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Jan 1, 1514
Between 1488 and 1514 Leonardo de Vinci designs the first flying machine
In Italy, Leonardo de Vinci designs the first flying machine. He utilizes the structure of bird wings to engineer the model of his aircraft. -
First Human Passangers in an Aircraft Lighter Than Air
Pilâtre de Rozier and Marquis d'Arlandes become the first human passengers in an aircraft lighter than air. This occurs in an untethered Montgolfiere balloon in Paris, France. -
First Woman to Fly
In Lyons, France, Elisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an unthethered air balloon. -
Clifford Harmon is Born
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Wilbur Wright is Born
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Orville Wright is Born
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Glenn Hammond Curtiss is Born
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Frank Trenholm Coffyn is Born
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Archibald "Arch" Hoxsey is Born
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Charles Keeney Hamilton is Born
The exact date of Charles K. Hamilton's birth is unknown. He was born some time during 1885. -
Ralph Johnstone is Born
The exact date of Ralph Johnstone's birth is unknown. He was born some time during 1886. -
Walter Richard Brookins is Born
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Wilbur Wright Writes the Smithsonian
Wilbur Wright sends correspondence to the Smithsonian Institute stating that he believes human flight is possible. -
Orville Wright Pilots the Wright Flyer at Kill Devil Hills in Kitty Hawk
At Kill Devil Hills in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright pilots the Wright Flyer on a flight lasting 12 seconds, traveling 120 feet. This is the world's first manned, powered, sustained and controlled flight by an aircraft that is heavier-than-air. Three further flights are made, including one lasting nearly a minute. -
August 22 - August 29th: The World's First Airshow - Reims, France
The World’s first major international flying meet happens in Reims, France. Glenn Curtiss, the only American on the field, competes. At this meet, Curtiss averages 47 miles per hour over a 6.2 mile-long course, winning the Gordon Bennett Cup prize for speed. -
January 10 - January 20: United States' First Airshow - Los Angeles, California
The Los Angeles International Air Meet, the first major airshow in the United States, is held at Dominguez Field. Glenn Curtis, Clifford Harmon, and Charles Hamilton – all of whom later participate in the Atlantic City Airshow – compete in this festival. -
Charles Hamilton Makes Round-Trip Flight From New York to Philadelphia
Charles Hamilton becomes the first man to make a round-trip flight from New York to Philadelphia in a single day. -
June 25 - July 5th: Canada's First Airshow - Montreal
Canada’s first airshow is held in Montreal. Walter Brookins, Frank Coffyn and John Alexander Douglas McCurdy fly. After competing in Montreal, these aviators come to Atlantic City to participate in its meet. -
July 4 - July 12: Atlantic City Airshow
A major airshow is held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Participating aviators include: Glenn Curtiss, Walter Brookins, Charles Hamilton, Clifford Harmon, Fred Coffyn, and J.A.D McCurdy. See the Flying Fearless: 1910 Airshows in Atlantic City and Asbury Park timeline for detailed events. 1910 Atlantic City and Asbury Park Airshows -
August 10 - August 20: Asbury Park Airshow
1910 Atlantic City and Asbury Park AirshowsAn airshow is held in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Aviators such as Walter Brookins, Clifford Harmon, Duval La Chapelle, Fred Owens, Johnny Mack, Ralph Johnstone and Arch Hoxsey are featured in the airshow program. While the events are hosted by the city of Asbury Park, the exhibition field is actually located in Interlaken, New Jersey. See the Flying Fearless: 1910 Airshows in Atlantic City and Asbury Park timeline for detailed events. -
September 3 - September 13: Harvard-Boston Aero Meet
The Harvard-Boston Aero Meet takes place at the Harvard Aviation Field in Atlantic, Massachusetts. The Wright Brothers and Glenn Curtiss exhibition teams are in attendance. The airshow inspires a young woman, Harriet Quimby, to fly. She becomes the first American woman to garner a pilot’s license. -
Blanche Stuart Scott - First Woman to Fly Solo
Blanche Stuart Scott becomes the first woman to fly solo in an airplane. -
October 8 - October 18th: Kinloch Field Airshow - St. Louis, Missouri
An airshow is held at Kinloch Field in St. Louis, Missouri. On October 11, 1910, Arch Hoxsey takes Theodore Roosevelt on a ride in his airplane, making Roosevelt the first president to fly in an aircraft. -
Wellman's America: First Recorded Attempt to Cross Atlantic Ocean in a Dirigible
The first recorded attempt to cross the Atlantic in a dirigible is made by Walter Wellman in his airship America. Wellman and his crew depart from the Atlantic City inlet. Their attempt is thwarted when a panel on the airship rips. -
October 22- October 31: Belmont Aviation Tournament - Belmont Park, New York
An airshow takes place on Long Island, in Belmont Park, New York. The airshow, called the Belmont International Aviation Tournament, draws both American and international aviators such as: Glenn Curtiss, John Moisant, Arch Hoxsey, Ralph Johnstone, Charles Hamilton, Count Jacques de Lesseps, Roland Garros and Claude Grahame-White. -
Ralph Johnstone is killed in airplane crash.
