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1934 Chronology of Aviation History
Major Aviation Events
1934 Aviation Records
Speed: (Italy), 440.68-mph, Francesco Agello, Macchi-Castoldi “MC-72”, 10/23/1934.
Distance: (France), 6,587.45-miles, Bossouttrot and Rossi, “Blériot 110”, 3/26/1932.
Altitude: (Italy), 47,352-feet, Renato Donati, Caproni “Ca.113AQ”, 4/11/1934.
Weight: (Germany), 123,457-lbs, Dornier, “Do.X”.
Engine Power: (Italy), 3,058-hp, Fiat, “AS.6”.
(undated) 1934
January 1934
January 10-11 — A flight of six U.S. Navy Consolidated “P2Y” flying boats set a new distance record for formation flying, 2,400 miles (3,862 km) between San Francisco and Pearl Harbor, also setting a new speed record for this crossing of 24 hours 35 minutes.
January 14 — First flight of the de Havilland “DH.86”.
January 30 — Soviet pilots Fedossenko, Wassenko and Usyskin take the stratosphere-balloon “Ossoaviachim I” to 22,000 m (72,160 ft). Thick ice covered the cabin, and it tore loose from the balloon during the descent, crashing to the ground and killing the crew.
February 1934
February — First flight of the “Supermarine Type 224”.
February — First flight of the Gotha “Go.145”.
February 3 — Lufthansa begins the first regular airmail service across the Atlantic Ocean, between Berlin and Rio de Janeiro.
February 7 — The first airmail flight between Australia and New Zealand is made by Charles Ulm in an Avro Ten, taking 14 hours 10 minutes.
February 19 — The United States Army Air Corps begins flying U.S. airmail after the government cancels all existing airmail contracts due to alleged improprieties by the previous administration during the negotiations of those contracts.
March 1934
April 1934
April — First flight of the Mitsubishi “G3M” (as “Ka-9” prototype).
April 11 — Renato Donati sets a new altitude record of 14,433 m (47,352 ft) in a Caproni “Ca.113”.
April 17 — First flight of the de Havilland “Dragon Rapide”.
April 17 — First flight of the Fairey “Swordfish” prototype (K4190).
May 1934
May 8-23 — Jean Batten sets a new women's speed record between England and Australia. She flies a de Havilland “DH.60” and makes the trip in 14 days 22 hours.
May 9 — First flight of the de Havilland “Hornet Moth”.
May 11 — First flight of the Douglas “DC-2”.
May 18 — The Douglas DC-2 entered service with Transcontinental and Western Air.
May 29 — Highland Airways commences the first regular airmail service within the United Kingdom, between Inverness and Kirkwall.
June 1934
June 4 — The U.S. Navy commissions its first purpose-built aircraft carrier, “USS Ranger”.
June 26 — Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf “Fw.61”, the first practical helicopter.
June 26 — First flight of the Airspeed “Envoy”.
June 29-30 — Benjamin and Joseph Adamowicz brothers, amateur pilots, flew across the Atlantic.
July 1934
July 15 — Varney Speed Lines (later to be Continental Airlines) makes its first passenger-carrying flight.
July 19 — Curtiss F9C “Sparrowhawk” parasite fighters from airship “USS Macon” successfully launch from the airship, scout out the cruiser “USS Houston” and return to the “USS Macon”.
July 19-August 20 — General Henry Arnold leads ten Martin “B-10” bombers on an 8,000 mile (12,875 km) proving flight.
July 27 — First flight of the Supermarine “Stranraer”.
August 1934
August — First flight of the PZL.23 “Karas”.
August 8-9 — James Ayling and Leonard Reid make the first non-stop flight from Canada to England, in a de Havilland “DH.84”, taking 30 hours 50 minutes for the flight.
August 14 — First flight of the Dewoitine “D.510”.
August 28 to September 16 — The fourth International Tourist Aircraft Contest Challenge 1934 in Warsaw, won by the Polish crew of Jerzy Bajan on the “RWD-9” plane.
September 1934
September 7-16 — As part of “Challenge International de Tourisme 1934”, a 9,537 km (5,922-mile) race takes place over Europe and North Africa, concluding with a maximum speed trial over a 297-km (184-mile) triangular course on September 16.
September 7 — First flight of the Hawker “Hardy”.
September 8 — First flight of the de Havilland DH.88 “Comet”.
September 12 — First flight of the Hawker “Hind”.
September 12 — First flight of the Gloster “Gladiator”.
September 22 — Sir Alan Cobham sets out in an Airspeed “Courier” in a failed attempt to fly non-stop from England to India.
October 1934
October 7 — First flight of the first prototype Tupolev “ANT-40RT” which becomes Tupolev “SB”.
October 20-November 3 — Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first eastward crossing of the Pacific Ocean, from Brisbane, Australia to San Francisco, California, in the “Lady Southern Cross”.
October 20-November 5 — MacRobertson Air Race flown from England to Melbourne, Australia to celebrate the centenary of the state of Victoria. The £75,000 prize money is won by Charles Scott and Tom Black flying de Havilland DH.88 “Comet Grosvenor House”.
October 23 — Francesco Agello passes his 1933 world speed with a new airspeed record of 709 km/h (440 mph). Again he flies the Italian seaplane the Macchi “M.C.72”.
November 1934
December 1934
December 3 — Charles Ulm disappears while flying over the Pacific, between Oakland, California and Hawaii.
December 8 — Imperial Airways extends its airmail service to Australia.
Works Cited
- Gunston, Bill, et al. Chronicle of Aviation. Liberty, Missouri: JL Publishing Inc., 1992. 14-17
- Parrish, Wayne W. (Publisher). "United States Chronology". 1962 Aerospace Yearbook, Forty-Third Annual Edition. Washington, DC: American Aviation Publications, Inc., 1962, 446-469.
- Wikipedia, 1934 in aviation
- Shupek, John (photos and card images), The Skytamer Archive. Skytamer.com, Whittier, CA
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