Aviation Timeline

Pre-1800s 1800s 1900-1909 1910 1911-1920 1921-1930 1931-1940 1941-1950 1951-1960 1960s-present

1488-1514		In Italy, Leonardo de Vinci designs the first flying machine. He utilizes the structure of bird wings to engineer the model of his aircraft.
November 21, 1783		Pilâtre de Rozier and Marquis d'Arlandes become the first human passengers in an aircraft lighter than air. This occurs in an untethered Montgolfiere balloon in Paris, France.
June 4, 1784		In Lyons, France, Elisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an unthethered air balloon.
July 1, 1866		Clifford B. Harmon is born.
April 16, 1867		Wilbur Wright is born.
August 19, 1871		Orville Wright is born.
May 21, 1878		Glenn Hammond Curtiss is born.
October 24, 1878		Frank Trenholm Coffyn is born.
October 15, 1884		Archibald "Arch" Hoxsey is born.
1885		Charles Keeney Hamilton is born.
1886		Ralph Johnstone is born.
July 11, 1889		Walter Richard Brookins is born.
May 30, 1899		Wilbur Wright sends correspondence to the Smithsonian Institute stating that he believes human flight is possible.
December 17, 1903		At Kill Devil Hills in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright pilots the Wright Flyer on a flight lasting 12 seconds, traveling 120 feet. This is the world's first manned, powered, sustained and controlled flight by an aircraft that is heavier-than-air. Three further flights are made, including one lasting nearly a minute.
July 25, 1909		The first flight across the English Channel occurs. The aircraft is piloted by Louis Blériot.
July 30, 1909		Lt. Benjamin Foulois' first flight in an Aeroplane was the evaluation test flight from Fort Myer to Alexandria, Virginia. Pilot Orville Wright and observer Foulois broke previous speed, altitude and cross-country duration records. This test led to the War Department purchasing its first airplanes.
August 22 to August 29, 1909		The World's first major international flying meet happens in Reims, France. Glenn Curtiss, the only American on the field, competes. At this meet, Curtiss averages 47 miles per hour over a 6.2 mile-long course, winning the Gordon Bennett Cup prize for speed.
January 10 to January 20, 1910		The Los Angeles International Air Meet, the first major airshow in the United States, is held at Dominguez Field. Glenn Curtis, Clifford Harmon, and Charles Hamilton – all of whom later participate in the Atlantic City Airshow – compete in this festival. Image courtesy of California State University, Dominguez Hills.
May 29, 1910		Glenn Curtiss wins the New York World Newspaper's $10,000 prize when he flies from Albany to New York City. This distance sets the world record for long-distance flying.
June 13 to June 18, 1910		A national aviation meet is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Aviators such as .L. Welsh, W.A. Brookins, Frank P. Coffyn, Archie Hoxey, Duval La Chappelle, Ralph Johnstone, Joseph Curzon, Captain G.L. Bumbaugh, Mel Marquette, Russell Shaw, and Lincoln Beachey fly in the airshow.
June 13, 1910		Charles Hamilton becomes the first man to make a round-trip flight from New York to Philadelphia in a single day.
June 25 to July 5, 1910		Canada's first airshow is held in Montreal. Walter Brookins, Frank Coffyn and John Alexander Douglas McCurdy fly. After competing in Montreal, these aviators come to Atlantic City to participate in its meet.
June 20, 1910		The Atlantic City Aero Club officially accepts airshow event propositions from Glenn Curtiss and the Wright Brothers.
June 21, 1910		The Atlantic City Aero Club presents to the Atlantic City Treasury Department its formal airshow application. The application is approved.
June 27, 1910		A major public campaign to finance the Atlantic City Airshow begins. Private enterprises including Young's Million Dollar and Ocean Pier; Atlantic City's Steel Pier; the Marlborough-Blenheim hotel; Haddon Hall – Chalfonte; the Traymore Hotel Company; the Hotel Dennis; the Hotel Shelburne; the Seaside House; the Hotel Chelsea; the Hotel Dunlop; Galen Hall; the Somers Lumber Company; and the Exposition P.E. Lane collectively donate $18,100. The City seeks an additional $6,900 from its citizens.
