28 August 1914

The first dog-fight of the Great War is believed to have taken place on 28th August 1914, when Lieutenant Norman Spratt, flying a Sopwith Tabloid, forced down a German Albatros C.1 two-seater. This was an amazing achievement as his Sopwith was not armed.

27 August 1914

A Royal Naval Air Service force commanded by Wing Commander C. R. Samson landed in Ostend on 27th August 1914. It was composed of seven different types of aeroplane, both biplanes and monoplanes, with three different makes of engine. One of these makes had two different sizes of engine.

26 August 1914

Escadrille 26 was founded on 26 August 1914, at Arras under the command of Capt. Robert Jannerod. It was originally equipped with Morane-Saulnier aircraft, leading to its designation as Escadrille MS26. The squadron is still active today.

25 August 1914

On August 25, 1914, staff at a Bavarian corps headquarters near Nancy in northeast France saw an airplane that circled overhead and dropped a brilliant light. While contemplating this seemingly harmless firework, the Bavarians found themselves under French shellfire — the light had been a flare dropped from the plane to mark their position.

24 August 1914

As the result of a zeppelin raid on 24 August 1914, the port city of Antwerp in Belgium became the first city to be bombed from the air.

23 August 1914

RFC pilot Philip Joubert de la Fetre and his observer flew over the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914. His diary recorded that "...we had been told authoritatively in England that if we flew at 3000 feet we were unlikely to be hit by small arms fire and that gunfire was likely to be equally ineffective. We had hardly crossed the battle line at 4000 feet before my machine was hit five times, one shot ringing the bell on my steel seat...in the neighborhood of Tournai, fire from a German column that was moving to turn our position at Mons put a hole in my petrol tank..."

22 August 1914

On 22 August 1914, British Capt. L.E.O. Charlton and Lt. V.H.N. Wadham reported German General Alexander von Kluck's army was preparing to surround the BEF, contradicting all other intelligence. The British High Command took note of the report and started to withdraw toward Mons, saving the lives of 100,000 soldiers.

21 August 1914

The German airship LZ-22, accompanied by LZ-23, was hit by infantry fire during a reconnaissance mission in Alsace on 21 August 1914 and was damaged beyond repair in a subsequent forced landing in St. Quirin, Lorraine.

20 August 1914

On August 20, 1914, Orville Wright and student pilot U.S. Navy Lt. Kenneth Whiting were trying out a modified Wright Model G Aeroboat when one of the wings broke and sent the plane into the Great Miami River in Dayton. Orville “narrowly escaped drowning” in the accident. Lt. Whiting also survived, apparently unscathed, and went on to a distinguished career in Naval aviation.

19 August 1914

The Royal Flying Corps first went into action on August 19th 1914, six days after leaving the UK for its base in France. Two aeroplanes took off from Amiens to take reconnaissance photos but such was the weather that one of the pilots lost his way and only one pilot was able to complete his mission.

18 August 1914

The R.A.F B.E.8 saw service on the Western Front early in the war. It was prone to spinning, and several machines were lost in crashes. On 18 August 1914 a B.E.8 crashed at Peronne, killing its observer and injuring the pilot, Lt. R. Smith-Barry. He recovered (although he needed to walk with a stick for the rest of his life) and established a school teaching spins and spin recovery.

17 August 1914

On 17 August 1914, Capt. Lewis E. Goodier Jr. tested a bomb-dropping device designed by Lt. Riley Scott in a Martin Model T at the Signal Corps Aviation School at North Island, California.

16 August 1914

Perry, Beadle & Co. was formed by E.W. Copland Berry, a pilot, and F.P. Hyde Beadle, a technician. The firm developed several tractor biplanes but ceased operation when Perry was killed in a flying accident on 16 August 1914, making him the first RFC officer to die in France in the Great War.

15 August 1914

The first aerial dogfight of the war occurred during the Battle of Cer, which began on 15 August 1914. A Serbian aviator named Tomić encountered an Austro-Hungarian plane while performing a reconnaissance mission. The Austro-Hungarian pilot fired at Tomić with his revolver. Tomić managed to escape, and, within several weeks, all Serbian and Austro-Hungarian planes were fitted with machine-guns.

14 August 1914

The first genuine bomber to be used in combat was the French Voisin, which bombed the Zeppelin hangers at Metz-Frascaty on August 14, 1914.

13 August 1914

After assembling with other RFC squadrons in the south of England, the Montrose-based No2 Squadron of the RFC took off for Amiens on the Western Front and were the first to land on August 13, 1914. Their Farman Shorthorns and BE2s had no armaments of any kind and they had no parachutes – at the time deemed “bad for morale”. The only means the pilots had to defend themselves was their service revolver.

12 August 1914

On 12 August 1914, Lt. Robert R. Skene and Airman R.K. Barlow became the RFC's first fatalities of the war when their heavily loaded Bleriot XI crashed en route to Dover, soon after taking off. An inquest found that just over Netheravon, Lt. Skene made a sharp left-hand turn causing the machine to dive from a height of 150 feet. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental Death. Lt. Skene was 23 years old, and had been the first man in England to loop the loop.

11 August 1914

On August 11, 1914, British naval officials began building a seagoing air force. The Admiralty commandeered three cross-Channel packets — Engadine, Riviera, and Empress — and ordered their conversion into seaplane carriers. Each was given a hangar for four such craft, along with a pair of derricks to hoist them in and out.

10 August 1914

10 August 1914 was to have seen the start of the Circuit of Britain seaplane race, with entrants from Sopwith, Beardmore, Grahame-White, Eastbourne, White and Thompson, Avro and Blackburn. Competitors were on their way to the starting point at Calshot when war was declared against Germany. The race never took place and all the competing aircraft were commandeered by the Admiralty.

9 August 1914

On August 9, 1914 the French airship "Fleurus" conducted a reconnaissance and bombed the town of Trier in the war's first raid on Germany. The airship, under the command of Captain Tixier, reconnoitered the Serre-Trier-Luxembourg region and dropped four 155 mm shells on a rail station before returning to base without incident.

8 August 1914

On 8 August 1914, an unnamed observer in a French aircraft piloted by Joseph Sadi-Lecointe was wounded by German rifle fire and became the first French casualty of the First World War.

7 August 1914

On the 7th of August 1914 at Farnborough, Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh M Trenchard was appointed Officer Commanding the Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps and took charge of all Royal Flying Corps activities in Great Britain.

6 August 1914

On August 6, 1914 at Kansas City, MO, De-Lloyd "Dutch" Thompson, of Chicago, in a Gyro powered Day Tractor biplane, broke the American altitude record today by rising to the height of 15,600 feet. The previous record was 11,260 feet, made by Lincoln Beachey at Chicago in 1913.

5 August 1914

The Aeronautical Division of the US Army Signal Corps, a quasi-headquarters (Lt. Col. Samuel Reber, Washington, D.C.) issued orders in the name of the Chief Signal Officer. On August 5, 1914, by Signal Corps Aviation School General Order No. 10, the Aviation Section was organized into the Signal Corps Aviation School (Capt. Arthur S. Cowan, San Diego), and the 1st Aero Squadron (Capt. Benjamin D. Foulois).

4 August 1914

At the age of 18, Marjorie Stinson enrolled in the Wright School at Dayton, soloed on August 4, 1914 and received her license on August 12. She joined her family in establishing a flight school in San Antonio, TX. Marjorie was an instructor, along with her sister Katherine; her brother Edward acted as chief mechanic, and their mother became the business manager.

3 August 1914

on August 3, 1914, six bombs were dropped from a German Zeppelin on the French town of Lunéville a full hour before the German ambassador Wilhelm von Schoen handed his country’s official declaration of war to French ambassador M. Viviani.

2 August 1914

On August 2nd, 1914 while flying along over Bay City, MI, Lionel H. DeRemer's Wright Model B hydro-aeroplane caught fire in the air, but he was able to bring it down safely on the Saginaw River. After trying to extinguish the fire, he swam ashore and watched the plane burn completely. This ended his flying as a pilot. He went back to the field of music, first in teaching, then playing in theatre and dance orchestras.

