American Aviation Historical Society

1912

Cpl Frank S. Scott became first enlisted fatality in Signal Corps aviation

1920

American pilot Howard Rinehart, flying a Dayton-Wright R.B Racer, becomes the first person to fly an airplane fitted with retractable landing gear.

1924

Two Douglas World Cruiser biplanes land back in Seattle after the first (175 day) round-the-world flight. The planes were piloted by Lts. Lowell Smith and Erik Nelson were part of a flight of four that left Seattle April 6 under the command of Maj. Frederick Martin.

1948

An unmanned balloon, launched by the US Army Signal Corps from Belmar, NJ, reaches a record altitude of 140,000 ft.