June 28, 1910		Construction of an aerodrome, near the Atlantic City inlet, commences. When complete, the aerodrome is 75 feet by 300 feet in dimension, with 200-feet-long starting rails running from different sections of the building. It is expected that each day of the air meet, the aviators proceed from this point to the beach where they perform their exhibition flights.
June 28, 1910		At the Montreal Airshow, Walter Brookins makes a 4,000 foot high flight. Clifford B. Harmon sets the record for the longest sustained flight – one hour and five minutes – over Hempstead Plains, New York.
June 30, 1910		Atlantic City Airshow funds increase by $1000 in a single day raising the total to $19,130. An article in the Atlantic City Daily Press implores, "Draw your checks to the order of the Atlantic City Aero Club and send them to A.T. Bell, Chairman at Chalfonte. If you have made up your mind to give, please do so promptly. Your example will influence others to do the same."
July 1, 1910		The Atlantic City Airshow fundraising purse reaches $20,133. Glenn Curtiss arrives in Atlantic City in preparation for the airshow.
July 2, 1910		The first airplanes arrive in the city. The aircraft are stationed and exhibited at the Million Dollar Pier and Young's Ocean Pier.
July 3, 1910		Thousands of spectators watch as Glenn Curtiss' mechanics assemble his biplane on the Ocean Pier. The interested spectators become so numerous that a cordon of police is placed around the machine to prevent injury to its delicate wires and parts. Curtiss' mechanics, Elmer Robinson, Chris Hellman and Robert Patterson, continue to adjust the machine for the upcoming flights in spite of the crowds.
July 4, 1910 to July 12, 1910		A major airshow is held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Participating aviators include: Glenn Curtiss, Walter Brookins, Charles Hamilton, Clifford Harmon, Fred Coffyn, and J.A.D McCurdy.
July 4, 1910		The Fourth of July is the opening day of the Atlantic City Airshow. At 1:34 pm, Glenn Curtiss attempts his first flight in Atlantic City. 100,000 people watch as Curtiss takes off on the beach near the Ocean Pier heading toward the Million Dollar Pier. Curtiss flies approximately half a mile, and two accidents nearly occur when spectators try to cross in front of the low flying plane. Curtiss brings the plane down and states that he will not fly again until the beach is completely cleared. Curtiss declares his initial flight in Atlantic City the most dangerous flight of his career. In reaction to his first flight in Atlantic City, he remarks, "The flight proved that my machine is capable of facing a heavy breeze from either the land or the sea... While this is my first attempt at seashore flying, I feel much better results should be attained here than elsewhere. I find the sand almost ideal for landing...with a clear beach I am sure there will be no further trouble."
July 5, 1910		Curtiss' biplane is caught in an air eddy and sends him plummeting to within 10 feet of the surf. The plane is slightly damaged, but easily repaired, and Curtiss is in the air again at 6:36 pm. 50,000 witnesses watch as he circles near the Million Dollar Pier and flies out half a mile over the Atlantic Ocean. This eight and a half minute flight is believed to be the first flight ever made over the Atlantic Ocean. Charles Hamilton arrives in Atlantic City.
July 6, 1910		Curtiss again has difficulties with his preliminary flight. His propeller breaks when it is smashed by a wave. A new propeller is brought onto the scene, repairs are made and Curtiss makes a flight that is 5 miles long and lasts 12 minutes and 13 seconds. The airshow funds reach $21,119, and the first airplane sale ever made in Atlantic City takes place when Clifford Harmon, the noted amateur aviator, places an order for a Curtiss aircraft.
