This is a list of

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

-related events from 1929:

Events

* Greatest number of fatal civil aircraft crashes in US history. *

Cubana de Aviación Cubana de Aviación S.A., commonly known as Cubana, is Cuba's flag carrier, as well as the country's largest airline. It was founded in , becoming one of the earliest airlines to emerge in Latin America. It has its corporate headquarters in Ha ...

begins service. *

Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

begins service. * The

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Siskins The Siskins were a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aerobatic flying team that was established in 1929 at Camp Borden, Ontario. It was the air force's first official aerobatic team. Flying three Armstrong Whitworth Siskin biplanes, the Siskins qu ...

aerobatic team is formed. * First official airmail to the

Mackenzie District Mackenzie District is a local government district on New Zealand's South Island, administered by the Mackenzie District Council. It is part of the larger Canterbury Region. Geography Principal settlements The Mackenzie District only has three t ...

of Canada's western Arctic by bushpilot. *

Airway Beacon An airway beacon (US) or aerial lighthouse (UK and Europe) was a rotating light assembly mounted atop a tower. These were once used extensively in the United States for visual navigation by airplane pilots along a specified airway corridor. ...

is built in

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. It still exists in Indian Mounds Park. * Aircraft Development Corporation changes its name to the

Detroit Aircraft Corporation The Detroit Aircraft Corporation was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan on July 10, 1922, as the Aircraft Development Corporation. The name was changed in 1929. The Detroit corporation owned the entire capital stock of the Ryan Aircraft Corp., Air ...

. *

Consolidated Aircraft Corporation The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1923 in aviation, 1923 by Reuben H. Fleet in Buffalo, New York, the result of the Gallaudet Aircraft Company's liquidation and Fleet's purchase of designs from the Dayton-Wright Company as the ...

absorbs the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation. * In response to the creation of the

Curtiss-Wright Corporation The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation of Curtiss, Wright, and v ...

, the

United Aircraft and Transport Corporation The United Aircraft and Transport Corporation was formed in 1929, when William Boeing of Boeing Airplane & Transport Corporation teamed up with Frederick Rentschler of Pratt & Whitney to form a large, vertically-integrated, amalgamated firm, ...

is formed as a holding company controlling the stock of the

Boeing Airplane Company The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

, the Chance Vought Corporation, the Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Company, and the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company, soon joined by the Sikorsky Aviation Corporation, the

Stearman Aircraft Company Stearman Aircraft Corporation was an Aerospace manufacturer, aircraft manufacturer in Wichita, Kansas. Although the company designed a range of other aircraft, it is most known for producing the Boeing-Stearman Model 75, Model 75, which is co ...

, the Standard Steel Propeller Company, and several

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

s managed by the new United Air Lines, Inc. management company. * The

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

begins to gather information on aerial techniques, training, and aircraft necessary for

dive bombing A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughou ...

. * The

Royal Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...

assigns a ship to aviation service for the first time. * Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, is formed.

January

* The Cierva C.8W

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...

makes the first autogyro flight in the United States, at Willow Grove,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. * January 1 – The

Government of Poland The Government of Poland takes the form of a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. However, its form of government has also been iden ...

creates LOT Polish Airlines as a state-owned, self-governing corporation. * January 1–7 – Carl Spaatz and four other

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

fliers set an endurance record of 151 hours aloft in the modified Atlantic-Fokker C-2A ''

Question Mark The question mark (also known as interrogation point, query, or eroteme in journalism) is a punctuation mark that indicates an interrogative clause or phrase in many languages. History In the fifth century, Syriac Bible manuscripts used ques ...

''. * January 27 – The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

carries out a successful simulated dawn raid on the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

in a training exercise. * January 30 – Inter-Island Airways, the future

Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines ( haw, Hui Mokulele o Hawaiʻi ) is the largest operator of commercial flights to and from the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is the tenth-largest commercial airline in the United States, and is based at Honolulu, Hawaii. The airl ...

, is founded.

