1933-Contin ued

-. .

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

85

. -

.; -

The Boeing F4B-4 cmrier fighter of the 1930s 462618

distance of 776 miles, and their 51 hours in the air set

new world records for duration in three categories of

volume.

7-8 September Six Consolidated P2Y-l flying boats

of Patrol Squadron SF, under the command of

Lieutenant Commander Herman E. Halland, flew non-

stop from Norfolk, Va., to Coco Solo, C.Z., making a

record distance formation flight of 2,059 miles in 25

hours 19 minutes.

12 October The rigid airship Macon (ZRS-5) depart-

ed NAS Lakehurst, N.J., bound for her new home on

the west coast at NAS Sunnyvale, Calif. Following the

Atlantic coast down to Macon, Ga., and then westward

over the southern route to the west coast, the airship

arrived at Sunnyvale in the afternoon of the 15th, com-

pleting the 2,500 mile nonstop flight in approximately

70 hours.

17 October In an effort to prevent a shortage of

pilots as a result of the curtailment in training, addi-

tional instruction was authorized for specially recom-

mended student Naval Aviators, who had failed to

qualify on their first attempt or whose training had

been interrupted. In the next month, authorization of a

requalification course for Naval Aviators and Naval

Aviation Pilots, who had been on nonflying duty, was

directed toward the same end.

24 October Development of anti-blackout equip-

ment was initiated with an authorization to the Naval

Aircraft Factory to develop and manufacture a special

abdominal belt in accord with specifications prepared

by Lieutenant Commander John R. Poppen, MC, for

use by pilots in dive bombing and other violent

maneuvers.

28 October A contract was issued to Consolidated

for the XP3Y-l flying boat, marking the initiation of

Navy sponsored development of the PBY Catalina

series of flying boats.

17 November The sum of $7,500,000 was allotted to

the Navy from funds provided under the National

Industrial Recovery Act of 16 June 1933, for the pro-

curement of new aircraft and equipment, thereby per-

mitting the Bureau of Aeronautics to maintain its

I,OOO-plane program, to equip operating aircraft with

modern navigation instruments and radios, and to

make other improvements in naval aircraft and their

accessories which were not possible under the annual

appropriation.