Viewing page 16 of 47

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Back in 1911 Congress, in approving the budget for the fiscal year 1912, granted the Army $125,000.00 for its air operations, the first official appropriation for the air arm.

On or about March 31st, 1911, the Missouri National Guard Signal Corps established an air section, and members were taught flight and ballooning principles, - this the first of its type in the time-honored institution, - the National Guard.

A third state revealed an open mind toward aerial activities about this time, when on June 8th, 1911, Connecticut became the first state in the Union to establish a State Air Regulation.

On August 14th, 1911, was established a truly remarkable record for cross-country flying for those days. Harry N. Atwood flew from St. Louis to New York, a distance of 1,155 miles.

Records were being shattered right and left. A few days later on the 18th of August, P. O. Parmalee established a new altitude record of 10,837 feet during an Air Meet held in Chicago. Then on the 20th, two days later at the same Meet, Lincoln Beachey bettered this mark by quite a bit when he got all the way up to 11,642 feet.

On September 4th, 1911, Lt. T. DeWitt Milling became the "first" Army officer to land an airplane at night when he had to set his crate down at the completing of a 160-mile Tri-State race at Boston, by the light of gasoline flares. Incidentally, that was won by Earle L. Ovington for the monoplane class, and by Lt. Milling for biplanes.

History reveals an aerial rating that is unfamiliar to practically everyone associated with flying - that of Air Mail Pilot. Air Mail Pilot No. 1 - Earle L. Ovington. He was the first air mail carrier to cover a set route from an established post office - Nassau Boulevard, New York to Mineola, New York. This happened on September 23rd, 1911, and he was granted this rating by the Postmaster General.

What was the official endurance record in 1911? 1 hour, 54 minutes, and 42 seconds. This record was established by Lt. T. D. Milling in a Wright plane at Nassau Boulevard, New York, on September 26th, 1911.

1912

Except for the relatively modern era of supersonic aircraft and nuclear weapons, it had been almost axiomatic that the military in the field of aviation would lag behind the civilian. Back in 1912, a short time after the emergence of aviation from the cradle, this fact was especially true, and remained irrefutably true for a succession of decades. This can be accepted as logical when considering that the military minds of the times were firmly rooted to the ground in terms of Infantry and Cavalry, and could not adequately cope with the airplane and its three dimensional capabilities. On 25 January 1912, Lt. Henry H. Arnold set a military record for altitude flying when he flew as high as 4,674 feet, in a flight which lasted 59 minutes, at the Augusta Aviation School in Augusta, Georgia. Five months earlier, on 18 August, 1911, at Chicago, Lincoln Beachey, a civilian, had established an all-time altitude record of 11,642 feet.

Strangely enough, the wings of the rated pilot as it is today, has undergone a relatively simple evolution and process of modification. The original badge entitled "Military Aviator" was first given official recognition on 23 February, 1912, in War

107