July 7, 1910		Walter Brookins and Frank Coffyn arrive in Atlantic City with two Wright Brothers airplanes, and Charles Hamilton's monoplane arrives. High winds prevent Curtiss from attempting any exhibition flights. To satisfy the gathered spectators interests, a Wright biplane is hauled onto Young's Ocean Pier where it is displayed. $500 more dollars are added to the airshow fund and its total reaches $21,619.
July 8, 1910		Competitive flight events between Curtiss and Brookins begin. At 6:00 pm, Curtiss flies his aircraft, the "Yellow Dragon." He circles 800 feet above the crowd. Brookins takes off at 6:02 pm and flies upwards to 1,400 feet. Curtiss flies southward toward Ventnor, leaving the line of site of both spectators and officials. In the meantime, Brookins lands at 6:02 pm and returns to the air at 6:35 pm for another, 10 minute long flight. His aerial displays go largely unnoticed as rumors spread that Curtiss' plane has crashed. Approximately 90 minutes after his disappearance, Curtiss finally phones the airshow headquarters to let officials know that he landed in Ventnor in order to meet Lt. Hugh Willoughby of Philadelphia, a friend who is constructing an aircraft. Curtiss returns and lands at the Million Dollar Pier, drawing a significant crowd and stealing attention away from Brookins' more daring aeronautical pursuits. At this point in the meet, all known contestants have arrived and officials from the National Council of Aero Clubs are present, bringing accreditation to the recorded airshow events. Henry M. Neely, Chairman of the Contest Committee of the National organization, secures the services of a former city engineer to take figures on the height and distance traveled during the flights. Other officials present include Jerome H. Joyce; H.W. Sutton, acting manager of the meet, and Augustus Post, noted aeronaut.
July 9, 1910		Curtiss makes an exhibition flight at 10:17 am, lasting 10 and a half minutes, flying partly over the city. It is announced that the aviators will make attempts to break the world's altitude record. With a Richards barograph attached to his Wright plane, Brookins registers a record-breaking 6,175 feet and is awarded $5000. Brookins' flight, however, is wrought with danger. As he reaches his highest point in altitude, his gasoline runs out and he is forced to glide his plane to the ground. In the evening, to celebrate his new world record, and in celebration of his twenty-second birthday, Brookins is the guest of honor at a party given by the manager of the Ocean Pier, W.E. Shackleford.
July 11, 1910		Looming in the shadows of Brookins' world record, Curtiss sets out to break the speed record for a 50 mile flight, with the added caveat of it being a continuous flight over water. The 50 mile course runs between the residence of Joseph N. Shellenberg at 9 South Dover Avenue and Julius Hershon's rolling chair stand at Massachusetts Avenue and the Boardwalk. The two locations are marked for the aviators by two small posts, 100 feet apart with a flag swinging between. Curtis takes off at 3:30 in the afternoon. At an elevation of 500 feet, he flies back and forth between the marked locations. Curtis completes the 50 miles in 1 hour, 21 minutes and 5 seconds, establishing an American biplane record. Curtiss later sets another record when he flies his plane to a height of 1,600 feet in 5 minutes and 52 seconds. For his performances and heroism, he wins a prize of $5000 for "the most spectacular incident of the seashore flying carnival." Brookins makes two exhibition flights. On his second flight, he is accompanied by Frank Coffyn. Together, they perform a 12 minute demonstration of acrobatic flight – called the "Spiral Sky Dance" – during which the plane drops to within 75 feet of the water and darts into the air again. Funds for the air meet rise to $22,116.
July 12, 1910		In the final event of Atlantic City's aviation week, Curtiss gives a demonstration of how airplanes might be used in combat. Curtiss substitutes oranges for bombs and yachts for war vessels, and he wages "war" on the coast of Atlantic City. Brigadier General William Allen Jones, U.S. Engineer Corps, attends the show as a semi-official representative of the Federal Government and is the first to shake Curtiss' hand. Jones states, "I have believed for some months that the warfare of the future would depend very largely upon the perfecting of air machines. While there is still much to be accomplished by the Wrights and other wizards before the airplane will be effective for use in all kinds of weather, I am convinced of one thing right now. The airship must be a big factor for both offensive and defensive measures between nations." All of the aviators leave Atlantic City by the evening, and the mechanics pack up planes to be shipped the following day.
