1926 in aviation

1926 Westland Widgeon (Br) and Ford Trimotor.
1926 Westland Widgeon (Br) and Ford Trimotor.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1926:

Events

  • Award of the Harmon Trophy begins. A set of three trophies is awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix (female aviator), and aeronaut (balloon or dirigible aviator) for the year, and a fourth trophy (the National Trophy) is awarded to the outstanding aviator for the year in each of the 21 member countries of the International League of Aviators.
  • Fiat acquires the Società Anonima Aeronautica Ansaldo aircraft manufacturing subsidiary from the Gio. Ansaldo & C. shipbuilding company and combines it with its own Società Italiana Aviazione subsidiary to form a new Società Anonima Aeronautica d'Italia subsidiary for the design and production of aircraft.[1]
  • The first known reforestation of land by aircraft is carried by airplanes operating from Wheeler Field on Oahu in the Territory of Hawaii.[2]
  • Harold Frederick Pitcairn founds the Pitcairn Aircraft Company. It later will become the Autogiro Company of America.
  • Summer 1926 – A Lieutenant Jira of Czechoslovakia flies Avia B.9.11 L-BONG 1,800 km (1,100 mi) from Prague to Paris and back at an average speed of 131.2 km/h (81.5 mph), a notable achievement at the time for an aircraft of the B.9's class.[3]

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

  • Adolphe Bernard's Société Industrielle des Métaux et du Bois (SIMB; Industrial Company for Metals and Wood) closes, a victim of bankruptcy. Bernard again will reorganize the company in September 1927 as the Société des Avions Bernard (Bernard Aircraft Company) and resume the design and production of aircraft.[37]
  • G. M. Lord announces the organization of Honolulu Airways, Ltd., a commercial airline which would carry passengers, mail, and freight between Honolulu and other points on Oahu and between Oahu and other islands in Hawaii. The airline never materializes.[13]
  • November 6 – Italo Balbo becomes Italy's Secretary of State for Air.[38]
  • November 13 – The 1926 Schneider Trophy race is flown at Hampton Roads, Virginia. Mario de Bernardi of Italy wins in a Macchi M.39 at 396.698 km/h (246.497 mph), a new world speed record.
  • November 15 – T. Neville Stack and B. S. Leete leave England in an attempt to reach India by air in a de Havilland DH.60. They will arrive in Karachi on January 8, 1927.
  • November 17 – Mario de Bernardi breaks his four-day-old world speed record, reaching 416.618 km/h (258.874 mph) in the same Macchi M.39 at Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA.

December

  • December 7
  • December 15 – Bert Hinkler and John F. Leeming, flying the Avro 585 Gosport biplane G-EBPH, take off from Woodford Aerodrome in Woodford, Greater Manchester, England, hoping to land on the mountain Helvellyn in the Lake District, but turn back because of bad weather.[39]
  • December 21 – Hinkler and Leeming depart Woodford Aerodrome in the Avro 585 Gosport biplane G-EBPH to make a second attempt at landing on Helvellyn, but turn back after finding the winds over the Lake District too strong to allow a landing.[39]
  • December 22 – Flying the Avro 585 Gosport biplane G-EBPH from Woodford Aerodrome, Hinkler (as passenger) and Leeming (as pilot) succeed in landing on the summit of Helvellyn. After asking a witness on the ground to sign a paper attesting to the landing, they take off and return to Woodford Aerodrome. They claim to have made the first landing on a mountain in the United Kingdom.[39]
  • December 31 – The first Air Commerce Regulations of the United States Department of Commerce's Aeronautics Branch go into effect. They require all aircraft engaged in interstate or foreign commerce to be licensed and marked with an assigned identification number; pilots of licensed aircraft to hold private or commercial licenses; and mechanics repairing aircraft engaged in air commerce to secure either engine or airplane mechanic licenses, or both. The regulations also class commercial pilots as either transport or industrial pilots, and prescribe operational and air traffic safety rules. Aircraft owners, pilots, and mechanics have until March 1, 1927 (later extended to May 1, 1927) to apply for licenses, and must comply with all licensing requirements by July 1, 1927.[14]