February

Harold Pitcairn Harold Frederick Pitcairn (June 20, 1897 – April 23, 1960) was an American aviation inventor and pioneer. He played a key role in the development of the autogyro and founded the Autogiro Company of America. He patented a number of innovations ...

purchases the U.S. rights to all of Juan de la Cierva′s autogiro inventions and patents then in existence and establishes the Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company.century-of-flight.net Century of Flight: History of the Helicopter: Contributions of the Autogyro
/ref> * February 4 **With Oscar Grubb aboard as flight engineer,

Frank Hawks Frank Monroe Hawks (March 28, 1897 - August 23, 1938) was a pilot in the United States Army Air Service during World War I and was known during the 1920s and 1930s as a record breaking aviator, using a series of Texaco-sponsored aircraft, setting ...

sets a

transcontinental airspeed record A transcontinental flight is a non-stop passenger flight from one side of a continent to the other. The term usually refers to flights across the United States, between the East and West Coasts. History The first transcontinental multi-stop fl ...

for a flight across the

continental United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

while ferrying the

Lockheed Air Express __NOTOC__ The Lockheed Air Express was the second aircraft design created by the Lockheed Aircraft Company after its founding in 1927; the type first flew in April 1928.Francillon 1982, p.85. Description The Air Express design incorporated th ...

(registration NR7955) from the Lockheed factory in Burbank,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, to an air show in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, making the flight in 18 hours 21 minutes.Daniels, C. M., "Speed: The Story of Frank Hawks," ''Air Classics'', Vol. 6, No. 2, December 1969, p. 47. **

Henry Berliner Henry Adler Berliner (December 13, 1895 – May 1, 1970) was a United States aircraft and helicopter pioneer. Sixth son of inventor Emile Berliner, he was born in Washington, D.C. He studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University for two ...

and Temple Nach Joyce found the

Berliner-Joyce Aircraft Corporation Berliner-Joyce Aircraft was an American aircraft manufacturer. History The company was founded on the February 4, 1929, when Henry Berliner and his 1922 company, Berliner Aircraft Company of Alexandria, Virginia, joined with Maryland Aviation ...

.Angelucci, Enzo, ''The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present'', New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 58.

March

* March 2 – Seeking a safe route across the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

between

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, and

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, to avoid the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) detour aircraft routinely made to avoid the mountains, a

Latécoère 25 __NOTOC__ The Latécoère 25 was a French airliner built in 1925 for use on Latécoère's own airline and its subsidiaries. Essentially a refined version of the Latécoère 17 with an enlarged wingspan, it supplanted that type in production and ...

piloted by

Jean Mermoz Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

and carrying his mechanic, Alexandre Collenot, and Count

Henry de La Vaulx Henry de La Vaulx (1870–1930), was a balloonist, author, and cofounder of major French and international aeronautical associations. Biography He was born in Bierville, France on April 2, 1870. From March 1896 to May 1897 he stayed with nativ ...

as passengers is caught in a

downdraft In meteorology, an updraft is a small-scale current of rising air, often within a cloud. Overview Localized regions of warm or cool air will exhibit vertical movement. A mass of warm air will typically be less dense than the surrounding region, ...

and forced to land on a 300-meter-wide (986-foot-wide)

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

at an altitude of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet). The three men spend four days repairing and lightening the plane and clearing a path to the edge of the plateau, after which they roll it off the edge, Mermoz dives to gain airspeed, and they arrive safely in Santiago. The event is widely celebrated. * March 13 – The Spanish government airline

CLASSA ''Compañía de Líneas Aéreas Subvencionadas'', meaning 'Subsidized Airlines Company', mostly known as CLASSA, was a Spanish airline based in Madrid, Spain. The airline was established as part of the Miguel Primo de Rivera government's effort ...

is formally established as a company, formed by the merger of

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

and several other Spanish airlines. * March 17 – The

Colonial Western Airways Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

Ford 4-AT-B Trimotor ''NC7683'' suffers a double engine failure during its initial climb after takeoff from Newark Airport in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It fails to gain height and crashes into a railroad freight car loaded with sand, killing 14 of the 15 people on board the aircraft. At the time, this is the deadliest airplane accident in American history. * March 19 – The newly completed Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor ''NC9674'', which had made its first flight only five days earlier, crashes when its wing strikes the ground on landing while it returns to Ford Airport in Dearborn,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, during a

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

flight prior to delivery to its customer. All four people on board die. * March 30 –

Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passengers ...

commences the first scheduled air service between the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

