Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps
The first Wright airplane arriving at Ft. Myer, VA, 1 September 1908
Active	1 August 1907–18 July 1914
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Size	(1913) 18 pilots, 100 support personnel 31 total airplanes 1909–1914
Part of	Signal Corps

The Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps (1907–1914) was the very first military group in history to use airplanes. It was the beginning of what would become the United States Air Force. This division was part of the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

In 1909, the Aeronautical Division bought the first powered military aircraft. They also started schools to train pilots and created a system to rate their skills. In 1913, they formed the first permanent American aviation unit, called the 1st Aero Squadron.

During its time, the Aeronautical Division trained 51 officers and 2 enlisted men as pilots. Sadly, 13 people died in air crashes. They had 29 factory-built airplanes, built one more from spare parts, and rented a civilian plane for a short time in 1911.

After the United States Congress approved an Aviation Section in the Signal Corps in 1914, the Aeronautical Division continued as its main part. However, by April 1918, it was not efficient enough for World War I. The War Department replaced it with a new organization. This new group eventually became the foundation of the Army's Air Service.

How the Air Force Began

The United States Army Signal Corps first got involved with flying during the American Civil War. Back then, Thaddeus S. C. Lowe led the Union Army Balloon Corps. In 1892, Major General Adolphus Greely planned for a military balloon group. He bought a balloon from France in 1893.

Later, in 1897, Signal Corps members built a second balloon called the Santiago. This balloon was used in combat during the Spanish-American War in Cuba in 1898.

In 1898–99, the War Department became interested in flying machines. They invested $50,000 for the rights to a machine by Samuel Langley. However, Langley's "Aerodrome" failed. The Army later became interested in aviation again after the Wright Brothers successfully flew their airplane.

All balloon training for the U.S. Army Signal Corps moved to Fort Omaha, Nebraska, in 1905. In 1906, Major George Owen Squier studied how airplanes worked. He also taught about the Wright flying machine. One of his students, Captain Billy Mitchell, also studied aviation.

In July 1907, Squier convinced Brigadier General James Allen to create an aviation group within the Signal Corps.

The Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, started on August 1, 1907. It began with one officer and two enlisted men. Captain Charles deForest Chandler was the first head of the new division. He had Corporal Edward Ward and Private First Class Joseph E. Barrett as his helpers.

1st Lt. Frank P. Lahm, a cavalry officer, also joined the division. Both Chandler and Lahm were experienced balloonists. Lahm had won an international balloon race the year before. Chandler led the division until 1908, and again from 1911 to 1913.

On December 23, 1907, the Signal Corps asked for bids to build a flying machine. They sent a copy of their requirements to the Wright brothers.

Getting the First Aircraft

In 1908, the Aeronautical Division bought a dirigible (a type of airship) and an airplane from the Wright Brothers. The dirigible cost $6,750, and the airplane cost $25,000. Both aircraft had to carry two people. The dirigible needed to carry 450 pounds and fly at 20 miles per hour. The airplane needed to carry 350 pounds, fly at 40 miles per hour, and travel at least 125 miles.

The dirigible arrived in July 1908. It was called Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1. Baldwin and Glenn Curtiss flew test flights. They met all requirements except speed. During August, Baldwin trained three officers to fly the dirigible: Lahm, Selfridge, and 1st Lt. Benjamin Foulois. Foulois became the first dirigible pilot.

1st Lt. Frank Lahm and Orville Wright in the first U.S. Army airplane, S.C. No. 1, July 27, 1909

The Wright Brothers agreed to sell a Wright Model A airplane for $25,000. They also got a $5,000 bonus for flying faster than required. The airplane arrived at Fort Myer, Virginia, on September 1, 1908, for testing. Orville Wright made the first test flight on September 3. Selfridge and Lahm were official observers.

Crashed Wright Flyer that took the life of Selfridge September 17, 1908

On September 17, 1908, during a test flight, a propeller broke. This caused the airplane to crash. Orville Wright was hurt, and 1st Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge was killed. This was the first fatal airplane crash.

Orville Wright and Wilbur returned to Fort Myer in June 1909. They brought a new, faster airplane. Lahm and Foulois were the official observers for the 1909 tests.

On July 30, Foulois and Wright flew 10 miles. President William Howard Taft watched this flight. This flight broke records for speed, duration with a passenger, and altitude with a passenger. The Army bought the plane for $25,000, plus a $5,000 bonus for its speed. The total price was $30,000.

Airplane Operations

First Solo Flights

The Army accepted the Wright A Military Flyer on August 2, 1909. They called it "Signal Corps (S.C.) No. 1". On August 25, the Army leased land at College Park, Maryland, for training. Wilbur Wright put the airplane together. He began teaching Lahm and 2nd Lt Frederick E. Humphreys to fly.