1 August 1914

Norman Thompson derived the design of the White & Thompson 'Seaplane No.2' from the Curtiss Model F. This single-engined machine was entered for the Seaplane Circuit of Britain which was abandoned due to the onset of the war. Taken over by the Admiralty,it first flew on 1 August 1914 and, after service at various stations, was wrecked in June 1915.

31 July 1914

The Swiss Air Force was born on July 31, 1914 when Swiss Army Captain Theodor Real, a cavalry instructor and pilot in Bern, was entrusted with the formation of a flying group. The paperwork caught up three days later when the Federal Council created the first Swiss Flying Department.

30 July 1914

On 30 July 1914, Lt. Tryggve Gran became the first pilot to cross the North Sea. Taking off in his Blériot XI-2 monoplane, Ca Flotte, from Cruden Bay, Scotland, Gran landed 4 hrs 10 min later at Jæren, near Stavanger, Norway, after a flight of 465 kilometres (289 mi).

29 July 1914

St. Catherines, ON - July 29, 1914 — The mystery of a deserted hydro-aeroplane found floating in Lake Ontario yesterday was solved with the arrival of R. B. Russell, a Toronto aviator. Russell discovered his gasoline was exhausted six miles from the south shore of Lake Ontario. He made a quick landing in the water and was picked up by a passing steamer. Russell flew back to Toronto today.

28 July 1914

On 28 July 1914 Arthur Longmore dropped the first aerial torpedo from an aircraft, the Short Admiralty Type 81, he dropped the 14-inch 810 lb torpedo at the Royal Naval Air Station Calshot. The support wires of the floats were moved to allow the torpedo to be carried above the water and a special designed quick-release mechanism was used.

27 July 1914

The Handley Page Type G was the first H-P military aircraft. Built out of a desire to improve on the BE.2, it was purchased by the Lakes Flying Co., to be flown by Rowland Ding. In a mishap on 27 July 1914, it was damaged and returned to the factory. 'When war began in 1914, this aircraft was bought by the Royal Naval Air Service and stationed at Hendon. Its offensive and defensive potentialities were limited to one Webley revolver, worn by the pilot. During a patrol, the biplane was mistaken by London's defenders for a Taube and riddled with bullets, but without serious effect.'

26 July 1914

In 1914, the Japanese Army built at Tokorozawa Airfield a number of airplanes modeled after the 1913 Maurice Farman biplane. On 26 July, 1914, one of these crashed and was badly damaged at Tokorozawa Airfield. Lt Shigeru Sawada reassembled the aeroplane from its unbroken parts and replaced many others, eliminating the front elevator. After these extensive modifications it flew very successfully as the Sawada Type 7.

25 July 1914

July 25, 1914, French aviator Maurice Guillaux returned to Newcastle, NSW and gave another display in his Bleriot monoplane. This did not get as much publicity as his previous visit had generated, but a newspaper report recorded an attendance of about 10,000. Almost uniquely for aircraft of this era, the actual aircraft used by Guillaux was preserved and may be seen hanging from the ceiling at the PowerHouse Museum, Sydney.

24 July 1914

Having completed his notable Melbourne-to-Sydney long-distance flight, Maurice Guillaux did not rest on his laurels. On 24th July, 1914, he established an Australian duration record by staying aloft in his Bleriot XI for two hours with a passenger.

23 July 1914

Lt. Herbert A. Dargue, who had been taught to fly by Lt. Frank Lahm, was detailed to the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps on July 23, 1914, thus becoming the sole rated pilot in the Philippines.

22 July 1914

Commencing July 22, 1914, the Great Yorkshire Show Air Line operated scheduled hourly return flights between Bradford and Leeds during the annual Great Yorkshire Show, making it the world's second winged airline after the Tampa-St. Petersburg Airboat Line. It used a Blackburn Type I monoplane piloted by Harold Blackburn. Operations ceased with the closing of the show on the 24th.

21 July 1914

By mid-July 1914 the prospect of war with Germany and her allies became inevitable and the Royal Flying Corps began to mobilize in order to provide aerial support for the proposed British Expeditionary Force to France. The BE2a machines of 4th Squadron's 'A' and 'B' flights moved to Eastchurch on 21 July 1914 to support the RNAS in home defence during mobilization.

20 July 1914

Argentine aviator Pedro Leandro Zanni, on the 20th of July 1914, achieved a South American record of distance and speed when flying his Nieuport M-IV monoplane from Palomar to Villa Mercedes.

19 July 1914

T.K. Wong, a Chinese living in England, designed and built a biplane at Shoreham Aerodrome in Sussex with the intent to manufacture the type in Asia. Called the “Tong-Mei” ("Dragonfly”), it was shipped to Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, in the Federated Malay States. On July 19, 1914 Wong flew 20 minutes perfectly but then the Anzani engine stopped and he apparently stalled and crashed. Thankfully, Mr. Wong was uninjured, but the biplane was smashed.

18 July 1914

On July 18, 1914, aviator Silas Christofferson performed various stunts during the summer Potlatch celebration. Christofferson took a reporter from The Seattle Times up in his craft and they bombed the city with flour bags, as an awesome display of the superiority of air power.

17 July 1914

The Vickers F.B.5 "Gunbus", a two-seat pusher biplane armed with one .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun operated by the observer, was the world's first operational fighter aircraft. The A. R. Low design first flew on 17 July 1914. It was powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine. A total of 224 F.B.5's were produced.

16 July 1914

The first official air-mail in Australia was carried by French pilot Maurice Guillaux. On July 16, 1914, he left Melbourne in his Bleriot XI, carrying 1,785 specially printed postcards, some Lipton's Tea and some O.T. Lemon juice. He would arrive at Sydney, 584 miles (940 km) away, two days later. At the time, this was the longest such flight in the world.

15 July 1914

An airplane intended by Sopwith for the 1914 Circuit of Britain Seaplane race, cancelled due to the approaching war, was completed as a landplane. It was tested by Victor Mahl at Brooklands on 15 July 1914. Powered by a 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape engine, this trim-looking tandem two-seater resembled the Tabloid and the design was developed into the Folder Seaplane.

14 July 1914

On July 14, 1914 German pilot Heinrich Oelerich raised the world-record for altitude to 8,150 m (26,739 ft) whilst flying a DFW B.I aircraft.

13 July 1914

Aviation in Westfield, MA is traced back to July 13, 1914 when Jack McGee of Pawtucket, Rhode Island flew a Wright biplane over the town. The flight originated on a strip of land near Southampton Road and the Holyoke Rail Bridge. McGee was hired by local merchants to drop tickets from his airplane which could be used to claim prizes.

12 July 1914

On 12 July 1914, Igor Sikorsky's Ilya Muromets four-engined biplane arrived in Saint Petersburg from Kiev, completing its world record 2,400 km trip. The return leg, with a fuel stop at Novosokolniki, took about 13 hours.

11 July 1914

American pilot Walter L. Brock, flying a Morane-type monoplane of Grahame-White build powered by an 80 hp Gnome, won the London-Paris-London race on 11 July 1914. Earlier in 1914 he had won the Aerial Derby around London and the London-Manchester-London race.

10 July 1914

On 10 July 1914 Reinhold Böhm took off from Berlin's Johannisthal aerodrome in an Albatros biplane and flew for 24 hrs 12 min, setting an endurance record that would last until 1920. The local flight covered about 1,350 miles at an average speed of 47-1/4 mph.

9 July 1914

The Sopwith Special Torpedo Seaplane (Type TT) first flew 9 July 1914 albeit without the observer and with only a small fuel load. It became apparent that the machine would not carry the intended load without alteration, and it was taken to the Sopwith works where, among other changes, the wings were altered. After further unsatisfactory trials the type was abandoned.

8 July 1914

On July 8, 1914, Lincoln Beachey flew . Flying "Little Looper," one of the most famous airplanes of its day, Beachey entertained an audience of nine thousand by flying upside down and executing the first loop ever performed in Iowa.

