1916-Continued

February 1917. The aircraft became the Navy's most

popular training aircraft during World War 1.

12 August The Secretary of the Navy agreed with

the Secretary of War that the straight Deperdussin sys-

tem of controlling aircraft in flight be adopted as the

standard system for use in all aircraft of both services.

17 August The Secretary of the Navy approved a

reorganization of the Naval Aeronautic Station,

Pensacola, Fla. which reassigned the training of com-

missioned and enlisted personnel for aeronautic ser-

vices with the fleet as a primary mission, and ordered

the establishment of an Aeronautics School and

departments for Manufacturing, Experimental Test and

Inspection, Public Works, Supply and Medical.

29 August The Naval Appropriation Act for fiscal

year 1917 provided for the establishment of a Naval

Flying Corps to be composed of 150 officers and 350

enlisted men in addition to those provided by law for

other branches of the Navy. It also provided for the

establishment of a Naval Reserve Force of six classes

including a Naval Reserve Flying Corps to be com-

posed of officers and enlisted men transferring from

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L

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

21

the Naval Flying Corps; of surplus graduates of aero-

nautics schools; and of members of the Naval Reserve

Force with experience in aviation.

9 September The initiation of formal flight testing

as a basis for accepting new aircraft and the establish-

ment of procedures for determining whether opera-

tional aircraft were safe to fly were provided for in an

order issued by the Secretary.

12 September A demonstration of guided missile equip-

ment-a piloted hydroaeroplane equipped with automatic

stabilization and direction gear developed by the Sperry

Company and P. C. Hewitt-was witnessed by Lieutenant

Theodore S. Wilkinson of the Bureau of Ordnance at

Amityville, Long Island, NY Wilkinson reported: "The

automatic control of the aeroplane is adequate and excel-

lent. The machine left the water without difficulty, climbed

to its desired height, maintained this altitude until the

end of the run, when it dived sharply; and, unless con-

trolled by the aviator, would have dived to the earth."

20 September The earliest extant instruction regard-

ing color of naval aircraft was issued. This instruction

canceled use of slate color and provided that wings,

body and pontoon of the N-9 be finished with opaque

yellow (or greenish-yellow) varnish.

1..11-

Pilot E. F Johnson and pioneer Naval photographer W L. Richardson 452495