World Aviation in 1913 - Part 1

Part 2

January
Aircraft accompany United States Navy (USN) vessels for the first time during winter manoeuvres, under the command of Lieutenant Towers.

1 January
The International Federation of Aeronautics announces that by the end of 1912, 2,490 pilots had been awarded Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) licenses. 966 were awarded in France, 382 in Britain, 345 in Germany, 193 in the USA, 58 in Belgium, 27 in Switzerland and 1 in Egypt.

6 January
The United States Navy (USN) uses aircraft on manoeuvres for the first time off Cuba.

13 January
The first regular aerial cargo service is established in the USA by Harry M. Jones as he flies baked beans from Boston to New York in a Wright B.

20 January
Bernetta Miller is temporarily blinded by oil when she attempts to establish a new women's altitude record in New York.

24 January
Swiss pilot Oscar Bider reaches 11,483 feet when he flies over the Pyrennes in his Blériot monoplane.

24 January
Charles Nieuport, his mechanic Guyot and the pilot are killed at Etamples in France, when their wing-warping device fails.

February
The Spanish air arm is renamed as the Servico de Aeronautica Militar Espanola.

3 February
The Gothaer Waggonfabrik (Gotha railway wagon factory) open an aeroplane division.

11 February
The Chilean air service, Escuela de Aeronatica Militar, is formed.

27 February
Slavorosov, Caproni's chief test pilot, flies from Milan to Rome on a tour arranged by the La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

March
The twin-engined Bolshoi Bal'tisky (The Great Baltic) or Grand RBVZ, produced by Igor Sikorsky, takes it's first flight.

March
China orders it's first military aircraft, 12 Caudrons, from France.

5 March
The 1st Aero Squadron of the United States Army is formed.

3 April
The second competition for seaplanes is held in Monaco.

16 April
The Belgian Compagnie des Aviateurs (Aviator's Company), an independent air force, is formed from the former Balloon Company.

16 April
The first Schneider Trophy (Jacques Schneider Air Racing Trophy for Hydro-Aeroplanes) race is held at the Monaco seaplane meeting. Maurice Prevost wins the contest over twenty-eight 10 kilometre circuits in a Deperdussin, flying at 73kph (45mph).

27 April
The first passenger flight in Central America is piloted by Bob Fowler. En Route in the floatplane Raymond Duhem makes the first aerial film of Central America.

10 May
Didier Masson drops bombs from an aeroplane on Mexican gunships in Guaymas Bay.

13 May
The Russky Vitiaz is the first aeroplane fitted with a lavatory. The aircraft was a passenger transport, designed by Igor Sikorski and test flown on this date. It has not been possible to confirm if the lavatory was a water closet although some references identify it as such. This 4-engined precursor to the heavy bomber was piloted by Igor Sikorsky at St Petersburg and had a wingspan of 28 metres (92 feet).

17 May
Domingo Rosillo flies from Key West in Florida to Havana in Cuba, in a Morane-Saulnier monoplane.

28 May
The full-size 'Aerodrome', designed by Samuel Pierpont Langley, is flown after modifications during reconstruction.

10 June
The longest flight between sunrise and sunset wins Marcel Brindejonc des Moulinais the Pommeroy cup. He flies 900 miles from Paris to Warsaw.

21 June
American Miss Georgia 'Tiny' Broadwick is the first woman to descend from an aeroplane by parachute when Glenn L Martin flies her up to 2,000 feet above Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

1 July
The Dutch Luchtvaartafdeling is formed.

Part 2