Both Lahm and Humphreys flew solo for the first time on October 26. Their flights were short, but Lahm stayed in the air for 40 minutes later that day. The Army's contract with the Wright Brothers ended after this training. Wilbur Wright made his last public flight on November 2.

On November 5, Lahm was flying the airplane when it crashed. Neither pilot was hurt, but the crash stopped flights until 1910. Both Lahm and Humphreys returned to their regular duties.

Foulois and Beck

The dirigible service did not last long. The weather and the hydrogen gas caused the gasbag to leak. The dirigible was sold. Foulois, who had criticized the dirigible, was sent to France instead of being trained as an airplane pilot.

In November 1909, Foulois became the only officer in the Aeronautical Division. He had some flight time but had not flown solo. Because of bad winter weather, Foulois moved the flying program to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Foulois and eight enlisted men took apart S.C. No. 1, shipped it to Texas, and put it back together on February 23, 1910.

On March 2, 1910, Foulois flew solo for the first time. He made four flights that day, crashing S.C. No. 1 on its last landing. He flew at a maximum altitude of 200 feet and a speed of 50 miles per hour. He received written instructions from the Wright Brothers. Until 1911, Foulois was the Army's only pilot and a key innovator. He added a leather strap as a safety belt on March 12, 1910. Later, he and Oliver George Simmons added wheels to the landing skids, creating the first landing gear. S.C. No. 1 made its last flight on February 8, 1911.

In early 1911, the U.S. Army gathered many troops in south Texas. This was a show of force to Mexican revolutionaries. In March 1911, Foulois and Wright instructor Philip Orin Parmelee showed how airplanes could help ground troops. S.C. No. 1 was not in good enough condition. So, Foulois rented a Wright B Flyer from Robert J. Collier for one dollar. Foulois and Parmalee landed the rented airplane in the Rio Grande on March 5.

Squier formed a provisional aero company on April 5, 1911. This was the first aviation unit in American history. Five new airplanes were ordered. Two arrived on April 20: a Curtiss 1911 "Type IV military aeroplane" (S.C. No. 2) and a new Wright Model B (S.C. No. 3). Both had wheels instead of skids. Two civilian pilots, Frank Trenholm Coffyn and Eugene Burton Ely, came to help with training. On April 22, 1911, all three Army aircraft flew at the same time during a parade at Fort Sam Houston.

After the Army accepted the aircraft, Foulois and Ely trained new pilots on the Curtiss machine. Student pilots were divided into groups because the controls were very different. S.C. No. 1 was retired on May 4 and sent to the Smithsonian Institution.

The best new pilot was Beck. He became the commander of the provisional aero company. On May 10, Kelly, a new pilot, was killed flying S.C. No. 2. He crashed while landing in strong winds. The division commander stopped all flights at Fort Sam. Foulois blamed the crash on improper repairs and on Beck. Foulois refused to work under Beck. Beck moved the school back to College Park with S.C. No. 3 in June. Foulois was removed from aviation in July. Beck continued as the Curtiss instructor at College Park until May 1, 1912.

Arnold and Milling

Henry H. Arnold at the controls of a Wright Model B airplane 1911

In 1911, 2nd Lieutenant Henry H. Arnold and 2nd Lt. Thomas D. Milling were sent to Dayton, Ohio, for flight training at the Wright brothers' school. Milling flew solo on May 8, and Arnold on May 13.

In June, they finished their training and became the Army's first flight instructors at College Park, Maryland. The school opened on July 3, 1911. It taught ten students, including Chandler. S.C. No. 2 was repaired, and S.C. No. 6, a new Curtiss E "scout", arrived. Milling became the only pilot who could fly both types of aircraft. A disagreement grew between "Wright pilots" and "Curtiss pilots."

Milling won the Tri-State Biplane Race in a Wright B. He flew 175 miles without a compass. It was also his first night flight, guided by large bonfires.

Arnold set an altitude record of 3,260 feet on July 7, 1911, and broke it twice. In August, he had his first crash. At the end of November, the school moved to Augusta, Georgia, for the winter. One of its students, Lt. Col. Charles Winder, was the first National Guard officer to finish flight training.

Arnold received the Army's first tractor plane (with a propeller and engine at the front) on June 26, 1912. But he crashed it during takeoff. Arnold started to fear flying. This fear grew after two fatal crashes in new Wright C "speed scouts": his instructor, Arthur L. Welsh, on June 12, and his classmate, 2d Lt. Lewis Rockwell, on September 18, 1912.

In October 1912, Arnold and Milling went to Fort Riley, Kansas, to test spotting for field artillery. On November 5, Arnold's Wright C stalled, and he barely avoided a fatal crash. He stopped flying voluntarily and returned to the Infantry in 1913. The school at College Park closed. A new school opened in San Diego, California, which later became Rockwell Field.

