62

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

1925-Contin ued

8 April Almost two years after the special aviation uni-

form had been abolished, new uniforms of forestry

green for winter and khaki for summer were authorized

for Naval Aviators, Observers, and other officers on duty

involving flying. Although there were minor modifica-

tions to the original design in later years, this uniform, in

khaki, was adopted for the entire Navy in 1941.

1-2 May Lieutenants Clarence H. Schildhauer and

James R. Kyle, on a test flight over Philadelphia, Pa.,

of the PN-9 manufactured at the Naval Aircraft Factory,

broke the world endurance record for Class C sea-

planes, remaining in the air for 28 hours, 35 minutes,

27 seconds. The plane, a metalhulled flying boat

equipped with two Packard engines, was used by

Commander John Rodgers later in the year on his

record flight toward Hawaii.

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Rodger's PN-9 on mainland to Hawaii fJjght, forced down after

record distance, sailed 450 miles to Kaui 426936

5 May The Secretary of the Navy approved reorgani-

zation of certain departments at the Naval Academy as

required to make aviation an integral part of the cur-

riculum; the establishment of a program, beginning

with the Class of 1926, to give three months of special

ground and flight instruction to all midshipmen; and

additional instruction as necessary to qualify each

graduate as an aviator or observer during the first two

years after graduation.

29 May The standard color of naval aircraft was

modified: hulls and floats of seaplanes were to be

painted navy gray; wings, fuselages, landing gear, etc.,

aluminum color; and the top surface of upper wings,

stabilizers and elevators, orange-yellow.

17 June The Naval Air Detail, under Lieutenant

Commander Richard E. Byrd of the MacMillan

Expedition, sailed from Boston with three Loening

amphibians aboard Peary (DD 340). Bowdoin (a civil-

ian research ship) joined Peary (DD 340) off Wiscasset,

Maine, and after a 3,000-mile voyage, the expedition

reached Etah in North Greenland on 1 August to begin

an aerial exploration of the area that covered 30,000

square miles before the end of the month.

1 July When a law, enacted 28 February, became

effective, the Naval Aviation Reserve began to orga-

nize into 10 squadrons of four divisions each.

Authorized squadron complements for each of three

scouting and three bombing squadrons were estab-

lished at 40 officers and 130 men, and for each of four

fighting squadrons at 18 officers and 20 men.

1 September Commander John Rodgers, Lieutenant

Byron 1. Connell and a crew of three in a PN-9,

A traditional

Hawaiian

greeting to

Rodgers and

crew at Kaui

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