July 13, 1910		The Atlantic City Airshow ends and all of the planes are shipped to their respective destinations.
August 9, 1910		Mechanics, under the direction of the Wright brothers, spend the day assembling aircraft and preparing for the Asbury Park Airshow. Walter Brookins makes two pre-airshow exhibition flights, and Fred Owens demonstrates flight in his dirigible balloon. Charles Hamilton and Glenn Curtis, once an aviation team, formally split when Hamilton serves Curtiss an injunction to restrain Curtiss from interfering with Hamilton's flying. This dissolves the contract between the two aviators.
August 10 to August 20, 1910		An airshow is held in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Aviators such as Walter Brookins, Clifford Harmon, Duval La Chapelle, Fred Owens, Johnny Mack, Ralph Johnstone and Arch Hoxsey are featured in the airshow program. While the events are hosted by the city of Asbury Park, the exhibition field is actually located in Interlaken, New Jersey.
August 10, 1910		On the first day of the Asbury Park Airshow, Walter Brookins crashes into a crowd, injuring 7 people. Brookins, himself, is severely injured, breaking his nose and several teeth. The accident is the first in America in which an airplane crashes and injures spectators. Arch Hoxsey, in an attempt to "keep the show going," flies the second exhibition flight of the day. Harsh winds force Hoxsey's aircraft to dart around the field, and onlookers find his flight so terrifying that no one stays to watch any other exhibition flights on this day.
August 11, 1910		In spite of – or, perhaps, because of – the previous day's events, the 11th of August sees a 100% increase in ticket sales. Wilbur Wright attends the meet in order to watch his aviators and to be sure that none of them take any chances that may result in a crash. Arch Hoxsey and Ralph Johnstone fly, and Johnstone accomplishes the feat of accurately landing his airplane on a prearranged target.
August 12, 1910		New Jersey Governor John Franklin Fort presides over the air meet in celebration of Governor's Day. The events of the day open with Arch Hoxsey making a ten minute flight at a height of 100-200 feet. Frank Coffyn is expected to perform, but a cable snaps on his airplane and his is grounded for the day. In the early evening, Hoxsey and Ralph Johnstone fly daring exhibition flights at 3,000 feet. They show off some of their acrobatic flying, performing figure eights and sharp turns. Tragedy strikes again when Benjamin Prince, parachuting from a balloon piloted by Johnny Mack, falls to his death. Prince's parachute fails to open when he jumps from the aircraft which is floating at 6,000 feet. Thousands watch as the 20-year-old parachutist falls and lands in an apple tree on the property of George C. Conover. Rumors circulate that in Lanark, Scotland, an American aviator named J. Armstrong Drexel has broken the altitude record that Walter Brookins set at the Atlantic City airshow.
August 13, 1910		Ralph Johnstone exhibits extraordinary flying. For 35 minutes, at heights continuously above 5,000 feet, he flies out over the Atlantic Ocean.
August 15, 1910		In order to replace the airplane that Brookins crashed on the first day of the meet, the Wright Brothers ship in an additional plane. This substitute plane is a new model with engineering that is dramatically different from previous Wright Brothers aircraft. It is designed to hold more passengers and to travel greater distances.
August 16, 1910		August 16th is deemed "Scientists Day" at the Asbury Park Airshow, and Thomas A. Edison is in attendance as the guest of honor. In spite of wind and rain, and against the wishes of airshow officials, Hoxsey and Johnstone make exhibition flights.
August 17, 1910		The rainstorm from the previous day continues and worsens. The aviators remain grounded for the day.