7 July 1914

On July 7, 1914, Prof. Robert H. Goddard received patent US1102653 for "a rocket apparatus and particularly a form of such apparatus adapted to transport photographic or other recording instruments to extreme heights. Certain features of the invention are also applicable to the display of signals or to the projection of explosives."

6 July 1914

Noted French aviator Georges Legagnaux died on July 6, 1914 at Saumur when his propellor broke while flying a loop and his machine fell into the Loire River. Legagnaux had been, in 1908, the 13th Frenchman, and 21st individual anywhere to solo an aircraft.

5 July 1914

Robert J. Armor made his first solo flight July 5, 1914 at the Wright Brothers field at Huffman Prairie in Dayton, OH. He was one of the 119 pioneer flyers who trained at the Wright's school there. Armor served overseas with the U.S. Navy in the First World War.

4 July 1914

On July 4, 1914 in Everett, WA, William E. Boeing and Conrad Westervelt first flew in pilot T.T. Maroney's Curtiss seaplane. After a flight, Boeing told Westervelt: “There isn't much to that machine of Maroney’s. I think we could build a better one.” To that, Westervelt replied: “Of course we could.” They did.

3 July 1914

July 3, 1914, German pilot trainee Oswald Boelcke reported on his first month of flight training: "Total flying time: 231 minutes=3 hrs 51 mins. Starts: 30 - 8 on a 70 hp Taube, 22 on a 100 hp Taube, all of which were instructional flights. Maximum height: 1,500 meters. Breakages: None."

2 July 1914

On July 2, 1914 French aviator Victor Garaix set a record for duration of flight in a closed circuit for a pilot plus three passengers, of 4 hrs, 3 min and 39-1/5 seconds.

1 July 1914

The Royal Naval Air Service was officially recognised on July 1, 1914 by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill. The new service was completely separate from the Royal Flying Corps and became in effect a rival air force.

30 June 1914

On 30 June 1914 (per most sources), Igor Sikorsky's massive Ilia Mouromets biplane flew some 1,200 km from Saint Petersburg to Kiev, in 14 hours and 38 minutes, with one landing for fuel at Orsha. The return leg, flown over a week later, would complete a world-record round trip.

29 June 1914

On June 29th 1914, for the first time a meal was served on an aeroplane, aboard Igor I. Sikorsky's Ilya Mourometz I, during a flight from Petrograd to Kiev.

28 June 1914

German pilot Werner Landmann, flying as a civilian in an Albatros biplane, set a new world solo endurance record with a nonstop flight made June 28, 1914 (21 hours, 49 minutes) over Johannisthal Air Field outside Berlin, Germany.

27 June 1914

An Austrian Army Air Service-operated Lloyd C I produced by Lloyd Aeroplane and Motor Company, Ltd., of Aszod, Budapest and powered by a l20hp Austro-Daimler set a new altitude record of 21,709 feet on 27 June 1914. The pilot was Leutnant Heinrich Bier.

26 June 1914

The first known instance of an aircraft being used for the purpose of news illustration occurred on June 26, 1914. An airplane of the Burgess Co. of Marblehead, Mass., piloted by Clifford L. Webster, was used by Boston Journal photographer George T. Murray to record the ruin wrought by the fire of June 25th which destroyed a large portion of the city of Salem, Mass.

25 June 1914

Silas Christofferson established a new American altitude record of 15,728 feet on June 25, 1914 when he flew across the summit of Mt. Whitney in California. Christofferson flew a biplane of his own design powered by a 90 HP Curtiss engine.

24 June 1914

Igor Sikorsky set an unofficial world distance record on June 24, 1914 by flying a 1,590-mile round trip flight from Saint Petersburg to Kiev, Russia in the Il'ya Muromets.

23 June 1914

The naval wing of Britain's Royal Flying Corps became the Royal Naval Air Service on 23 June 1914 in accordance with Admiralty Weekly Order No 2.

22 June 1914

The Curtiss-Wanamaker America flying boat was christened on 22 June 1914 at Hammondsport, NY. It was built to compete for a $50,000 prize offered by the London Daily Mail for the first transatlantic crossing by a flying machine. Trials of the large aircraft, also known as the Model H, began the next day but preparations for the crossing were interrupted by the onset of the First World War.

21 June 1914

June 21, 1914 saw the start of a flying meeting at Aspern, Vienna, where the first prototype of the Morane-Saulnier Type N had its public debut. It was flown by the famous French pilot Roland Garros. This type was an attempt to achieve the performance of the Deperdussin monocoques (then the most advanced aircraft in the world) but with much simpler construction. It was powered by an 80hp Gnome rotary engine and had no ailerons; lateral control was by wing warping.

20 June 1914

On 20 June 1914 the Austro-Hungarian airship "M III" left Fischamend, near Vienna and a Farman HF.20 biplane piloted by Lt. Flatz set off in pursuit. The aeroplane overtook the dirigible at a height of 400 metres. It attempted to rise over the airship, but the aircraft collided. An explosion followed. The seven occupants of the airship were killed and burnt to an unrecognisable extent. The aeroplane fell not far from the wreck of the airship, and both the pilot and his passenger, Naval Lt. Puchta, were killed instantly.

19 June 1914

One of the leading Russian pilots — G. Jankovsky — was killed close to Gatchina on the 19th of June 1914, when his machine fell from a height of 100 metres.

18 June 1914

Lawrence B. Sperry demonstrated his father Elmer’s gyrostabilizer, fitted to a Curtiss C-2 biplane, before a large crowd at the international airplane safety competition in Paris, France on June 18th, 1914. This demonstration earned the Sperrys a 50,000 franc prize. Elmer A. Sperry was awarded the 1914 Collier Trophy for gyroscopic control.

17 June 1914

The Royal Aircraft Factory's S.E.4 was designed by Henry P. Folland. The new scout, completed 17 June 1914, represented the most advanced aerodynamic thought at the time, and the care taken over reduction of drag, coupled with the power from its 160 h.p. Gnome, gave a top speed of 135 m.p.h., making it the world's fastest aircraft. The engine proved troublesome, bringing about the premature end of its production. After some further flying, damage in a landing accident resulted in the abandonment of the development of the S.E.4.

16 June 1914

The Avro 504A carrying serial number 390 was delivered to the Royal Flying Corps at Farnborough on 16 June 1914. The aircraft was assigned to 5 Squadron. About two months later it would be the first RFC aircraft lost to enemy action in the First World War.

14 June 1914

On June 14, 1914, William M. Stark's Curtiss seaplane was taken out for a test run on the waters of Burrard Inlet at Vancouver. He taxied over the water for some time to get the feel of things, then in the vicinity of Brockton Point he gave the engine full power, and the craft lifted into the air without effort. After a practice landing near Prospect Point, Stark continued his flight, going around Stanley Park and alighting on the waters of English Bay. His was the first aircraft to fly through the entrance to Vancouver Harbour.

13 June 1914

During Maurice Guillaux's 13 June 1914 display at Ballarat he ‘caused excitement by diving towards a crowd of people and the crowd stampeded in all directions, fearing that the aviator was going to sweep them off. Guillaux deftly righted the machine and continued his flight’. Guillaux made three flights. In the third, ‘there was more sensation, head-diving, turning on the side, and upside-down flying, and a much higher altitude was reached. It was late by the time the exhibition closed, but all waited to see the end and went away impressed with the possibilities of aviation’.

12 June 1914

Despite having been found to have many deficiencies after its first flight late in 1913, the first Curtiss Model G was accepted by the Signal Corps (at a cost of $5,500) on 12 June 1914 as S.C. No. 21. It had been extensively modified prior to delivery and was then fitted with floats for Hawaiian service. After a few months the Corps gave up on it and sold it out of service.