Growth and Challenges

Captain Charles Chandler (with prototype Lewis Gun) and Lt. Roy Kirtland in a Wright Model B Flyer after the first successful firing of a machine-gun from an aeroplane on June 7, 1912.

In 1911, the Aeronautical Division received its first direct funding from Congress for aviation ($125,000). They added five airplanes to their collection.

Rules from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) were adopted. These included standards for pilot certification. Arnold and Milling became the first two Army pilots to be FAI certified. On February 23, 1912, the U.S. Army created its own military aviator rating. The first five ratings went to Arnold, Chandler, Milling, Beck, and Foulois in July 1912.

In February 1912, the Aeronautical Division created new specifications for aircraft. They wanted a "Scout" plane for two people, for slow, tactical reconnaissance. They also wanted a "Speed Scout" for one person, for faster, longer-range reconnaissance. In May 1912, they bought their first Speed Scout, a Wright C. This aircraft crashed during its tests on June 11, killing 2nd Lt. Leighton Wilson Hazelhurst Jr. and Arthur L. Welsh.

The division bought six Wright Cs in total. Six of them crashed. This led to all "pusher" aircraft (where the propeller is at the back) being grounded on February 24, 1914.

In anticipation of a possible war with Mexico, Chandler and four pilots were sent to Texas City, Texas, on February 28, 1913. They brought Curtiss JN-3 airplanes. Eight pilots and nine airplanes trained with the 2nd Division. On March 5, the 1st Aero Squadron was formed as a temporary unit. It became the first permanent air force unit on December 8, 1913.

While in Texas City, the younger pilots complained about safety to the new Chief Signal Officer, Brig. Gen. George P. Scriven. They wanted Chandler replaced. Scriven called this an "incipient mutiny" but relieved Chandler on April 1. Capt. Cowan replaced him temporarily. In September, Lt. Col. Samuel Reber became the new head of the Aeronautical Division. Both Cowan and Reber were not pilots, which caused tension with the aviators.

The United States landed Marines in Veracruz, Mexico, on April 21, 1914. Five Navy seaplanes provided reconnaissance. Foulois and four pilots from the 1st Aero Squadron were sent to Fort Crockett in Galveston. They never unpacked their airplanes and left Texas on July 13, 1914.

Growing the Aviation Service

Beck was one of the first to suggest an air service separate from the Army. In 1912, he wrote an article promoting an independent air force. In February 1913, Representative James Hay introduced a bill to move aviation out of the Signal Corps. This bill was too radical and failed. However, a revised bill in May, HR5304, aimed to "Increase the Efficiency in the Aviation Service." Hearings were held in August 1913. Beck testified for the bill, while Major Billy Mitchell, Foulois, Arnold, and Milling opposed it. This bill eventually led to the creation of the Aviation Section, Signal Corps on July 18, 1914.

Funding for aviation dropped to $100,000. However, due to the high number of deaths, Congress approved flight pay (a 35% increase) and faster promotions for pilots on March 3, 1913. The Aeronautical Division grew from 14 to 18 pilots. By September 30, 1913, the division had 114 officers and men. The United States ranked 14th in spending on air services among nations.

The next year, Congress increased the size of Signal Corps aviation. They created the Aviation Section, with the Aeronautical Division as its headquarters. Reber became chief of the section. In February 1917, the Aeronautical Division was one of three divisions in the Aviation Section. On October 1, 1917, during World War I, it was renamed the Air Division. It was officially ended by the War Department on April 24, 1918.

Between August 1, 1908, and June 30, 1914, the Signal Corps spent $430,000 on aviation. They bought 30 aircraft and built one more from spare parts. By 1914, only nine of the 23 surviving aircraft were still in service.

Aircraft of the Aeronautical Division

SOURCES: Hennessy, The United States Army Air Arm, April 1861 to April 1917, Chapters 2–6, pp. 28–102; Warnock, "From Infant Technology to Obsolescence: the Wright Brothers' Airplane in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, 1905–1915"

Leaders of the Aeronautical Division

The person in charge of the Aeronautical Division usually had the title "officer in charge" (OIC). The official records of who was in charge between 1908 and 1916 are a bit unclear. The four people recognized by the USAF as the main leaders during this time are marked with a bullet point.

