1929

Master Index

1931

1930 Chronology of Aviation History
Major Aviation Events

1930 Aviation Records

• Speed: (Italy), 362-mph, Giuseppe Motta, “Macchi M.67”, 8/22/1929.

• Distance: (Italy), 5,088.28-miles, Maddalena and Cecconi, “SIAI-Marchetti S.M.64bis”, 6/2/1930.

• Altitude: (USA), 43,166-feet, Apollo Soucek, Wright “Apache”, 6/4/1930.

• Weight: (Germany), 123,457-lbs, Dornier, “Do.X”.

• Engine Power: (UK), 1,900-hp, Rolls-Royce, “R”.

(undated) 1930

• 1930 — Surrey Aero Club inaugurates recreational flights from Gatwick Race Course (now London Gatwick Airport).

• 1930 — The German airship LZ127 “Graf Zeppelin” makes its first crossing of the South Atlantic.

January 1930

• January 25 — American Airways is formed.

February 1930

• No data.

March 1930

• March 21 — The Chilean Army and Navy combine their air arms into a separate, independent command.

April 1930

• April — First flight of the “RWD-3”.

• April 29 — First flight of the Polikarpov “I-5”.

May 1930

• May 5 to 24 — Amy Johnson flies from Croydon, England, to Darwin, Australia in a de Havilland “Gipsy Moth”.

• May 6 — First flight of the Boeing “Monomail”.

• May 15 — Ellen Church becomes the world's first flight attendant, working for Boeing Air Transport.

• May 16 — First flight of the Blériot “110”.

June 1930

• June 4 — Lt. Apollo Soucek sets a new seaplane altitude record of 43,166 ft (13,157 m) in a Wright “Apache”.

• June 12 — First flight of the Handley Page “Heyford”.

July 1930

• July 16 to August 8 — The second International Tourist Aircraft Contest Challenge 1930 in Berlin, won by the German crew of Fritz Morzik on the “BFW M.23” plane.

• July 19 — Death of Frank Goldsborough in a crash in Vermont.

• July 20 to August 1 — 7,560 km race over Europe of the “Challenge 1930” contest.

• July 18 — First flight of the Blackburn “Sydney”.

• July 29 — British airship “R.100” makes a test flight to Montreal and Back.

August 1930

• August 8 — End of the “Challenge 1930” contest, won by Fritz Morzik.

• August 23 — Ford National Reliability Air Tour starts in Chicago.

• August 25 — Eddie Schneider sets the junior transcontinental air speed record. He flew from Westfield, New Jersey.

September 1930

• September 3 — Ford National Reliability Air Tour finishes in Chicago. Harry Russell takes first place, and Eddie Schneider finishes in eight place, but wins the Great Lakes Trophy.

• September 12 — First flight of the Taylor “E-2”.

• September 24 — First flight of the Short “Rangoon”.

October 1930

• October 5 — British airship “R.101” crashes in France while en route to India. Forty-seven people are killed.

• October 5 — First flight of the Junkers “Ju.52 PZL P.7”.

• October 25 — TWA, originally “Transcontinental and Western Air”, begins the first regular passenger flights between New York and Los Angeles.

November 1930

• November 14 — First flight of the Handley Page “HP.42”.

• November 18 — First flight of the Boeing “XP-9”.

• November 25 — First flight of the Fairey “Hendon”.

December 1930

• December 22 — First flight of the Tupolev “ANT-6”.

Works Cited

1. Gunston, Bill, et al. Chronicle of Aviation. Liberty, Missouri: JL Publishing Inc., 1992. 14-17
2. Parrish, Wayne W. (Publisher). "United States Chronology". 1962 Aerospace Yearbook, Forty-Third Annual Edition. Washington, DC: American Aviation Publications, Inc., 1962, 446-469.
3. Wikipedia, 1930 in aviation
4. Shupek, John (photos and card images), The Skytamer Archive. Skytamer.com, Whittier, CA