April

* April 2–6 – Flying a

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

in support of rebel forces during the

Escobar Rebellion The Escobar Rebellion was a conflict in northern Mexico in 1929 during the Maximato, between the government forces of President Emilio Portes Gil and rebel forces under the command of General José Gonzalo Escobar. After some initial success in t ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

pilot Patrick Murphy makes a number of bombing raids against Naco in the Mexican state of Sonora in which he mistakenly drops bombs across the border in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

on three occasions, damaging several buildings and destroying a car in neighboring Naco,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It is the first time in history that U.S. territory has come under aerial bombing attack by a foreign aircraft. * April 21 – A

Boeing PW-9D fighter, ''28-037'', performing stunts over

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, attempts to pass in front of the

Maddux Air Lines Maddux Air Lines was an airline based in Southern California that operated Ford Tri-motors in California, Arizona, and Mexico in the late 1920s. Founding In 1927 Jack L. Maddux, an owner of a Los Angeles Ford and Lincoln car dealership ...

Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor ''NC9636'', which is on a scheduled passenger flight from San Diego to

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

. The PW-9D strikes the Trimotor's cockpit, and both aircraft crash, killing the PW-9D pilot and all five people aboard the airliner. * April 24–26 –

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

Arthur G. Jones-Williams and Flight Lieutenant Norman H. Jenkins make the first non-stop flight from the

, using a Fairey Long-Range Monoplane. The flight, from

RAF Cranwell Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which tra ...

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

, covers 4,130 miles (6,651 kilometers) nonstop in 50 hours 48 minutes, falling 336 miles (541 kilometers) short of the world nonstop flight distance record.

May

* May 16 – At the first Academy Awards ceremony, the first award in history for Outstanding Picture (later renamed "

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

") goes to an aviation-themed film, the 1927

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

''Wings'' about two fighter pilots in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. * May 20 – The

Peruvian Army The Peruvian Army ( es, Ejército del Perú, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missi ...

s aviation branch and the Peruvian Navys Naval Aviation Corps are combined to form the Peruvian Aviation Corps, forerunner of the

Peruvian Air Force The Peruvian Air Force ( es, link=no, Fuerza Aérea del Perú, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguardin ...

. * May 25 – The Spanish government airline

officially assumes all the rights, obligations, fleets, and staff of

and the other airlines that merged to form it. * May 26 – Flying a Junkers W 34 be/b3e (registration D-1119), Friedrich W. Neuenhofen sets a new world altitude record, reaching 12,739 meters (41,794 feet). * May 30 – Logan Field is opened at

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

June

* Thirty-five '' Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Royal Air Force)

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...

s – 32

Savoia-Marchetti S.55 The Savoia-Marchetti S.55 was a double-hulled flying boat produced in Italy, beginning in 1924. Shortly after its introduction, it began setting records for speed, payload, altitude and range. Design and development The S.55 featured many in ...

s, two Savoia-Marchetti S.59s, and one

CANT 22 __NOTOC__ The CANT 22 was a flying boat airliner built in Italy in the 1920s and operated by Società Italiana Servizi Aerei (SISA) on their Adriatic routes. It was a conventional biplane design with unstaggered wings braced by Warren trusse ...

– led by

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Italo Balbo Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa. Due to his young a ...

and famed Italian aviator Francesco de Pinedo make a 3,300-mile (5,314-km) mass-formation flight circuiting the Eastern Mediterranean, with stops at

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

;

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

;

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

;

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

;

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

; and Constanta,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. The flight is intended to improve the operational skills of ''Regia Aeronautica'' aircrews and ground crewmen, showcase the Italian aviation industry to potential foreign buyers of Italian-made aircraft, and enhance the prestige of Benito Mussolinis Italian Fascist government. *

sets a

for a flight across the

, flying the

''Texaco Five'' (registration NR7955) across the country in 17 hours 38 minutes. * June 13 – The United States Coast Guard establishes an "air traffic flight-following" capability along the coast of the continental

employing a network of Coast Guard radio stations. * June 17 ** Delta Air Lines begins passenger service (as Delta Air Service) with a first flight from Dallas, Texas to Jackson, Mississippi, with stops at Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana. ** The

