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.