First flights

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

Entered service

May

June

August

September

December

Retirements

March

References

  1. ↑ Chant, Chris, The World's Great Bombers, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2000, ISBN 978-0-7607-2012-7, p. 48.
  2. 1 2 Aviation Hawaii: 1920-1929 Chronology of Aviation in Hawaii
  3. ↑ Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 72.
  4. ↑ O'Connor, Derek, "The Other Franco," Aviation History, January 2018, pp. 56, 57.
  5. 1 2 O'Connor, Derek, "The Other Franco," Aviation History, January 2018, p. 57.
  6. ↑ O'Connor, Derek, "The Other Franco," Aviation History, January 2018, pp. 57-58.
  7. ↑ Colonel Phillip S. Meilinger, USAF. Maxwell AFB. American Airpower Biography: Billy Mitchell Archived September 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. 1 2 3 O'Connor, Derek, "The Other Franco," Aviation History, January 2018, p. 58.
  9. ↑ "FATALITIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY". Air Mail Pioneers. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Arago: Employees". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Pilot Smith". Time. 1926-02-22. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  12. ↑ Taylor 1988, p.102–103.
  13. 1 2 3 Horvat, William J., Lieutenant Colonel (1966). Above the Pacific (PDF). Aero Publishers, Inc. p. 59. Retrieved 3 June 2026.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "FAA HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY, 1926-1996" (PDF). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 18 May 2026.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  15. ↑ Barr, Linda (2004). Bessie Coleman: Pioneer Pilot. Columbus, Ohio: Zaner-Bloser. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-73672-039-7.
  16. 1 2 German Aviation History Homepage: Junkers G 24 Archived 2010-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917-1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990, ISBN 0-87021-026-2, p. 215.
  18. ↑ noaa.gov NOAA History: NOAA Legacy Timeline 1900-1969
  19. ↑ "Engineering Science and the Development of the NACA Low-Drag Engine Cowling". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  20. ↑ A Chronological History of Coast Guard Aviation: The Early Years, 1915-1938.
  21. ↑ Coast Guard Aviation History.
  22. ↑ "Entrepreneurs: The Planes; 1926 Ford Flivver." Archived 2012-08-04 at the Wayback Machine The Henry Ford Museum. Retrieved: August 4, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Ford-EAA Flivver Chapter 159– 268." Air Venture Museum. Retrieved: August 3, 2012.
  24. ↑ David L. Lewis. The Public Image of Henry Ford An American Folk Hero and His Company.
  25. ↑ Robert F. Pauley (July 1961). "The Ford Flivver". Sport Aviation.
  26. 1 2 Forden, Lesley. The Ford Air Tours: 1925–1931. New Brighton Minnesota: Aviation Foundation of America, 2003, First edition 1972. No ISBN.
  27. ↑ "Pitcairn". Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  28. 1 2 Phillips, Edward (April 17, 2015). "Walter H. Beech and the Ford Reliability Tours – Air Tours". kingairmagazine.com. King Air Magazine. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  29. ↑ "FRENCH PRE-WAR REGISTER Version 270609" (PDF). Air Britain. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  30. ↑ Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
  31. ↑ "Pitcairn". Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  32. ↑ Horvat, William J., Lieutenant Colonel (1966). Above the Pacific (PDF). Aero Publishers, Inc. p. 56. Retrieved 3 June 2026.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. 1 2 Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 78.
  34. ↑ Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
  35. ↑ Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-55750-432-6, p. 39.
  36. ↑ Smith, Peter C., Dive Bomber!, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1982, ISBN 978-0-87021-930-6, pp. 23-24.
  37. ↑ "Adolphe-Bernard". Fan d'Avions (in French). 16 May 2001. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  38. ↑ Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-85602-7, p. 75.
  39. 1 2 3 "Avro 585 G-EBPH Gosport on Helvellyn". Aircraft Accidents In Yorkshire. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  40. ↑ Liron, Jean (1990). Les avions Bernard. Collection Docavia (in French). Vol. 31. Paris: Éditions Larivière. pp. 181, 224. ISBN 2-84890-065-2.
  41. ↑ Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 63.
  42. ↑ Liron, Jean (1990). Les avions Bernard. Collection Docavia (in French). Vol. 31. Paris: Éditions Larivière. pp. 178–179, 224. ISBN 2-84890-065-2.
  43. ↑ Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, ISBN 978-0-517-56588-9, p. 462.
  44. ↑ Polmar, Norman, "'There's a Ford In Your Future'," Naval History, December 2015, p. 14.
  45. ↑ Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 74.
  46. ↑ "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft" cover Editors: Paul Eden & Soph Moeng, (Amber Books Ltd. Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London, NI 9PF, 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1), 1152 pp.
  47. ↑ Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN 0-7607-0592-5, p. 187.
  48. ↑ Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN 0-7607-0592-5, p. 63.
  • Taylor, H.A. Fairey Aircraft since 1915. London:Putnam, 1988. ISBN 978-0-370-00065-7.