Handley Page Type W, Handley Page W.10 ''City of Ottawa'' (''G-EBMT'') 1929 Imperial Airways Handley Page W.10 crash, suffers an engine failure and water landing, ditches in the English Channel off Dungeness (headland), Dungeness, England. Seven of the 13 people aboard die; the Belgium, Belgian fishing trawler ''Gaby'' rescues the six survivors, all of whom are injured. * June 21 – A Spanish Air Force crew led by pilot Major Ramón Franco – brother of future Spanish dictator Francisco Franco – takes off from Los Alcázares, Spain, in the Dornier Do J, Dornier Do J Wal ("Whale") flying boat ''Numancia'' to attempt a westward flight around the world, intending to begin with an overnight flight to their first stop at the Azores. They overshoot the Azores, run out of fuel, and forced to land in the North Atlantic Ocean on June 22, where they drift until picked up by the Royal Navy

on June 29. Their round-the-world attempt is scrubbed. * June 29 – The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company and the Wright Aeronautical Corporation merge to form the

. The new corporation constructs light aircraft at the Curtiss plant in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, New York (state), New York; heavy aircraft and flying boats at its Keystone Aircraft Corporation subsidiary in Bristol, Pennsylvania, Bristol,

; civil aircraft at its Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company, Curtiss-Robertson subsidiary in St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri; and Curtiss and Wright aircraft engines at the Wright factory in Paterson, New Jersey, Paterson,

July

* In an article entitled "Is Flying Safe?" in the July 1929 issue of ''Scientific American'',

aviator Mary, Lady Heath, writes that the most important factors in making airline travel safe are well-trained pilots and strict construction standards for aircraft.O'Brien, Lora, "Lady Heath," ''Aviation History'', March 2016, p. 15. * July 3 **Lieutenant (navy), Lieutenant A. W. Gordon hooks a Vought UO-1 onto the

airship in successful parasite fighter experiments. **The airline Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela (LAV) is founded in Venezuela. It begins operations with a fleet of three Latécoère 28s. * July 4 – The Japanese aviator Masashi Goto crashes and is killed in Utah's Uinta Mountains in the beginning stages of an attempted flight around the world by crossing the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia. * July 7 – Transcontinental Air Transport commences a regular service transporting passengers all the way across the

in 48 hours, using a combination of trains and aircraft for different legs of the journey. * July 13 ** The French aviators Dieudonné Costes and Maurice Bellonte take off from Vélizy – Villacoublay Air Base, Villacoublay, France, in an attempt to fly across the North Atlantic Ocean to New York City, New York, New York (state), New York. Bad weather will force them to turn back after 17 hours. ** The Polish aviator Ludwik Idzikowski crashes in the Azores and dies while attempting a westbound transatlantic flight. * July 17 – Delta Air Lines starts commercial airline operations. * July 22 – Deutsche Luft Hansa uses a catapult to launch a Heinkel He 12 mail plane from the passenger liner SS Bremen (1928), ''Bremen'', 400 km (248 miles; 216 nautical miles) out of New York City, New York, New York (state), New York, speeding the mail on its way before the ship reaches port.

August

* To address an outbreak of Arab raids against Judaism, Jewish villages in Palestine (region), Palestine, the British

HMS Courageous (50), HMS ''Courageous'' arrives off Jaffa and disembarks all of her aircraft to operate from a desert landing strip at Gaza City, Gaza. They operate over Palestine for four weeks before reembarking aboard ''Courageous'' in September. * August 2–10 – The English people, English aviator and ornithologist Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford, her personal pilot C. D. Barnard, and mechanic Robert Little make a record-breaking flight in the Fokker F.VII ''Spider'' (G-EBTS) of 10,000 miles (16,103 km) from Lympne Airport in Lympne, England, to

, then in the British Raj, British Indian Empire, and back to Croydon Airport in South London, England, in eight days. * August 4–16 – The first International Tourist Aircraft Contest ''Challenge 1929'' takes place in Paris, with a race over Europe. The German crew of Fritz Morzik wins in the BFW M.23 plane. * August 8–29 – German rigid airship LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin, LZ 127 ''Graf Zeppelin'' makes a circumnavigation of the Northern Hemisphere eastabout out of Lakehurst, New Jersey, including the first nonstop flight of any kind across the Pacific Ocean (Tokyo–Los Angeles). * August 18 – The Imperial Ethiopian Air Force receives its first aircraft, a Potez 25, Potez 25-A2. * August 29 – While Mary, Lady Heath, practices for the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, the aircraft she is piloting clips a chimney and crashes through a factory roof. She spends weeks in a coma, but recovers from her injuries.