11 June 1914

June 11, 1914, in Buc (France) at a "Concours de Sécurité", airplanes including the deMonge Parasol (flown by Edouard Lumiere) were tested for stability. The deMonge didn't win a prize but it did win its pilot's approval. Lumiere said, "Returning from Chartres on the de Monge, I had 30 kilometers behind me at a height of 450 meters when I was surprised by a powerful storm. I was blinded by heavy rain, lost my sense of orientation and didn’t even know if I was flying horizontal. The machine behaved very well under these extreme circumstances. We floated in the air like a bird and I did not feel the temptation to hold the stick more tightly, it was as if we were motionless in the air as with quiet weather."

10 June 1914

The Wellington (KS) Daily Express reported on June 10, 1914: "Clyde Cessna, farmer-aviator, looped the loop, made a figure eight over Adams today [Jun 9] and glided gracefully down to the front door of the new State Bank of Adams. Then he stepped from the machine, doffed his cap to the astonished onlookers, walked into the bank and made the first deposit in the new institution."

9 June 1914

A record flight for the Michelin Cup was made on June 8-9 by Eugene Gilbert on a Morane-Saulnier monoplane with 80 h.p. Rhone motor . Starting from Villacoublay at 3:10 a.m. on the 8th and landed at Mirande on the way to Pau, owing to his petrol supply giving out. On Tuesday, the 9th, he flew via Pau, and back to Villacoublay, where he landed at 6:37 p.m., having covered a total distance of very nearly 3,000 km in 39 and 1/2 hrs.

8 June 1914

The Bendigo (Vic.) public witnessed an aviation performance on 8 June 1914 by M. Maurice Guillaux, the French airman. He said subsequently that there was scarcely any wind until he reached an altitude of 3,000 ft., and this enabled him to perform with ease such daring feats in his Bleriot monoplane as looping the loop, flying upside down, and making his sensational perpendicular dive towards the earth.

7 June 1914

On the weekend of 6-7 June 1914, aviator Lincoln J. Beachey and race driver Barney Oldfield demonstrated aeroplane vs automobile racing at Driving Park in Columbus, OH.

6 June 1914

The Aerial Derby, sponsored by the Daily Mail, was a circuit around London starting and ending at Hendon. The 1914 race had been postponed to 6 June due to poor weather. Weather conditions were little better that day, with some contestants unable to fly to Hendon. Walter L. Brock was the overall winner in 1h 18m 54s (with 20m 24s handicap). He flew a Morane-Saulnier G powered by a 80 hp Gnome engine.

5 June 1914

To test a parachute he had designed for airmen and for escaping from high buildings, on 5 June 1914 Australian aviator and inventor Vincent P. Taylor jumped from the North Sydney Suspension Bridge, at a point 50 meters above the mudflats of Middle Harbour. The canopy opened in 30 meters.

4 June 1914

Lt. Thomas Scholes Creswell of the RFC Naval Wing died on June 4, 1914 along with his passenger, Cmdr. Arthur Rice, RN, when his Wight Navyplane, a pusher biplane, crashed in the Solent. The wings folded in flight at 100 feet and both aviators drowned.

3 June 1914

On June 3, 1914, Eugene Gilbert flew his LeRhone powered Morane-Saulnier monoplane from Vincennes to Camp Sissone then to Rheims, back to Camp Sissone and finally to Villacoublay.

2 June 1914

Lt. Kenneth van der Spuy passed his final examination at the Central Flying School at RAF Upavon in Great Britain on 2 June 1914 and was granted the certificate of the Royal Aero Club, becoming South Africa's first qualified military pilot.

1 June 1914

On June 1, 1914 the M-1 flying boat designed by Ukrainian Dmitry Pavelovich Grigorovich had its first flight. The design was loosely based on the French Donnet-Levesque but with an improved airfoil.

31 May 1914

On May 31, 1914 the NY Times published a full-page article headlined, "FLIES WITH LANGLEY'S AEROPLANE AND VINDICATES HIM". This alluded to Glenn Curtiss' recent flight in the highly modified Langley Aerodrome. The article strongly implies that the brothers Wright merely implemented Langley's pioneering work.

30 May 1914

The B.E.2c was the result of research by Edward T. Busk intended to provide an inherently stable aeroplane. The first example, a converted B.E.2b, flew on 30 May 1914 with Busk at the controls. The B.E.2c used the same fuselage as the B.E.2b, but was really a new type, being fitted with new wings of different plan form, increased dihedral, ailerons and forward stagger, and a new tailplane.

29 May 1914

From the Carbondale (IL) Daily Free Press: Salisbury, England, May 29 (1914) — Winston Spencer Churchill, First Lord of the British Admiralty, accomplished the first series of tests required in order to obtain an air pilot's certificate. Churchill, at the steering apparatus of a naval aeroplane, rose at Netheravon and after a flight over Salisbury Plain landed with ease in the Yeomanry camp. The First Lord hopes to qualify for his certificate next week.

28 May 1914

The extensively modified Langley Aerodrome was test flown by Glenn Curtiss on May 28, 1914 on a lake at Hammondsport, New York as part of an effort to cast doubt on the validity of the Wright patent. The machine allegedly flew 150 feet in a straight-line flight. Curtiss had redesigned the wings, changing the camber, leading edge, and aspect ratio. He also redesigned the wing spars and the carburetor and added hydroplane floats.

27 May 1914

The first Burgess Model H that had been acquired by the Army was wrecked on 27 May 1914.

26 May 1914

Gaston Caudron entered a two-seat biplane of his own design into the Concours de La Sécurité en Aéroplanes at Buc aerodrome, near Paris. On Tuesday 26 May 1914 Caudron made demonstrations of his machine, displaying "...marked steadiness and perfect landings..." at Chalons, before leaving for Chartres, "...where he arrived safely after a long tussle with a head wind."

25 May 1914

The Short S.81, an experimental gun-carrying pusher biplane seaplane, was delivered to the Royal Naval Air Service on 25 May 1914. It was first fitted with in July 1914. It was fitted with a number of different guns for trials, including a 1½ pounder (37 mm) semi-automatic Vickers quick-firing gun and a 6 pounder (57 mm) Davis gun (an early recoilless gun). It was deleted from the inventory in October 1915, when trials were complete.

24 May 1914

A contest was scheduled for May 24, 1914 in Rio de Janeiro to awaken the enthusiasm of the Brazilian public for aviation. A Morane-Saulnier monoplane piloted by Lt. Ricardo Kirk competed against a Bleriot-Sit monoplane piloted by civilian aviator Ernesto Darioli. The race started from the Field of the Alfonsos and passed over several parts of the city. An accurate landing as close as possible to a six meter circle was required at the finish. Darioli abandoned the race due to the overheating of his engine and Lt. Kirk was declared the winner.

23 May 1914

The notable English aviator Gustav Hamel disappeared over the English Channel on 23 May 1914 while returning from Villacoublay on a new Morane-Saulnier monoplane he had just collected. In July, the crew of a fishing vessel found a body in the Channel off Boulogne. Although they did not retrieve the body, their description of the corpse provided strong circumstantial evidence that the body was Hamel's.

22 May 1914

On May 22, 1914 the Zeppelin LZ 24 left Friedrichshafen at 0716 and after a flight of record duration (34:59) and altitude (reaching 3,125 metres (10,250 ft)) it landed at Johannisthal 1715 on the 23rd.

21 May 1914

On 21st May, 1914, Princess Ludwig of Lowenstein-Wertheim chartered the Handley-Page Type G (H.P.7) (designed by George R. Volkert) to fly her from Hendon to Calais in order to keep an urgent engagement in Paris. W. Rowland Ding was her pilot, and he flew the biplane back on the following day.

20 May 1914

Writing on 20 May 1914 from Veracruz, RADM Charles J. Badger reported to Navy Sec'y Daniels that, "The Navy Aviation Corps on board Mississippi have performed all their duties well and their observations when in flight have been of service to the land forces."

19 May 1914

On May 19, 1914, Lidia Vissarianovna Zvereva, the first Russian woman pilot, became the first woman aerobatic pilot when she looped a Morane Parasol monoplane.