August 18, 1910		Ralph Johnstone's aircraft crashes, hitting an automobile. Johnstone survives the crash unscathed. Brookins, despite his injuries, reintroduces himself to the airshow and flies for 4 minutes at 200 feet.
August 19, 1910		Brookins and Coffyn perform exhibition flights showcasing their prowess as aviators. In the evening, Ralph Johnstone and Arch Hoxsey make the first public nighttime flights. Soaring through the dim sky in Wright Brothers aircraft, the two men fly over Asbury Park and Interlaken, New Jersey.
August 20, 1910		This is the final day of the Asbury Park Airshow. It is officially confirmed by the Kew Observatory, that J. Armstrong Drexel broke Walter Brookins' world record for altitude in flight. On August 12th, 1910, J. Armstrong Drexel flew to a height of 6,752 feet in Lanark, Scotland. Ralph Johnstone later shatters Drexel's altitude – and Brookins' record for altitude flown on American soil – when he flies to a height of 8,471 feet at the Belmont Park Air Show on August 12, 1910.
September 3 to September 13, 1910		The Harvard-Boston Aero Meet takes place at the Harvard Aviation Field in Atlantic, Massachusetts. The Wright Brothers and Glenn Curtiss exhibition teams are in attendance. The airshow inspires a young woman, Harriet Quimby, to fly. She becomes the first American woman to garner a pilot's license.
September 6, 1910		Blanche Stuart Scott becomes the first woman to fly solo in an airplane.
October 8 to October 18, 1910		An airshow is held at Kinloch Field in St. Louis, Missouri.
October 11, 1910		At the St. Louis Airshow, Arch Hoxsey takes Theodore Roosevelt on a ride in his airplane, making Roosevelt the first president to fly in an aircraft.
October 15, 1910		The first recorded attempt to cross the Atlantic in a dirigible is made by Walter Wellman in his airship America. Wellman and his crew depart from the Atlantic City inlet. Their attempt is thwarted when a panel on the airship rips.
October 22 to October 31, 1910		An airshow takes place on Long Island, in Belmont Park, New York. The airshow, called the Belmont International Aviation Tournament, draws both American and international aviators such as: Glenn Curtiss, John Moisant, Arch Hoxsey, Ralph Johnstone, Charles Hamilton, Count Jacques de Lesseps, Roland Garros and Claude Grahame-White.
November 1910		Halethorpe, Baltimore County, Maryland hosts an airshow featuring aviators such as: Hubert Latham, Count Jacques de Lesseps, Charles Willard, J. Armstrong Drexel, Eugene Ely, Arch Hoxsey, and James Radley.
November 17, 1910		Ralph Johnstone is killed in airplane crash.
November 27 to November 30th, 1910		Chattanooga, Tennessee hosts an airshow with flights by John B. Moisant, Charles K. Hamilton, Roland G. Garros, Rene Simon, Rene Barrier, John J. Frisbie and Joseph M Seymour.
December 24 to December 31st, 1910		New Orleans hosts an airshow that is scheduled to end on January 2nd, 1911. The airshow is cut tragically short when one of the featured aviators, John B. Moisant, crashes in Harahan (just outside of New Orleans).
December 31, 1910		Arch Hoxsey is killed in an airplane crash.
August 1, 1911		Harriet Quimby takes her pilot's test and becomes the first woman in the United States to earn her pilot's license.
April 16, 1912		Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel.
May 30, 1912		Wilbur Wright dies of typhoid fever.
July 1, 1912		While flying in the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet at Squantum, Massachusetts, Harriet Quimby is ejected from her aircraft and is killed.
July 2, 1912		Departing from Atlantic City, Melvin Vaniman attempts a trans-Atlantic flight in his airship "Akron." The ship explodes over the Atlantic City inlet, killing all onboard.
January 22, 1914		Charles Hamilton dies of complications from tuberculosis and pneumonia.
