One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University

PREFACE
Commemorating the first century of aviation, this chronology is dedicated
to the men and women who gave their lives to advance air and space flight. It
includes significant air and space events since the Wright brothers first demonstrated
in 1903 that humankind could fly in heavier-than-air machines.
Although focused on the evolution of the United States Air Force (USAF), it
also includes major developments in military, naval, civil, and international air
power. *
Until World War I, military leaders had conceived of the airplane primarily
as a reconnaissance and artillery-spotting tool. By the end of 1918, however,
the airplane was already performing other missions, including air superiority,
strategic bombardment, interdiction, close air support, and airlift.
Aviation continued to evolve after the war, as evidenced by increased aircraft
ranges, altitudes, and speeds. These growing capabilities allowed transcontinental
and transoceanic flights as well as encouraged airline service and
airmail. The U.S. Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier in 1922. The
U.S. Army Air Service made the first flight around the world in 1924,
demonstrating the global reach of air power. Metal monoplanes featuring
enclosed cockpits and retractable landing gear replaced fabric-skinned,
open-cockpit biplanes with fixed wheels. The Army Air Corps, established in
1926, developed large, long-range bombers and a doctrine for their use.
World War II accelerated advances in aviation technology that saw production
of faster, larger, higher-flying, and longer-range airplanes. Japan’s
surrender shortly after the first atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki demonstrated that air power could be decisive in the outcome of
wars. Jet aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles, pressurized cabins, and radar
were all legacies of the war. So too were the introductions of airborne operations,
the helicopter as a military vehicle, and global air transport.
Recognizing the growing importance of aviation to national defense,
Congress created an independent USAF in September 1947, just two years
after World War II. That same year, Capt. Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager, USAF,
pioneered supersonic flight. Almost immediately the new Air Force proved
its worth by saving the western sectors of Berlin from Communist aggression
with the largest airlift in history (1948–49). Air power won the first battle of
the Cold War.
*References in the Chronology to the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps are to United States forces
unless otherwise specified.
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