M. Jones as he flies baked beans from Boston to
New York in a Wright B.
20 January
Bernetta Miller is temporarily blinded by oil when she
attempts to establish a new women's altitude record in New
York.
24 January
Swiss pilot Oscar Bider reaches 11,483 feet when he flies
over the Pyrennes in his Blériot monoplane.
24 January
Charles Nieuport, his mechanic Guyot and the pilot are killed
at Etamples in France, when their wing-warping device fails.
February
The Spanish air arm is renamed as the Servico de Aeronautica
Militar Espanola.
3 February
The Gothaer Waggonfabrik (Gotha railway wagon factory) open
an aeroplane division.
11 February
The Chilean air service, Escuela de Aeronatica Militar, is
formed.
27 February
Slavorosov, Caproni's chief test pilot, flies from Milan to
Rome on a tour arranged by the La Gazzetta dello Sport
newspaper.
March
The twin-engined Bolshoi Bal'tisky (The Great Baltic) or
Grand RBVZ, produced by Igor Sikorsky, takes it's first
flight.
March
China orders it's first military aircraft, 12 Caudrons, from
France.
5 March
The 1st Aero Squadron of the United States Army is formed.
3 April
The second competition for seaplanes is held in Monaco.
16 April
The Belgian Compagnie des Aviateurs (Aviator's Company), an
independent air force, is formed from the former Balloon
Company.
16 April
The first Schneider Trophy (Jacques Schneider Air Racing
Trophy for Hydro-Aeroplanes) race is held at the Monaco
seaplane meeting. Maurice Prevost wins the contest over
twenty-eight 10 kilometre circuits in a Deperdussin, flying
at 73kph (45mph).
27 April
The first passenger flight in Central America is piloted by
Bob Fowler. En Route in the floatplane Raymond Duhem makes
the first aerial film of Central America.
10 May
Didier Masson drops bombs from an aeroplane on Mexican
gunships in Guaymas Bay.
13
May
The Russky Vitiaz is the first aeroplane fitted with a
lavatory. The aircraft was a passenger transport, designed by
Igor Sikorski and test flown on this date. It has not been
possible to confirm if the lavatory was a water closet
although some references identify it as such. This 4-engined
precursor to the heavy bomber was piloted by Igor Sikorsky at
St Petersburg and had a wingspan of 28 metres (92 feet).
17 May
Domingo Rosillo flies from Key West in Florida to Havana in
Cuba, in a Morane-Saulnier monoplane.
28 May
The full-size 'Aerodrome', designed by Samuel Pierpont
Langley, is flown after modifications during reconstruction.
10 June
The longest flight between sunrise and sunset wins Marcel
Brindejonc des Moulinais the Pommeroy cup. He flies 900 miles
from Paris to Warsaw.
21 June
American Miss Georgia 'Tiny' Broadwick is the first woman to
descend from an aeroplane by parachute when Glenn L Martin
flies her up to 2,000 feet above Griffith Park in Los
Angeles.
1 July
The Dutch Luchtvaartafdeling is formed.
2 August
The Sikorsky Le Grand (Russky Vityaz) makes a flight of 1
hour 54 minutes with 8 passengers on board.
6 August
Johnny Bryant becomes the first pilot to be killed in Canada
when his floatplane disintegrates in flight at Victoria.
10 August
An
automatic stabiliser is demonstrated by Lawrence Sperry and
Lieutenant Berringer in a Curtiss F flying boat. It is based
on the ship's gyroscope which Sperry's father, Elmer Sperry,
invented.
20 August
The first loop is performed by Lieutenant Nesterov of the
Imperial Russian Army while flying a Nieuport Type IV
monoplane over Kiev.
9 September
The first German Navy airship, Zeppelin LZ14 (L1), crashes
into the North Sea off Heligoland, killing most of the 20
crew.
21 September
The first sustained upside-down flight is made by Adolphe
Pegoud in his Blériot monoplane.
23 September
Roland Garros makes the first flight across the Mediterranean
in his Morane-Saulnier monoplane, from Saint-Raphael to
Bizerte in Tunisia, a distance of 453 miles.
29 September
A Deperdussin monoplane piloted by Maurice Prevost flies at
203kph (126mph) to win the Gordon Bennett cup at Reims in
France. This is the last speed record before the outbreak of
the First World War.
October
A recommendation is made by the United States Navy (USN)
Secretary's Aeronautic Board that an aeronautics centre
should be established, assigning a ship for sea aviation
training and assigning one aeroplane for every major combat
ship.
13 October
A Seguin and Farman (of France) establish a new distance
record by flying 1,021 kilometres (634 miles). This is the
last distance record before the First World War.
15 October
The first official airmail flight in France is made by
Lieutenant Ronin, carrying a 22-pound sack of letters to
Pauillac in a Morane-Saulnier.
17 October
Zeppelin LZ18 (L2) burns while in the air at Johannistal. All
of the 28 crew members die.
27 October
Eugene Gilbert flies a closed-circuit course in a
Derperdussin monoplane at St-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, at
95mph to win the Deutsch de la Meuthe cup.
November
The world's first aerial combat takes place in Mexico when 2
American mercenary pilots, Dean Ivan Lamb, flying for Panco
Villa, and Philip Rader, flying for President Huerta,
exchange pistol shots in mid-air, neither is hit.
November
Lincoln Beachey demonstrates loops and upside-down flying in
a Curtiss biplane at Los Angeles.
4 November
French engineer Constantin patents a vented wing. The blade
placed before the leading edge of the wing improves airflow.
28 December
The first flight at an altitude of over 20,000 feet is made
by Georges Legagneux, flying at 6,120 metres (20,079 feet) in
his Nieuport Type IIN at St Raphael in France.
29 December
The first flight from France to Egypt is completed after a
month by Frenchman Jules Vedrines in a Blériot monoplane.
Also this year...
The following air
services are established:
- The Serbian Military Air
Service
- Australian Flying Corps
The world's first gyroscopic
automatic stabiliser is demonstrated in a Curtiss F
flying-boat by Americans Lawrence Sperry and Lieutenant
Bellinger.
German engineer Schneider
patents his original synchronisation mechanism for a fixed
machine-gun installation on an aeroplane.
In Germany, the Oberursel
engine works acquires a license to build French Gnome rotary
aero engines.
The Dux 1 biplane becomes the
first armed, Russian-built aircraft. |