18 May 1914

On 18th May 1914, First Sea Lord Winston Churchill called for a ‘war squadron’ of ‘ten fighting aeroplanes’ to be created at Eastchurch for the aerial defence of the Chatham Dockyard. He said that the ‘design of these aeroplanes should be reconsidered in the light of the latest experience. They should all be identical in pattern, should all come from one maker, and should have all their parts interchangeable. ... These machines should be kept quite separate from the practice and school machines, and eight of the ten should always be ready to fly.’

17 May 1914

On 17 May 1914 at Nevers, France, Madame Lucienne Cayat de Castella ascended to a height of 800m (2500 feet) while suspended horizontally by a belt under the fuselage of a Goupy Type M biplane. She then descended using a parachute designed by her husband. She would die about two months later at an exhibition in Brussels, when her parachute malfunctioned.

16 May 1914

On 16 May 1914 the Angers-Avrillé airfield 260 kilometers southwest of Paris (aéroport d'Angers-Avrillé) began operation. The airfield was built on a 1.26 hectare plot of land donated to the city of Angers by the Comité d'Aviation de l'Anjou. The field operated until 1998 when it closed due to urban encroachment.

15 May 1914

Just after ascending from the beach at West Hartlepool on 15 May 1914, Lt. M.H. Harland's Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.1 encountered a fog bank and made a forced landing on the Seaton Carew golf links. The propeller blades were smashed and the machine was driven into a sandbank where the wheel axle became disconnected and the runners were broken. The plane was dismantled and taken to the Royal Flying Corps headquarters.

14 May 1914

The sixth Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5 set a world altitude record at 18,900 ft, on May 14, 1914.

13 May 1914

On May 13, 1914 Ralph M. Brown began a 90 day suspension imposed by the Aero Club of America as punishment for having flown over the City of New York the previous week.

12 May 1914

On May 12, 1914, Capt. Ernest V. Anderson and Air Mechanic Henry W. Carter of No. 5 Squadron, RFC were killed when their Sopwith Three-Seater collided with another of that type flown by Lt. C.W. Wilson. Wilson was injured and both aircraft were destroyed. The inquest believed Wilson's aircraft may have been obscured by the upper wing of Anderson's.

11 May 1914

The M-Class Zeppelin LZ24 (Military No. L3) flew for the first time on 11 May 1914. About nine months later it was abandoned by its crew after an emergency landing in Denmark due to engine failure and extreme winds. It then was blown out to sea.

10 May 1914

Benjamin D. Thomas, formerly with Sopwith, designed the Model J for the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation. Powered by a 90 hp Curtiss OX-2 engine, it was one of the predecessors of the famous "Jenny". The Model J first flew on May 10, 1914.

9 May 1914

Mr. William Newell made the first parachute descent from an airplane in England on 9 May 1914. He jumped from the Grahame-White Type X Charabanc biplane piloted by Reginald Carr at an altitude of 2,000 feet and alit 2 min 22 sec later at the Hendon aerodrome.

8 May 1914

In 1914 Lebbeus Hordern, a wealthy Sydney merchant, imported a Maurice Farman ‘hydro-aeroplane’, the first seaplane in Australia. Its 70 hp Renault engine enabled a maximum speed of 60 mph. It could carry ‘two seventeen-stone passengers’ or three passengers of lesser weight. On May 8, 1914, Maurice Guillaux flew Hordern's Farman for the first time. Over the next few days he made many flights carrying passengers.

7 May 1914

Sopwith authorized the construction of two machines on 7 May 1914 for the planned Gordon Bennett Cup race. The outbreak of war prevented the holding of the contest and both were completed and purchased by the Admiralty. In naval service, one went to France for a time, before being deleted in March 1916. The second was deleted at Chingford in July 1915.

6 May 1914

On May 6, 1914, Captain Gustavo Salinas and his copilot Teodoro Madariaga made history in the skies over Mazatlan. Supporting a rebel army battling government forces, Madariaga -- in the first try at aerial bombing in the Western Hemisphere -- tossed a pigskin packed with dynamite, coal and nails over the side of the plane, hoping to hit a federale fort. The makeshift bomb missed its target, hitting a shoe factory a few blocks away.

5 May 1914

An extraordinary meeting of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale at Paris on 5 May 1914 discussed the proliferation of areas prohibited for aerial navigation and passed a resolution asking governments to limit the extent of such areas and simplify their regulation.

4 May 1914

On May 4, 1914, War Department Bulletin No. 35 specified two levels of qualification for U.S. Army aviators. Those who held the rank of Captain or above with at least three years flying experience would be rated as “Military Aviators.” Others were to be ranked as “Junior Military Aviators.”

3 May 1914

On May 3, 1914 the third and last of Marinus van Meel's machines he called te Briks had its first flight. It was bought by the Luchtvaartafdeeling (LVA) as its fifth aircraft, joining one earlier Brik and three French Farmans, and served as a dual-control trainer until 1915.

2 May 1914

At a “Monster Aviation Meeting” in Sydney on May 2, 1914, Frenchman Maurice Guillaux presented spectacular aerobatics including dives and low level flying. He concluded his first performance with a long spiral volplane during which the whistle of the wind could be heard through the wire stays bracing the wings. Guillaux returned to the air, stunning the crowd of 60,000 with a series of 10 loop-the-loops and the performance of an ‘outside’ loop-the-loop, which begins with a forward dive and is completed on the outside of the circle.

1 May 1914

Pilots Salim Bey and Kemal Bey landed their Bleriot XI, 'Edremit', at Jerusalem on 1 May 1914 (the first Turkish airplane to do so). They were en route from Istanbul to Cairo.

30 April 1914

A single-seat monoplane designed by Roumanian George Gramaticescu flew for 26 min 30 sec on the April 30, 1914. It featured an unusual airfoil for which Gramaticescu had obtained a Swiss patent. Gramaticescu didn't live to see his creation fly, as he died in France in 1913, but a group of French engineers and pilots finished the plane according to his sketches. There were plans for improving the airplane and mass-production but after the outbreak of World War I the project was abandoned.

29 April 1914

On April 29, 1914 a Curtiss AH-3 flying boat flown from USS Mississippi by Lt(jg) P.N.L. Bellinger with Lt(jg) Richard C. Saufley as observer returned from a mission with bullet holes in the aircraft. This was the first combat damage sustained by an American military aircraft. (Some sources say this event occurred May 6th.)

28 April 1914

On April 28, 1914 Mr. C. F. Lan-Davis was called before the Committee of the Royal Aero Club to answer to reports of his flying over the Public Enclosures at Brooklands at a low altitude. The Committee found that the flying endangered the public and showed great lack of judgment. Considering his limited experience, the Committee confined the punishment to a severe censure and cautioned him as to his future flying.

27 April 1914

The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, the United States’s first scheduled passenger airline, which began carrying passengers on January 1, 1914, ceased operation on April 27, 1914 when the tourist season ended. It had carried 1,205 passengers.

26 April 1914

French aviator Etienne Poulet captured the world record for flight endurance without stops, previously held by the German aviator Ingold. On 26 April 1914 he flew his Caudron biplane for 16 hrs, 28 mins and 56-4/5 seconds,covering a total distance of 936.8 km

25 April 1914

The second Lee-Richards Annular Monoplane exhibited a tendency to spin that could not be resolved. Test pilot Gordon Bell lost elevator control and crashed the machine at Shoreham on 25 April 1914. Bell was not seriously injured.

24 April 1914

On April 24, 1914 (or, in some sources, April 25) a Curtiss AB-3 flying boat flown by Lt. Patrick N.L. Bellinger completed the first combat flight by a U.S. military aircraft, flying a reconnaissance mission in support of operations in Veracruz, Mexico.

23 April 1914

On 23 April 1914, in the annals of aviation history, it would appear that nothing of any lasting significance happened.

22 April 1914

On April 22, 1914 at the aerodrome of Chartres, French pilot Victorin Garaix flew his Paul Schmitt biplane a distance of 110 km in a time of 63 minutes on a 10 km closed course while carrying six passengers. This established 107.1 km/hr (66.6 mph) as the new speed record with six passengers.