September

* September 3 – The Transcontinental Air Transport Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor ''City of San Francisco'' (registration NC9649) strikes Mount Taylor (New Mexico), Mount Taylor near Grants, New Mexico, Grants, New Mexico, during a thunderstorm while on a scheduled passenger flight from Oxnard Field, Albuquerque Airport in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles,

, killing all eight people on board. * September 6 **The

de Havilland Hercules, de Havilland DH.66 Hercules ''G-EBMZ'' Aerodynamic stall, stalls when it Flare (aviation), flares too early while attempting a night landing at Jask Airport in Jask, Persia. It crashes and bursts into flames when its wing fuel tanks rupture and emergency flares in its wingtips ignite the fuel. Both crew members and one of the three passengers die. The deceased pilot, A. E. Woodbridge, had shot down and wounded the German Flying ace, fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen during

. **The 1929 Schneider Trophy race is flown at Calshot Spit in the United Kingdom.

Flying Officer Henry Waghorn wins in a Supermarine S.6 at an average speed of 528.9 km/h (328.7 mph). **Flying the Wright XF3W Apache, Wright XF3W-1 Apache equipped with floats,

Lieutenant Apollo Soucek sets a world altitude record for

s, climbing to 38,500 feet (11,735 meters). * September 11 – Guatemala establishes the ''Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (Guatemala), Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil'' ("General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics") as its national civil aviation authority. * September 12 – The Italian Fascism, Italian Fascist leader

becomes

′s minister of the air force. * September 24 –

Lieutenant Jimmy Doolittle makes a completely blind take-off, flight, and landing. * September 27–29 – Dieudonné Costes and Maurice Bellonte set a new world distance record, flying 7,905 km (4,909 miles) from Le Bourget, Paris, France, to Qiqihar, Manchuria, China, in a Breguet 19. * September 30 – Fritz von Opel pilots the rocket-powered Opel RAK.1, RAK.1 aircraft on a 75-second, flight near Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.

October

*October 6 – Inter-Island Airways – the future

– begins operations. *October 7 – The Kingdom of Yugoslavia′s flag carrier, Aeroput, makes its first international flight, flown by a Potez 29, Potez 29/2 from Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to Vienna, Austria, via Zagreb, Yugoslavia, with five passengers on board. *October 14 – The United Kingdom, British airship ''R101'' makes its first flight. It takes off from RAF Cardington, Cardington, Bedfordshire, and flies over London. *October 17 – Denver Municipal Airport – the future Stapleton International Airport – opens in Denver, Colorado, Denver, Colorado. It will serve as Denver's primary airport until it closes in 1995 in aviation#February, February 1995. *October 20 – The airfield at Naval Air Station Glenview, located in Glenview, Cook County, Illinois, Glenview, Illinois, is dedicated, and its hangar deemed the largest in the world. *October 26 – During a scheduled passenger flight from Naples International Airport in Naples,

, to Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport outside Genoa, Italy, the

Short S.8 Calcutta, Short S.8/1 Calcutta flying boat ''City of Rome'' (registration G-AADN) makes a forced landing in high winds and poor weather in the Ligurian Sea off La Spezia, Italy. It sinks during efforts to tow it to shore, killing all seven people on board.

November

* November 6 – After taking off from Croydon Airport in London, England, with nine people aboard for a scheduled passenger flight to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the Deutsche Luft Hansa Junkers G 24bi ''Oberschlesien'' (registration D-903) crashes after striking trees on a hill in Marden Park, Surrey, while attempting to return to Croydon in thick fog. Three of the four crew members and four of the five passengers die. * November 9 – American aviation pioneer Carl Ben Eielson and his mechanic Earl Borland die in the crash of their plane in Siberia while attempting to evacuate furs and personnel from the Olaf Swenson, ''Nanuk'', a cargo ship trapped in the ice at North Cape (now Mys Shmidta).planecrashinfo.com Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents: 1920s
/ref> * November 25 – The Spanish government airline

officially begins operation of all lines previously operated by the airlines that merged to form it, including

. * November 26 – After taking off from Hal Far, Malta, a Fleet Air Arm, Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force Fairey Flycatcher lands aboard the British aircraft carrier , achieving the first night carrier landing by a fleet fighter. * November 27–28 – Richard Evelyn Byrd and crew make the first flight over the South Pole in a Ford Trimotor.

