18

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

1916-Continued

11 January The Naval Observatory forwarded two

magnetic compasses to Pensacola, Fla., for tests under

all conditions. These compasses, modified from the

British Creigh-Osborne design on the basis of recom-

mendations by Naval Aviators, provided a model for

the compasses widely used in naval aircraft during

World War 1.

21 January In a step that led to the establishment of

an aviation radio laboratory at Pensacola, Fla., the

Officer in Charge of Naval Aeronautics requested the

Superintendent, Radio Service, to authorize the radio

operators at the Pensacola Radio Station to experiment

with aircraft radio. Simultaneously, four sets of radio

apparatus for aeroplanes were received at Pensacola.

Although initiation of developmental work did not

begin immediately, by late July an officer and a civil-

ian radio expert had been detailed to aircraft radio

experimentation at Pensacola and the Bureau of Steam

Engineering had ordered approximately 50 aircraft

radio sets.

10 February The Bureau of Construction and

Repair implemented a Navy Department decision by

directing that designating numbers be assigned to all

aircraft under construction and that these numbers be

used for identification purposes until the aircraft were

tested or placed in service at which time standard

designations provided by the order of 27 March 1914

would be used. Numbers, beginning with 51-A, were

simultaneously assigned to 33 aircraft. This was the

introduction of serial numbers hereafter assigned to

all aircraft.

4 March Captain Mark 1. Bristol was detached as

Director of Naval Aeronautics and both the title and

the office ceased to exist. Captain Bristol was assigned

to command North Carolina (ACR 12) and, under a

new title of Commander of the Air Service, assumed

operational supervision over all aircraft, air stations,

and the further development of aviation in the Navy.

Such aviation duties as remained in the Office of the

Chief of Naval Operations were assumed by

Lieutenant Clarence K. Bronson.

25 March Qualifications for officers and enlisted

men in the Aeronautic Force of the Naval Militia were

defined by General Order which, in each instance,

were over and above those prescribed for the same

ranks and ratings of the Militia. These extras, cumula-

tive for ranks in ascending order, required ensigns to

have knowledge of navigation (except nautical astron-

omy) and scouting problems, practical and theoretical

knowledge of aeroplanes and motors, and ability to fly

at least one type of aircraft. Lieutenants Ug) were in

addition to have some knowledge of nautical astrono-

my, principles of aeroplane design, and to qualify for

a Navy pilot certificate. Additional requirements for

lieutenants called for a greater knowledge of nautical

astronomy and ability to fly at least two types of naval

aircraft, while lieutenant commanders, the highest

rank provided for the force, were also to have knowl-

edge of Navy business methods used in aeronautics.

Aviation mechanics were to have knowledge of air-

craft maintenance and aviation machinists were to

have similar knowledge of motors.

29 March Lieutenant Richard C. Saufley, flying a

Curtiss hydroaeroplane at Pensacola, Fla., bettered his

own American altitude record with a flight to 16,010

feet and on 2 April extended it again with a mark of

16,072 feet.

C K. Bronson 416339

30 March The Secretary of the Treasury informed

the Secretary of the Navy that Coast Guard officers

Second Lieutenant Charles E. Sugden and Third

Lieutenant Elmer F. Stone had been assigned to flight

instruction at Pensacola, Fla., in accordance with an

agreement between the two departments.

15 April An anchor and a two digit numeral, both

in dark blue on a white background, were pre-

scribed as "Distinguishing Marks for Naval

Aeroplanes" in a Bureau of Construction and Repair

drawing. The anchor and numeral were painted out-

board on the upper and lower wing surfaces, the

anchor was generally placed on the vertical tail sur-

faces and the numeral fore and aft on both sides of

the fuselage.