This is a list of
aviation-related events from 1924:
Events
Violating the
Treaty of Versailles,
Germany establishes a secret training base for German pilots at
Lipetsk in the
Soviet Union. More than 450 German personnel will train there over the next ten years.[1]
The admirals′ committee of the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) considers an objection to the construction of
aircraft carriers based on the observation that launching 40 planes from a carrier at present takes three hours, decides that the use of several carriers would solve the problem, and recommends that Italy construct at least two carriers.[5]
During the month, the
International Commission for Aviation passes a resolution stating that "women shall be excluded from any employment in the operating crew of an aircraft engaged in public transport." A concern of the era is that women would have difficulty controlling an aircraft while
menstruating.[7]
April 1
Imperial Airways is formed, with the backing of the British government.
April 7 –
Portuguese Commander
Brito Pais and Captain
Sarmento de Beires depart
Lisbon eastbound in the
Breguet 16.Bn2Patria, beginning an attempt to fly around the world. They will crash Patria in
India, but will continue in the
de Havilland DH.9APatria II before being forced to end their attempt in June in China, a short walk from its border with Hong Kong.[9]
Flying the
Nieuport-Delage NiD 42S, the French pilot
Joseph Sadi-Lecointe wins the
Coupe Beaumont race as the only finisher, then continues flying to establish a new world speed-over-distance record over a distance of 500 km (310.69 miles), averaging 306.696 km/h (190.572 mph).[16]
The
Bolivian Air Force is formed, as the Cuerpo de Aviación ("Aviation Corps").
The Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) participates in the first large-scale Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) maneuvers since 1910. The air force aircraft are tasked to conduct surveillance in coastal waters, reconnoiter enemy bases, and strike enemy ships that come within range. The air force is hampered by poor communications with the navy, the grounding of its
airships – necessary for reconnaissance at ranges of more than 100 miles (161 km) – due to weather, and difficulty in distinguishing between ship types and between friendly and enemy ships. In a final fiasco, the "Red" fleet "
torpedoes" the "Blue" fleet's
flagship, the
battleshipAndrea Doria, as the "Blue" fleet enters port at
Augusta,
Sicily, at the end of the maneuvers after the "Blue" fleet's air escort breaks formation to overfly the fleet in a celebratory pass.[22]
August 4 – The attempt of the
Royal Air Force team of MacLaren, Plenderleith, and Andrews to circumnavigate the world eastbound ends when they are forced down in the
Bering Sea by fog and their
Vickers Vulture amphibian is irreparably damaged. They taxi to safety at
Bering Island in the
Commander Islands. They had covered 13,100 miles (21,095 km) in 130 days.[23]
September 28 – Greeted by 50,000 people and a congratulatory
telegram from
PresidentCalvin Coolidge, two of the original four
United States Army Air ServiceDouglas World Cruisers that had set out from
Seattle,
Washington, on April 6 arrive in Seattle, completing the
first aerial circumnavigation of the world. Their westbound journey had covered 27,534 miles (44,338 km) in 371 hours in the air, taking 175 days. They have made 57 hops during the trip, averaging 483 miles (778 km) per hop, and visited 25 U.S. states and 21 foreign countries.[25][26]
October
October 1 – The fourth annual
Air League Challenge Cup race takes place over a 100-mile (161-kilometer) triangular course beginning and ending at
Lympne Airport in
Lympne,
Kent,
England. Three flights, each consisting of three
Sopwith Snipes flown by
Royal Air Force pilots, participate; one flight represents
No. 25 Squadron at
RAF Hawkinge, another
No. 32 Squadron at
RAF Kenley, and the third
No. 56 Squadron at
RAF Biggin Hill. Each flight flies the race in formation. No. 25 Squadron's flight finishes third with a time of 59 minutes 7.4 seconds, but is declared the winner when the other two flights are disqualified for cutting the western turning point and therefore failing to fly the entire course.[27] The race is not held again until
1927.[28]
December 14 – A
Martin MO-1 is launched using an explosive-driven catapult fitted to a turret on the U.S. Navy battleship
USS Mississippi (BB-41), requiring less distance than ever for the take-off.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN0-87021-313-X, p. 27.
^Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 50.
^O'Connor, Derek, "All in the Game," Aviation History, September 2010, pp. 54-59.
^O'Brien, Lora, "Lady Heath," Aviation History, March 2016, p. 15.
^Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917-1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 12.
^O'Connor, Derek, "All in the Game," Aviation History, September 2010, pp. 56-57.
^O'Connor, Derek, "All in the Game," Aviation History, September 2010, p. 56.
^O'Connor, Derek, "All in the Game," Aviation History, September 2010, pp. 56-57, 58-59.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Nobles Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 688.
^O'Connor, Derek, "All in the Game," Aviation History, September 2010, pp. 57.
^Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 56.
^O'Connor, Derek, "All in the Game," Aviation History, September 2010, p. 57.
^Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001,
ISBN1-55750-432-6, p. 34.
^O'Connor, Derek, "All in the Game," Aviation History, September 2010, pp. 58-59.
^Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007,
ISBN978-0-521-85602-7, p. 57.
^O'Connor, Derek, "All in the Game," Aviation History, September 2010, pp. 54, 59.
^Cressman, Robert J., "'Ready For Any Call At Any Time'", Naval History, April 2014, p. 14.
^
abDaniel, Clifton, Chronicle of the 20th Century, Mount Kisco, New York: Chronicle Publications, 1987,
ISBN0-942191-01-3, p. 318.
^O'Connor, Derek, "All in the Game," Aviation History, September 2010, pp. 56-57, 59.
^[https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flightglobal.com%2FFlightPDFArchive%2F1924%2F1924%2520-%25200640.PDF&usg=AFQjCNHR5eQH7IQWHEIQEKH58XuoMweH9w&sig2=NDpv6DtDihZLJz8ELEu-Tw Anonymous, "The Race for the Air League Challenge Cup," Flight, October 2, 1924, p. 640.]
^
abDonald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 72.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 424.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 127.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, pp. 126-127.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 187.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 63.
Isaacs, Keith. "The Fairey IIID In Australia". Air Enthusiast, Number 24, April–June 1984. Bromley, Kent, UK:Pilot Press. ISSN 0143-5450. pp. 40–49.