December

* December 16 ** The United Kingdom, British airship ''R100'' makes its first flight, from RNAS Howden, Howden to RAF Cardington, Cardington, England. ** Tydeo Larre Borges is the first South American pilot to cross the South Atlantic Ocean. * December 17 –

Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), Captain Arthur G. Jones-Williams and Lieutenant Norman H. Jenkins set out from

in England in the Fairey Long-Range Monoplane to set a new nonstop flight distance record by flying to South Africa. The flight ends in tragedy later in the day when their plane crashes into Mount Sainte Marie du Zit in the Atlas Mountains in French Tunisia at an altitude of 2,300 feet (701 meters) after 13 hours 40 minutes in the air, killing both of them. * December 20 – Will Kirk Kaynor, a member of the United States House of Representatives representing the Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district, 2nd Congressional District of Massachusetts, dies in the crash of a

plane at Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. It was his first time in an airplane.

First flights

* Aeronca C-2 * Avia BH-11 (Czechoslovak Air Force, Czechoslovak air arm designation Avia B.11) * Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker * Bellanca TES * Cessna DC-6 * Cierva C.12 * Cierva C.19 * Curtiss Thrush * Fairchild FB-3 * Farman F.200 * Hall XFH * Heinkel HD 56, prototype of the Aichi E3A * Levasseur PL.14 * Macchi M.67 * Piaggio P.9 * Pitcairn Mailwing, Pitcairn PA-7 * Potez 36 * Southern Martlet * Early 1929 **Thomas-Morse XP-13 Viper **Westland Interceptor * Spring 1929 – Levasseur PL.10

January

* Gloster Gauntlet * January 27 – Saunders A.10

February

* February 1 – Lublin R-X * February 13 – Junkers A50 * February 22 – Westland IV, prototype of the Westland Wessex trimotor airliner

April

* April 3 – Cunningham-Hall PT-6 * April 11 – Boeing P-12Angelucci, Enzo, ''The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present'', New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 78.

May

* Pietenpol Air Camper homebuilt aircraft prototype, with Ford Model A (1927–31), Ford Model A engine * Polikarpov I-3#Variants, Polikarpov DI-2 * May 3 – Gee Bee Model A

June

* June 11 – Vickers Type 143 * June 21 – Vought XF2U, Vought XF2U-1

July

* Bernard 20 * Fokker D.XVI * RWD-2 * July 4 – Saro Cutty Sark, Saro A17 Cutty Sark * July 7 – Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.10 * July 29 – Dornier Do X

August

* PZL P.1

September

* Avro Tutor, Avro 621 Tutor * September 9 – De Havilland Puss Moth * September 11 – Tupolev R-6 * September 15 – Junkers K 47 * September 17 – Adcox Student Prince

October

* Berliner-Joyce XP-16, prototype of the Berliner-Joyce P-16 (later PB-1) * October 2 – Acme Sportsman * October 14 – Airship ''R101''

November

* November 6 – Junkers G.38 * November 26 – Vickers Type 143, Vickers Type 177

December

* Hall XPH-1, prototype of the Hall PH * Nakajima A2N * December 16 – R100 * December 28 – Mitsubishi B2M

Entered service

* Butler Blackhawk * Curtiss P-6 Hawk with the 27th Pursuit Squadron,

* Nakajima A1N with the

* Polikarpov I-3 with 4th and 7th Fighter Squadrons, Soviet Air Force * Polikarpov U-2, later redesignated Polikarpov Po-2 (NATO reporting name "Mule") * Tupolev TB-1 with the Soviet Air Forces, ''VVS''

February

* February 27 – Boeing P-12 with the United States Army Air Corps

May

* Bristol Bulldog with No.3 Squadron RAF, No. 3 Squadron,

June

* Boeing F4B with the

October

* Handley Page Hinaidi with the

rafmuseum.org.uk "Handley Page Hyderabad and Hinaidi"
/ref>

Retirements

* Avro Bison, Avro 555 Bison by the

* Latécoère 15 by Lignes Aériennes Latécoère * Saunders Valkyrie, Saunders A.3 Valkyrie * Saunders Medina, Saunders A.4 Medina

Notes

{{Aviation timelines navbox 1929 in aviation, Aviation by year