21 April 1914

On 21 April 1914, the first news movie shot from the air was filmed by an unknown cameraman, from a Bleriot two-seater flown by B. C. Hucks. He flew within 400 ft. of the royal yacht with King George aboard, crossing the English Channel from Dover, England to Calais, France.

20 April 1914

On April 20, 1914, Howard Pixton, who had take over Harry Hawker's piloting duties, flew a seaplane version of the Sopwith Tabloid to victory in the Schneider Trophy race at Monaco. This model had the 100 h.p. Gnome Monosoupape engine, twin floats, and plain rudder and fin.

19 April 1914

During a race at Bleriot's Buc Aerodrome on 19 April 1914, the aircraft of Francois Deroye and Andre Bidot collided at one of the turns. Bidot's machine touched the tail of Deroye's monoplane, and both crashed to the ground. Deroye and his passenger, M. Albin, were killed, while Bidot and his passenger, M. Pelado, were terribly injured. Both machines burst into flames. In the case of Bidot's machine the fire was quickly put out, but that of Deroye was reduced cinders, with the bodies of the pilot and passenger considerably burned.

18 April 1914

During an aerobatic flight at Bone, Algeria, on 18 April 1914 the French aviator Leonce Ehrmann was killed when the wings of his aircraft failed at a height of 300 to 400 meters. Ehrmann was the second pilot to die in Algeria.

17 April 1914

On April 17, 1914 the Secretary of the Franklin Institute wrote to Orville Wright, supplying details of the forthcoming award ceremony for the Cresson Medal, given for the brothers' "establishing on a practical basis the science and art of aviation." His letter requests preparation of an address of 30 minutes' length on current activities.

16 April 1914

The Sopwith Schneider Cup Seaplane, having been dispatched from Kingston by rail and sea, arrived at Monaco on 16 April 1914. There it would undergo additional testing and modification for the forthcoming Cup race. The Schneider seaplane was a more powerful version of the military 'Tabloid' scout, mounted on floats and powered by a 100 HP Gnome Monosoupape nine-cylinder air-cooled rotary engine.

15 April 1914

April 15, 1914 was the last day of the two-week aviation rally for seaplanes at Monaco. Roland Garros marked the day by completing his second flight Marseille to Monaco. He left Marseille at 8:52 AM in his 80 HP Morane-Saulnier Type H monoplane, and arrived in Monaco at 12:36 PM.

14 April 1914

Intelligence officer Major Charles Villiers-Stuart, a Scot serving in the Indian Army and seconded to the RAAF, flew in a Maurice Farman seaplane for reconnaissance on 14 April 1914. It had a top speed of 95 km per hour and was described as 'one of the crudest and earliest seaplanes ever built', fragile and temperamental as it had a habit of cutting out mid-flight.

13 April 1914

On April 13, 1914 the German airship LZ-19 was damaged beyond repair in a thunderstorm and subsequently was scrapped.

12 April 1914

On April 12, 1914, Harold Barnwell borrowed a Sopwith Tabloid to attempt aerobatics. His first loop was unsuccessful; he landed to ask the spectators what had happened, took off again, and made three perfect ones at 3,000 feet. He thereby became the first British pilot of the Brooklands fraternity to perform aerobatics.

11 April 1914

On April 11, 1914 a Wight Pusher Seaplane built by Messrs J. S. White and Co. had a successful maiden flight over Cowes. It was piloted by Gordon England and designer Howard T. Wright joined him as a passenger. The plane was developed from one inspected by the king at the show at Olympia.

10 April 1914

Heinrich Hermann Reichelt, a partner in the AERO Flugzeugbau- und Fliegerschule Gesellschaft at the Dresden-Kaditz airport, set several records for distance flights. He was killed on 10 April 1914 when something went wrong with one of the wings of his Harlan monoplane and it fell from a height of 500 metres. His passenger, Fraulein Selma Steglitsch, was thrown from the machine and killed instantly, while Reichelt died in hospital a few hours later. He left his wife and three sons.

9 April 1914

On April 9, 1914 Capt. Gustavo Salinas Camiña took off in the Martin pusher biplane Sonora from a hastily prepared strip near Topolobampo in Sinaloa, MX and braved small arms fire to attack Federal gunboats with five bombs. No damage occurred to either side in this first aerial bombardment of Naval vessels.

8 April 1914

The Sopwith company modified one of its Tabloid single-seaters for the upcoming Schneider Trophy race. The landing gear was removed and floats were installed in its place. The 100-hp Gnome engine was also modified for the occasion. Flight and landing tests on the Thames were successful, and the Tabloid was sent off to Monaco on April 8, 1914.

7 April 1914

April 7, 1914 saw the first flight of the Bristol G.B.75, a two seat biplane trainer. It was derived from the earlier T.B.8., from which it differed significantly. It had been ordered by the Roumanian government but with the advent of the war it was requisitioned by the RFC before it could be delivered.

6 April 1914

On April 6, 1914, Tenente Ricardo João Kirk of the Brazilian Army, returned from a successful trip to France where he had initiated the process of affiliating the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale). He also acquired two aircraft plus spares.

5 April 1914

On April 5, 1914 Argentine Lt. Anibal Brihuega, in a 50 hp Bleriot XI, joined a formation paying tribute to the recently deceased Jorge A. Newbery. The ceremony was performed at the stadium of the Sociedad Sportiva.

4 April 1914

On 4 April 1914, Aviation Militaire became a separate department of the Ministry of War, making it an independent French military service. It had previously been a part of the army.

3 April 1914

On April 3, 1914 a poem titled "'Arry 'Awker" (by one "Yaller Dog" for the Ballarat Courier), read in part: "'E's a boster! 'Arry 'Awker,/'E's a doer, not a talker,/Wot we calls a real corker,/Tho' not rash;/...An' away 'e goes a-soarin'/While the ladies all adorin'/With us common blokes a-roarin'/In our joy;"

2 April 1914

The 1903 Langley Aerodrome was sent by the Smithsonian Institution to the Curtiss Aeroplane Company at Hammondsport, NY on April 2, 1914 for modification, testing and evaluation. Curtiss substituted hydroplaning floats for the original catapult launch system and flew the machine in late-May.

1 April 1914

Lt. Arthur M. Longmore of the Royal Naval Air Service flew the First Sea Lord, Winston Churchill, on his first flight in a Maurice Farman seaplane on April 1, 1914. In 1941, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Murray Longmore was sacked as Air C-in-C Middle East Command by the same Churchill, who replaced him with Sir Arthur Tedder.

31 March 1914

On March 31, 1914, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line (the world's first scheduled airline) flew its last trip, having arrived at the end of its three month contract. Pilots Tony and Roger Jannus left St. Petersburg and the employment of the Benoist Company. Tony Jannus would go on to serve as a test pilot for Curtiss Aeroplane Co.

30 March 1914

On March 30, 1914 Alexander Graham Bell hosted a meeting at his home of those interested in rebuilding Langley’s Aerodrome. They hoped to restore Langley’s tarnished reputation and undermine the Wright patent claims. Among those attending were Glenn Curtiss and Smithsonian Secretary, Dr. Charles D. Walcott. The group gave Curtiss $2,000 of Smithsonian funds to reconstruct and test the Langley Aerodrome.

29 March 1914

The German airship Z VIII reportedly ascended on March 29, 1914 to a height of 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). Also known as LZ.23, this airship had first flown in February and would fall victim to French ground fire in August.

28 March 1914

28 March 1914 was the opening day of Sheffield's Aviation Week, organized by the Sheffield Independent. Among the featured activities were demonstrations by Harold Blackburn of the new Blackburn Improved Type I monoplane.

27 March 1914

Don Mueang (International) Airport (Old Bangkok International Airport) (Thai: ท่าอากาศยานกรุงเทพ) officially opened as a Royal Thai Air Force base on March 27, 1914, although it had been in use earlier. Although no longer the primary airport for Bangkok, it is still active a century later.

26 March 1914

The first aircraft operation at Værnes, Norway (near Trondheim) involved a military Farman MF.7 Longhorn, which took off on 26 March 1914. It was part of the plan to establish the Norwegian Army Air Service, for which Værnes was chosen as the initial station for Central Norway.