1915		Glenn Curtiss returns to Atlantic City and establishes an airborne sightseeing service. In wooden-winged boats embarking from the inlet, Curtiss flies Atlantic City's summertime residents over the resort. It becomes a fashionable recreational activity for the city's social elite.
1918		A filmmaker named Jaccard – perhaps Jacques Jaccard who directed silent films such as "The Diamond from the Sky" – establishes another flying boat sightseeing service. He is Curtiss' only competition. This instills in Curtiss the idea that a similar enterprise could be operated and maintained on land.
May 2, 1919		The second Pan-American Aeronautical Congress is held on the Steel Pier. Inspired by Curtiss and Jaccard's sightseeing services, a group is formed to establish an official airfield on the island of Atlantic City. This idea flourishes and Atlantic City becomes the home of the country's first "airport." The airport is named Bader Field after Edward L. Bader.
May 20 to May 21, 1927		Charles A. Lindbergh completes the first solo, nonstop trans-Atlantic flight.
October 19 to October 21, 1927		As part of his Guggenheim Tour, Charles A. Lindbergh visits Atlantic City.
1928		Ida Mae Hampton becomes the first Southern New Jersey woman to earn her pilot's license. She flies from Bader Field in Atlantic City. She famously declined an invitation to fly on the "American Nurse" flight which disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean in September of 1932.
July 23, 1930		Glenn Curtiss dies from complications after appendix surgery.
May 21, 1932		Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to complete a solo, nonstop trans-Atlantic flight.
July 17, 1933		Dr. Albert E. Forsythe and C. Alfred Anderson take off from Bader Field in Atlantic City. They become the first African Americans to complete a transcontinental flight.
June 25, 1945		Clifford Harmon dies.
January 30, 1948		Orville Wright dies.
April 29, 1953		Walter Brookins dies.
July 1, 1958		The National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) opens in Pomona, NJ. Today it is called the William J. Hughes Technical Center.
December 10, 1960		Frank Coffyn dies.
August 17 to August 21, 1977		The Transfair is held at the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) – now named the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center – in Pomona, NJ. Though a variety of forms of transportation are displayed, aircraft are the highlight exhibit. 100,000 visitors attend.
1978		The second Transfair takes place again at the Technical Center in Pomona, NJ drawing crowds as high as 100,000 spectators.
September 15 to September 16, 1990		The Atlantic Community College Foundation sponsors an airshow at the Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona, NJ in order to raise funds for the Community College's Center for Aviation Studies program. While the event is an "artistic success," it fails to draw a large crowd with only 55,000 individuals in attendance.
July 18 to July 19, 1992		The airshow returns to the Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona, NJ with demonstrations by United States Army Golden Knights, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, Frecce Tricolori, Team America and solo performers including acrobatic fliers and wing walkers.
1993		The Millville Airport in Millville, NJ hosts its first Wheels and Wings Airshow with 2,500 people in attendance.
May 17 to May 18, 2003		The Millville Airport hosts 92,000 visitors at its Wheels and Wings Airshow.
August 27, 2003		For the first time since 1910, Atlantic City hosts an airshow. The United States Army Golden Knights, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, the New Jersey Air National Guard and the United States Coast Guard all participate and demonstrate. More than 200,000 visitors watch the aerial performances. Since 2003, the airshow – held over the Atlantic City beaches – has become an annual event with growing attendance each year.
August 25, 2010		The Atlantic City Airshow celebrates its centennial anniversary with flights by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Air National Guard, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team. Also scheduled are U.S. Marine Harrier Jet and U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet demonstrations.

October 22 to October 31, 1910 – An airshow takes place on Long Island, in Belmont Park, New York. The airshow, called the Belmont International Aviation Tournament, draws both American and international aviators such as: Glenn Curtiss, John Moisant, Arch Hoxsey, Ralph Johnstone, Charles Hamilton, Count Jacques de Lesseps, Roland Garros and Claude Grahame-White.