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Arch Hoxsey is killed in an airplane crash.
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Harriet Quimby: First Woman in United States to Earn Pilot License
Harriet Quimby takes her pilot’s test and becomes the first woman in the United States to earn her pilot’s license. -
Wilbur Wright dies of typhoid fever.
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Harriet Quimby Dies
While flying in the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet at Squantum, Massachusetts, Harriet Quimby is ejected from her aircraft and is killed. -
Akron Disaster
Departing from Atlantic City, Melvin Vaniman attempts a trans-Atlantic flight in his airship “Akron.” The ship explodes over the Atlantic City inlet, killing all onboard. -
Charles Hamilton Dies of Turberculosis and Pneumonia
Charles Hamilton dies of complications from tuberculosis and pneumonia. -
1915: Glenn Curtiss Airborne Sightseeing Service
Some time during 1915, Glenn Curtiss returns to Atlantic City and establishes an airborne sightseeing service. In wooden-winged boats embarking from the inlet, Curtiss flies Atlantic City’s summertime residents over the resort. It becomes a fashionable recreational activity for the city’s social elite. -
Jaccard Establishes Sightseeing Company in Atlantic City
Sometime during 1918, a filmmaker named Jaccard – perhaps Jacques Jaccard who directed silent films such as The Diamond from the Sky – establishes another flying boat sightseeing service. He is Curtiss’ only competition. This instills in Curtiss the idea that a similar enterprise could be operated and maintained on land. -
Pan-American Aeronautical Congress in Atlantic City - Idea for First Airport in the Nation
The second Pan-American Aeronautical Congress is held on the Steel Pier. Inspired by Curtiss and Jaccard’s sightseeing services, a group is formed to establish an official airfield on the island of Atlantic City. This idea flourishes and Atlantic City becomes the home of the country’s first municipal “airport.” The airport is named Bader Field after Edward L. Bader. -
May 20 - May 21: Charles Lindbergh Trans-Atlantic Flight
Charles A. Lindbergh completes the first solo, nonstop trans-Atlantic flight. -
October 19 - October 21: Lindbergh in Atlantic City
As part of his Guggenheim Tour, Charles A. Lindbergh visits Atlantic City. -
Ida Mae Hampton: First Southern New Jersey Woman to Earn Pilot's License
Sometime in 1928, Ida Mae Hampton becomes the first Southern New Jersey woman to earn her pilot’s license. She flies from Bader Field in Atlantic City. She famously declined an invitation to fly on the “American Nurse” flight which disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean in September of 1932. -
Glenn Curtiss Dies After Appendix Surgery
Glenn Curtiss dies from complications after appendix surgery. -
Amelia Earhart Trans-Atlantic Flight
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to complete a solo, nonstop Trans-Atlantic flight. -
First African Americans to Complete Trans-Continental Flight, Fly Out of Atlantic City
Dr. Albert E. Forsythe and C. Alfred Anderson take off from Bader Field in Atlantic City. They become the first African Americans to complete a Trans-Continental flight. -
Clifford Harmon Dies
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Orville Wright Dies
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Walter Brookins Dies
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National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) Opens
The National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) opens in Pomona, NJ. Today it is called the William J. Hughes Technical Center. -
Frank Coffyn Dies
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August 17 - August 21: Transfair - Pomona, New Jersey
The Transfair is held at the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) – now named the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center – in Pomona, NJ. Though a variety of forms of transportation are displayed, aircraft are the highlight exhibit. 100,000 visitors attend. -
Second Transfair - Pomona, New Jersey
Sometime during 1978 the second Transfair takes place at the Technical Center in Pomona, NJ drawing crowds as high as 100,000 spectators. -
September 15 - September 16: ACC Foundation Airshow - Pomona, New Jersey
The Atlantic Community College Foundation sponsors an airshow at the Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona, NJ in order to raise funds for the Community College’s Center for Aviation Studies program. While the event is an “artistic success,” it fails to draw a large crowd with only 55,000 individuals in attendance. -
July 18 - July 19: Atlantic City International Airport Airshow - Pomona, New Jersey
The airshow returns to the Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona, NJ with demonstrations by United States Army Golden Knights, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, Frecce Tricolori, Team America and solo performers including acrobatic fliers and wing walkers. -
Millville, New Jersey Airshow
Sometime during 1993, the Millville Airport in Millville, NJ hosts its first Wheels and Wings Airshow with 2,500 people in attendance. -
May 17 - May 18: Millville Airport Airshow - Millville, New Jersey
The Millville Airport hosts 92,000 visitors at its Wheels and Wings Airshow. -
Atlantic City Airshow
For the first time since 1910, Atlantic City hosts an airshow. The United States Army Golden Knights, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, the New Jersey Air National Guard and the United States Coast Guard all participate and demonstrate. More than 200,000 visitors watch the aerial performances. Since 2003, the airshow – held over the Atlantic City beaches – has become an annual event with growing attendance each year. -
Atlantic City Airshow Centennial Anniversary
The Atlantic City Airshow celebrates its centennial anniversary with flights by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Air National Guard, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team. Also scheduled are U.S. Marine Harrier Jet and U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet demonstrations.