25 March 1914

On March 25, 1914, DeLloyd 'Dutch' Thompson became the second American to fly a loop, at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, in a Day tractor biplane with Gyro 80 engine. Lincoln Beachey had accomplished the feat the previous November.

24 March 1914

Noted engineer Cyril F. Lan-Davis (author of Telephotography) was granted his Aviator's Certificate at Brooklands in his Avro 500 powered by a 50 hp Gnome (which aircraft was subsequently impressed into the RFC, valued at 50Gn or about £3,350 in modern terms).

23 March 1914

On 23 March 1914, the Royal Siamese Aeronautical service was renamed Royal Siamese Flying Corps and placed under control of the Royal Siamese Engineers Corps.

22 March 1914

Frank McClean, a wealthy Irish aviator, sponsored the 1914 flight of the Short Bros. S.80 hydroaeroplane from Cairo to Khartoum. Departing on 3 January, they reached their destination, some 1,500 miles south, on 22 March 1914. Doubtless daunted by the prospect of a three-month return trip, they decided to dismantle the plane and ship it back to England.

21 March 1914

A third attempt to cross the Andes by aeroplane -- after the failures of Figueroa and Newbery -- was made by the Argentine aviator Alberto Macias. Macias departed from Uspallata on 21 March 1914. He reached an elevation of 2,800 meters (9,185 feet) when his machine was caught by a treacherous wind and he was forced to descend precipitously, suffering bruises on landing. His machine was also somewhat damaged. Following this accident Macias stated that he would make no further attempts.

20 March 1914

On March 20, 1914, German aviator Robert Thelen took off from Johannisthal with three passengers and climbed to a record height (for that loading) of 3,700 meters (12,140 feet). The previous record of 3,300 meters (10,825 feet) set by French pilot Victorin Garaix on March 2, 1914 was broken.

19 March 1914

Capt M.F. Sueter and Lt D.H. Hyde-Thomson's Specification for "A Torpedo Carrying Seaplane" was issued 19 March 1914. A profile line drawing of a large heavily braced two-seat twin float machine was submitted with the specification, along with views of the methods for carrying the torpedo between the floats. Subsequently, the ungainly Sopwith Special Seaplane resembled the illustrated machine in Capt Sueter and Lt Hyde Thomson’s specification. The Special Seaplane was a disappointment, barely capable of lifting itself into the air. It never got airborne with its intended warload.

18 March 1914

Alexander Graham Bell wrote, on 18 March 1914 to Mr. E.L. Laur of Toronto, endorsing Laur's notion for powering a helicopter. Bell said, "...I think you have the correct principle for making a successful helicopter, viz:- applying the power to the rim instead of the axis."

17 March 1914

Frenchman Victor Garaix continued to set altitude records using the variable incidence biplane designed by Paul Schmitt. On 17 March 1914 set a new record for altitude with pilot and seven passengers of 1,650 meters (5,400 feet).

16 March 1914

Belgian aviator Elie Hanouille died 16 March 1914 while flying over the bay of Saint-Sébastien in Spain. At the end of a loop, the rudder of his Bleriot failed and he fell into the sea at high speed.

15 March 1914

The 15 March 1914 issue of Mixer & Server reported: “Paris has a new drink called the Pegoud cocktail, which is the first cocktail officially claimed by France, all other cocktails being known only at American bars. The Pegoud cocktail is reported to be a fierce affair, supposed not only to create a brainstorm, but to ‘loop the loop’ after imbibed.” (Adolph Pegoud was the first aviator to successfully 'loop-the-loop.')

14 March 1914

The records of the Sopwith Aviation Company reveal that on 14 March 1914 the firm added a War Office order for three more Sopwith “SS” Single-Seat Scout versions of the Tabloid (bringing the total on order for the RFC to twelve), and the factory completed two Anzani-engined pusher floatplanes (Nos 123 and 124) for the Admiralty.

13 March 1914

On 13 March 1914 The Times of London published a statement by the First Lord of Admiralty (Mr. W.S. Churchill) that said, "The practical utility of aeroplanes and seaplanes for war purposes is increasingly evident and the experiments in connection with bomb dropping, wireless telegraphy and gunnery have been continuous."

12 March 1914

The Curtiss Model J was a tractor aircraft designed by Englishman Benjamin D. Thomas (formerly with Sopwith) that became the basis for the Curtiss Jenny series. The first prototype was rolled out on 12 March 1914. It was delivered to the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps on 28 July. At the time the entire United States military air fleet consisted of 23 aircraft.

11 March 1914

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.4 numbered 204 crashed on Salisbury Plain on 11 March 1914 when its rudder failed, killing its crew of two. The subsequent enquiry suggested that the rudder shaft had become crystallized and had snapped, one of the first suggestions of metal fatigue. This raised sufficient doubt regarding the safety of the B.E.3/4 rudder for a new unit to be developed and fitted to the remaining machines with commendable rapidity.

10 March 1914

The B.E.8 was a British two-seat single-engine general purpose biplane designed by John Kenworthy at the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1913. The first production machine was delivered for inspection on 10 March 1914 and was retained at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Records indicate that it was eventually tested to destruction.

9 March 1914

The phrase ”More lost than Lieutenant Bello” (“Más perdido que el Teniente Bello”) is a part of Chile’s linguistic heritage and refers to someone who loses their way quite badly. The saying pays homage to Lt. Alejandro Bello Silva, one of Chile’s first military pilots. On March 9, 1914, Lt. Bello took off in his Sánchez-Besa 1914 biplane into the fog and clouds on his final flight to qualify for his military aviator wings — and simply disappeared.

8 March 1914

On March 8, 1914, Lt. Col. Phraya Chalerm Arkas, Commander of the Army Aviation Division of Siam made the first flight at Don Muang Airfield at Bangkok of a Nieuport 11N monoplane.

7 March 1914

Harry Hawker flew the first plane over Albury, N.S.W., a Sopwith Tabloid biplane on March 7, 1914. Flying from the Albury Racecourse and watched by 5,000 people, Hawker set an Australian altitude record of 7,800 feet, but his second flight crash-landed. He escaped unhurt.

6 March 1914

J.W.H. "Will" Scotland took off from Fraser Park, Timaru, on 6 March 1914 in his 45 hp Caudron biplane for an attempt on the New Zealand long distance flying record. The aviator arrived before an enthusiastic crowd at the Addington Showgrounds in Christchurch. The distance of approximately 160 kms was flown in 2 hours, 5 minutes, actual flying time - an average speed of 78 kms per hour!

5 March 1914

Lt. Fazil Bey of the Ottoman Air Force made headlines in Turkey when on the 5th of March 1914 he performed the first aircraft acrobatics in the country, taking the Deperdussin “Osmanli” into a series of rolls.

4 March 1914

On March 4 1914 the Royal Aero Club held its Annual Dinner at London's Savoy Hotel. The principal guest, First Sea Lord Winston Churchill, called in his speech for the establishment of emergency landing fields "if not all over the country, at any rate along certain marked aerial routes."

3 March 1914

March 3, 1914 marked the triumphant return of Marc Bonnier to Paris after a long journey from Paris, via old Europe, Beirut and Jerusalem and finally to Cairo. He was congratulated by, among many, M. Deutsch de la Meurthe, president of the Aero Club and representatives of the Ministries of Public Works, War and Navy. Bonnier, with his mechanic Joseph Barnier, began the journey in a Nieuport VI-G monoplane on 10 November at Villacoublay, arriving in Cairo 1 January.

2 March 1914

Frenchman Victor Garaix continued to set altitude records using the variable incidence biplane designed by Paul Schmitt. On 2 March 1914 he carried three passengers to 3,300 meters (10,825 feet) in a 55 minute flight. A temperature of -22°C (-8°F) was recorded and the aircraft was covered with frost during the descent.

