1936

Master Index

1938

1937 Chronology of Aviation History
Major Aviation Events

1937 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: (UK), 53,937-feet, Major Adam, “Bristol 138”, 6/30/1937.

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

• Engine Power: (Italy), 3,058-hp, Fiat, “AS.6”.

January 1937

• January 13 — First flight of the Fairey “Fulmar.”

February 1937

• February — The Gloster “Gladiator” entered service with No. 3 and No. 72 Squadron RAF.

• February 9 — First flight of the Blackburn “Skua.”

March 1937

• March — First flight of the Miles “Magister.”

• March 4 — The Boeing YB-17 “Flying Fortress” entered service with U.S. 2nd Bombardment Group.

• March 5 — Imperial Airways opens a new flying boat base at Hythe, Hampshire.

• March 9 — The Armstrong Whitworth “Whitley” entered service with No. 10 Squadron RAF.

• March 9 — The Bristol “Blenheim” entered service with No. 114 Squadron RAF.

• March 10 — First flight of the Hawker “Henley.”

April 1937

• April — The Vickers “Wellesley” entered service.

• April — The Junkers “Ju.87” entered service with I/StG 162.

• April 9 — The “Kamikaze” arrives at Croydon Airport in London — it is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.

• April 10 — First flight of the Junkers “Ju.88-V2” (D-AREN).

• April 12 — Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft at the British Thomson-Houston factory in Rugby, England.

• April 16 — The Supermarine “Stranraer” entered service.

• April 26 — Luftwaffe bombers of Legion Condor attack Guernica.

• April 30 — Nationalist Spanish battleship “España” sunk by air attack by Republican forces.

May 1937

• May 6 — German Zeppelin “Hindenburg” caught fire and was destroyed whilst attempting to dock with its mooring mast at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

• May 7 — First flight of the Lockheed “XC-35”.

• May 20 — First flight of the de Havilland “Albatross.”

• May 20 — First flight of the Arado “Ar.196.”

• May 20 — The Fairey “Battle” entered service with No. 63 Squadron RAF.

June 1937

• June 18-20 — Valery Chkalov, G.F. Baidukov, A.V. Belyakov flew from Moscow to Vancouver, Washington, USA via the North Pole.

• June 18 — First flight of the de Havilland “Don.”

• June 19 — First flight of the Airspeed “Oxford.”

• June 22 — First flight of the de Havilland “Moth Minor.”

July 1937

• July 3 — Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear on a flight from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island, and are never seen again.

• July 3-6 — Pan Am and Imperial Airways flying boats conduct joint survey flights over the Atlantic in preparation for the commencement of regular services.

• July 12-14 — Mikhail Gromov, A. B. Yumashev, and S. A. Danilin establish a new distance record of 10,148 km (6,303 miles) from Moscow to San Jacinto, California, USA via the North Pole.

• July 27 — First flight of the Short “Mayo” Flying-boat/seaplane composite.

• July 27 — First flight of the Focke-Wulf “Fw.200” prototype (D-AERE).

• July 29 — First flight of the Lockheed Model 14 “Super Electra.”

August 1937

• August 11 — First flight of the Boulton Paul “Defiant” prototype (K8310).

• August 15 — Lufthansa begins seaplane services between the Azores and New York with the assistance of seaplane tenders stationed along the route.

September 1937

• September 1 — Air Canada, Canada's largest airline, began operations.

• September 1 — First flight of the Bell YFM-1 “Airacuda.”

• September 13 — First flight of the Junkers “Ju.88-V3” (D-ASAZ).

October 1937

• October — The Miles “Magister” entered service.

• October — The Douglas TBD “Devastator” entered service with VT-3 aboard USS Saratoga.

• October 16 — First flight of the Short S.25 K 4774, prototype of the Short “Sunderland.”

November 1937

• November — The Airspeed “Oxford” entered service.

• November 16 — A Sabena Junkers “Ju.52” en route from Cologne, Germany to London via Brussels crashed near Ostend with 11 on board. All aboard were killed, including the Grand Duke and eight-months pregnant Grand Duchess of Hesse and their two small sons.

December 1937

• December — The Vought SB2U “Vindicator” entered service with VB-3 aboard USS Saratoga.

• December — First flight of the Brewster “B-139”, prototype of the Brewster “Buffalo.”

• December 24 — First flight of the Macchi “C.200.”

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, 1937 in aviation
4. Shupek, John (photos and card images), The Skytamer Archive. Skytamer.com, Whittier, CA