August 1, 1907, to July 18, 1914:

• Captain Charles deForest Chandler (August 1, 1907 – May 13, 1908)

1st Lt. Frank P. Lahm (May 14, 1908 – December 1909)

Unknown (December 1909 – June 30, 1910)

• Capt. Arthur S. Cowan (July 1, 1910 – June 19, 1911)
• Capt. Charles deForest Chandler (June 20, 1911 – April 1, 1913)

  2nd Lt. Henry H. Arnold (September 18, 1912 – December 14, 1912)

Maj. Edgar Russel (December 15, 1912 – September 9, 1913)

• Lt. Col. Samuel Reber (September 10, 1913 – July 17, 1914; Chief of Division July 18, 1914 – May 5, 1916)

Acting Chief of Division

Capt. George S. Gibbs (March 17, 1916 – April 2, 1916)

Major Billy Mitchell (April 3, 1916– May 20, 1916)

Chiefs of Division (and Aviation Section head), 1916–1918

Lt. Col. George O. Squier (May 20, 1916 – February 18, 1917)

Lt. Col. John B. Bennet (February 19, 1917 – July 29, 1917)

Maj. Benjamin D. Foulois (July 30, 1917 – November 5, 1917)

Brig. Gen. Alexander L. Dade (November 5, 1917 – February 14, 1918)

Col. Laurence Brown (February 28, 1918 – April 24, 1918)

*The Air Force does not acknowledge Lahm as OIC of the Aeronautical Division between 1908 and 1910. However, Chandler's biography and Hennessy's history (page 14) indicate that from May 1908 to July 1910 Chandler was commander of the Signal Corps Balloon Station at Fort Omaha, Nebraska. Also, Lahm was mandatorily returned to the Cavalry in late 1909, and no replacement is given, although if one was assigned, it was likely Foulois.

**Chandler was also Chief of the Aviation School and commander of the 1st Provisional Aero Squadron when those organizations were active. He was relieved of duty on April 1, 1913, and transferred to the Philippines. Capt. Cowan replaced him in command of the 1st Aero Squadron and as acting OIC of the Aeronautical Division.

Military Aviation Pioneers

Here are some important people who helped start military aviation with the Aeronautical Division:

• 1st Lt. Henry H. Arnold, 29th Infantry – second rated Military Aviator (July 5, 1912).
• Capt. Paul W. Beck, Signal Corps – first leader of an aviation unit in 1911–12, and first to suggest a separate air service.
• 2d Lt. Lewis H. Brereton, Coast Artillery Corps – the only member to retire (1948) as part of the USAF.
• Cpl. Vernon L. Burge, Signal Corps – first enlisted pilot certified by FAI (June 14, 1912).
• Capt. Charles deF. Chandler, Signal Corps – a balloonist, led the Aeronautical Division twice, and was the third rated pilot (July 5, 1912).
• 1st Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois, Signal Corps – the third pilot to fly solo, and the first Army instructor pilot.
• 2d Lt Leighton W. Hazelhurst, 17th Infantry – the second student pilot to die in a crash (June 11, 1912).
• 2d Lt. Frederick E. Humphreys, Corps of Engineers – the first to fly solo in a military aircraft (October 26, 1909).
• 2d Lt. George E. M. Kelly, 30th infantry – the first student and pilot to die in a crash (May 10, 1911).
• 1st Lt. Frank P. Lahm, 6th Cavalry – the second pilot to fly solo, the first licensed military pilot, and the first Army aviator to fly overseas.
• 2d Lt. Moss L. Love, Signal Corps – the first pilot trained overseas (killed September 4, 1913).
• Sgt.Herbert L. Marcus, US Signal Corps, circa. 1911-1914.
• 1st Lt. Thomas DeW. Milling, 15th Cavalry – the first rated Military Aviator (July 5, 1912).
• 2d Lt. C. Perry Rich, Philippine Scouts – the first fatality overseas (November 14, 1913).
• 2d Lt. Lewis C. Rockwell, 10th Infantry – the first licensed pilot to die in a crash (September 18, 1912).
• Corp. Frank S. Scott, Signal Corps – the first enlisted person and second passenger to die in a crash (September 18, 1912).
• 1st Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, Jr., 1st Field Artillery – the first Army officer to learn to fly, and the first person to die in an airplane crash (September 17, 1908).

Images for kids

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  Lt. Selfridge
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  Lt. Foulois and Orville Wright 1909
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  Thomas Dewitt Milling
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  Henry "Hap" Arnold

See Also

• Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
• Division of Military Aeronautics
• United States Army Air Service
• United States Army Air Corps
• United States Army Air Forces
• United States Air Force

Lineage of the United States Air Force

• Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps August 1, 1907 – July 18, 1914
• Aviation Section, Signal Corps July 18, 1914 – May 20, 1918
• Division of Military Aeronautics May 20, 1918 – May 24, 1918
• Air Service, United States Army May 24, 1918 – July 2, 1926
• United States Army Air Corps July 2, 1926 – June 20, 1941
• United States Army Air Forces June 20, 1941 – September 18, 1947
• United States Air Force September 18, 1947 – present