1 March 1914

Lt. Eric Harrison made Australia's first military flight in a Bristol Boxkite on Sunday, 1 March 1914, followed by a second in the same aircraft with Lt. Henry Petre as passenger, then a third by himself in a Deperdussin. The flights were made from the Central Flying School at Point Cook, Victoria, the oldest continuously operating military aerodrome in the world.

28 February 1914

On February 28, 1914, the weekly 'meeting' at Hendon Aerodrome in London was favored with fine weather and a large attendance. First Lord of Admiralty Winston Churchill, accompanied by Mrs. Churchill, witnessed the 2-1/2 hour flight of Lt. Spenser Grey who took his 90 HP Sopwith to 10,500 feet. Shortly after landing from this long flight he took up the First Lord for a flight.

27 February 1914

To inspire patriotism and national sentiment by a spectacular air display over the cities of the Empire, an Ottoman Air Force flight departed from Istanbul for Cairo. The pilots were Captain Fethi Bey and the war minister's adjutant, Second Lieutenant Sadik Bey. Their plane crashed on the slopes of the Golan Heights on 27 February 1914. A train carried their bodies to Damascus, where they were buried in a national ceremony near the tomb of Saladin.

26 February 1914

An Italian, Alessandro Guidoni, carried out the first air launch of a torpedo on 26 February 1914. He launched a 827 lb (375 kg) mock-up torpedo into waters near Venice from his Pescara-Guidoni PP twin engined seaplane. The aircraft was designed by him and Raul Pateras Pescara, who had suggested a torpedo carrying seaplane to the navy two years earlier.

25 February 1914

On February 25, 1914 French aviator Victorin Garaix improved the world record height with four passengers (MM. Galibourg, Poulain, Labeille and Turon) to 3,150 meters (10,330 feet). He flew a biplane designed by Paul Schmitt, powered by a 160 hp Gnome engine.

24 February 1914

On February 24, 1914 the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, on the recommendation of Grover Loening, permanently decommissioned all seven of its remaining "pusher" airplanes - including Wright, Burgess and Curtiss machines - as a matter of policy. This occurred in the wake of a series of fatal accidents.

23 February 1914

February 23, 1914 saw the first flight of the Bristol Scout. A fast single seater designed by Frank Barnwell and Harry Busteed (who was its first pilot), it was powered by an 80hp LeRhone rotary engine. Though intended for the civil market, it was one of the first single seat fighters and gave good service in that role until superseded by more advanced types.

22 February 1914

On 22 February 1914, Harry Hawker continued his flights introducing the elites of Australia to aviation. On this day his passengers in the Sopwith Tabloid included Lord Denman, the Governor General of Australia and Miss Strickland, daughter of the Governor General of N.S.W.

21 February 1914

On 21 February 1914 flight operations began at the Großenhain aerodrome in Saxony when Flight Lt. Emil Clemens his observer, Lt. Rudolf Hasenohr, landed their DFW Stahltaube monoplane. Großenhain would be an important pilot training site in the Great War.

20 February 1914

The Sopwith Sociable (so called because the crew were seated side-by-side, reportedly at the suggestion of student pilot W.S. Churchill). The Sociable was delivered to Hendon and on 20 February 1914 First Lord of the Admiralty Churchill flew in it as a passenger.

19 February 1914

Having removed from Melbourne to Sydney, with the Sopwith Tabloid transported by train, Harry Hawker made a trial flight at Randwick Racecourse on 19 February 1914, prior to flying with passengers.

18 February 1914

On February 18, 1914 at Johannisthal airfield near Berlin, aviator Otto Linnekogel flew his Rumpler Taube monoplane with its passenger Lieutenant Pluschow to a German record altitude (for pilot plus passenger) of 4,300 meters (14,100 feet). While easily besting the previous German record of 3,270 meters, it was well short of the world record (held by the French) of 5,100 meters.

17 February 1914

The Tampa Port Inspector required licensing of the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line's pilots and planes so Tony Jannus applied for one, which was issued on February 17, 1914 by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Some historians claim it was the first Federal pilot's license. Edward Hoffman of the Florida Aviation Historical Society says the license they have on hand has the word "steamboat" crossed out and "aeroplane" typed in.

16 February 1914

The U.S. Army Signal Corps experienced a spate of fatal accidents in 1912 and 1913, most involving the Wright Model C airplane. An investigative board of aviators including Captain Townsend F. Dodd and Lieutenants Benjamin D. Foulois, Walter R. Taliaferro, Carleton G. Chapman, and Joseph E. Carberry, condemned not just the Wright C but all "pusher" aircraft as unsafe on February 16, 1914, and those remaining in the Army inventory were ordered to be immediately grounded.

15 February 1914

On the morning of February 15, 1914, in one of the first instances of aerial advertising, Jean Montmain skimmed over Geneva at 100m in his Bleriot XI and dropped leaflets (intended for the previous Sunday) to promote his afternoon demonstration: "Inhabitants of Geneva, greetings! Sunday, February 8, 1914 at 14:30, I will do at Charmilles "The Looping the loop" and other impressive flight maneuvers. Jean Montmain, aviator."

14 February 1914

On February 14, 1914 Lt. Townsend F. Dodd and Sgt. Herbert Marcus flew the U.S. Signal Corps' Burgess H tractor biplane 244.8 miles in 4 hours 43 minutes, establishing an official American nonstop duration and distance record. The flight not only set a record for two people in one airplane, but also exceeded the previous single-seat record.

13 February 1914

On February 13, 1914 Harry Hawker made four flights from Caulfield Racecourse at Melbourne in the Sopwith Tabloid biplane. He carried four passengers: Mr. G. R. Jackson, Miss Linda Cole, Miss Stutt, and Mr. A. Hay.

12 February 1914

On February 12, 1914, French inventor Jean Ors tested a parachute at Juvisy. He ascended on a Deperdussin monoplane piloted by Alfred Lemoine to a height of 1,000 feet seated on the wheel axle. From that altitude he let himself drop, landing safely after a descent lasting 39 seconds.

11 February 1914

On 11 February 1914, the second prototype of Igor I. Sikorsky's giant Илья Муромец (Ilya Muromets) (factory airframe 128) took off for its first demonstration flight with 16 passengers aboard, marking a record for number of passengers carried.

10 February 1914

Carrying R.J. MacGeagh Hurst in the front seat, Frederick P. Raynham made an officially observed climb to a record height of 14,420 ft (4,395 m) over Brooklands in an Avro 504 biplane on February 10, 1914. He had reached 15,000 feet a week earlier but that flight was unobserved.

9 February 1914

On February 9, 1914, Lt. Henry Post died in the crash at North Island of a Wright Model 'C'. Six men had now been killed in crashes of the Model C, constituting half of all Army pilots killed in air crashes. This instigated a call for a board of investigation. The board concluded after their investigation, that the machine’s elevator was too weak and condemned the Model C as “dynamically unsuited for flying.”

8 February 1914

To exhibit the skill of Turkish pilots, a "Cairo Expedition" was announced at the beginning of 1914. Two airplanes - a Bleriot XI and a Deperdussin - took off on February 8th 1914 to attempt the 1,470 mile trip from Istanbul to Alexandria, Egypt. The Bleriot XI crashed near the Lake of Galilee and its two pilots were killed. The Deperdussin crashed into the Mediterranean; one pilot drowned in the accident, while the other survived. Another Bleriot finally completed the "Cairo Expedition" successfully in May 1914.

7 February 1914

On February 7, 1914 German aviator Karl Ingold flew from Muhlhausen to Munich, staying airborne continuously from 7:35 am until 11:55 pm and covering 1,056 miles. This bested the previous nonstop distance record set a few days before.

6 February 1914

At Chartres, just two days after setting an altitude record for pilot and five passengers, on 6 February 1914 Victor Garaix broke the record for pilot and four passengers by reaching 9,020 feet (2,750 meters) with his Schmitt biplane, in 1 hour 15 minutes.

5 February 1914

While making some experimental flights at Villacoublay on February 5, 1914, a biplane piloted by Raoul de Reals-Mornac fell from a height of 200 metres. The pilot was killed on the spot.