Aviation In Maryland
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Maryland's first aeronautical event was the flight of 13-year-old Edward Warren from
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 ...
in Peter Carne's tethered
hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...
in 1784.


Events

* 1908
Lincoln Beachy Lincoln Beachey (March 3, 1887 – March 14, 1915) was a pioneer American aviator and barnstormer. He became famous and wealthy from flying exhibitions, staging aerial stunts, helping invent aerobatics, and setting aviation records. He was k ...
demonstrates a dirigible over Baltimore from
Electric Park Electric Park was a name shared by dozens of amusement parks in the United States that were constructed as trolley parks and owned by electric companies and streetcar companies. After 1903, the success of Coney Island inspired a proliferation of ...
* 1909 On 9 October, Wilbur Wright demonstrated "Miss Columbia", the first U.S. Government aircraft, on five flights. * 1909 On 22 October, Charles Elvers flies the first aircraft built in Maryland, a modified self-made Curtiss pusher style at Owings Mills. * 1909 On 29 October, 28-year-old Sara Van Deman becomes the first woman to fly in a powered aircraft with Wilbur Wright at College Park. * 1911 The
Army Signal Corps The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of Ma ...
Aviation School is founded in College Park. * 1911 On 7 September,
John Rodgers John Rodgers may refer to: Military * John Rodgers (1728–1791), colonel during the Revolutionary War and owner of Rodgers Tavern, Perryville, Maryland * John Rodgers (naval officer, born 1772), U.S. naval officer during the War of 1812, first ...
completes the first flight of a U.S. Naval aircraft from Farragut Field. * 1912 Lieutenant Alfred Austell Cunningham reported to the Naval Aviation Camp in Annapolis, Maryland, starting
Marine aviation Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...
. * 1922 The
Berliner Helicopter The Berliner Helicopter was a series of experimental helicopters built by Henry Berliner between 1922 and 1925. The helicopters had only limited controllability but were the most significant step forward in helicopter design in the US, until the ...
makes a controlled flight of a helicopter at College Park. The 1922 flights of the Berliner and the de Bothezat H1 were the first by manned helicopters.''The Helicopter: A Hundred Years of Hovering''
Wired.com. Accessed 2010-11-07.
* 1925
Jimmy Doolittle James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...
beats a British
Gloster III The Gloster III was a British racing floatplane of the 1920s intended to compete for the Schneider Trophy air race. A single-engined, single-seat biplane, two were built, with one finishing second in the 1925 race. Design and development In 19 ...
in the
Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flyin ...
race held at Baltimore Bay Shore amusement park. The sole Supermarine S.4 crashed in trials prior to the race. * 1927
Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...
lands the Spirit of St. Louis at Baltimore's Logan Field * 1927
Van Lear Black William Van-Lear Black (18 December 187518 August 1930) was an American publisher and civil aviation pioneer. Early life Black was born in Cumberland, Maryland, into a wealthy family who claimed they could trace their lineage back to the Amer ...
, Chairman of the Baltimore Sun starts record setting international charters in the Fokker named "Maryland Free State". * 1940
Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
is one of four schools chosen for training African American pilots for the
Civilian Pilot Training Program The Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) was a flight training program (1938–1944) sponsored by the United States government with the stated purpose of increasing the number of civilian pilots, though having a clear impact on military prepare ...
in Croome. * 1947
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
considers opening a regional airport. * 1969 A State Economic Development Study looks into a second major airport to supplement Baltimore Washington International to accommodate supersonic aircraft. * 1996 Nathan "Bill" Morris, founder of Kentmorr Airpark, passes away at 98. He was one of the world's oldest active pilots at 98 years old. * 2001 The
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
, caused the formation of the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone, temporarily closing, then permanently restricting air operations over central Maryland. * 2011 The
University of Maryland Gamera Human Powered Helicopter The University of Maryland Gamera I is a human-powered helicopter designed to win the $250,000 Sikorsky Prize. Development The Gamera I is purpose-designed Quadcopter, quadrotor helicopter to meet the criteria of the 1980 Sikorsky Prize. Two oth ...
made an attempt at the Sikorsky Prize for human powered helicopter flight. * 2014
Haysfield Airport Haysfield Airport - MD24 was an airport located in Howard County, Maryland History Haysfield Airport started operations in 1974. The airport was founded by Alfred Bassler. Bassler's father owned a large strategic parcel and airfield where Ho ...
closes to build a housing development. * 2014 September 2014 is proclaimed by the governor to be "General Aviation and Community Airport Month".


Aircraft Manufacturers

* Allied Aviation,
Cockeysville, Maryland Cockeysville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 20,776 at the 2010 census. History Cockeysville was named after the Cockey family who helped establish the town. Thomas Cockey (1676â ...
Built the
Allied Aviation LRA __NOTOC__ The Allied Aviation XLRA was a prototype flying-boat transport glider built for the US Navy during World War II. It was a low-wing wooden monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in cont ...
flying boat-glider in World War II. *
Berliner-Joyce Aircraft 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 Aviati ...
,
Dundalk, Maryland Dundalk ( or ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 67,796 at the 2020 census. In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largest unincorporated community in Mar ...
1929-1933, Built the
Berliner-Joyce P-16 The Berliner-Joyce P-16 was a 1930s United States two-seat fighter aircraft produced by Berliner-Joyce Aircraft Corporation. Design and development The Berliner-Joyce Aircraft Corporation was established in February 1929 when it acquired the as ...
fighter, the company was bought by North American Aviation. * Brown Aeronautical Company, Curtiss Bay Maryland, 1910-1911 - Built the "Lord Baltimore I & II" amphibious aircraft. *
Curtiss-Caproni Curtiss-Caproni was an Italian-American aircraft manufacturer formed in the late 1920s to produce Caproni aircraft in America as part of the Curtiss-Wright aviation conglomerate. As early as 1917, Curtiss was contracted to build Caproni-designed a ...
,
Dundalk, Maryland Dundalk ( or ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 67,796 at the 2020 census. In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largest unincorporated community in Mar ...
1929-1930 - Built a 200,000 sq ft factory to produce
Caproni Caproni, also known as ''Società de Agostini e Caproni'' and ''Società Caproni e Comitti'', was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Its main base of operations was at Taliedo, near Linate Airport, on the outskirts of Milan. Founded by Giovan ...
aircraft, but folded into
Curtiss-Wright 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 ...
without any production. * Custer Channel Wing Corporation, Hagerstown, Maryland 1951-1970 Built several STOL prototype aircraft using the Willard Ray Custer's
channel wing The channel wing is an aircraft wing principle developed by Willard Ray Custer in the 1920s. The most important part of the wing consists of a half-tube with an engine placed in the middle, driving a propeller placed at the rear end of the cha ...
concept. * Doyle Aero Corporation,
Baltimore, Maryland 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 ...
1928-1929. Built the Doyle Aero O-2 Oriole biplane, and was bought in 1929 by
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 ...
. * Engineering and Research Corporation, Riverdale, Maryland 1930-1947 Built over 6000
Ercoupe The ERCO Ercoupe is an American low-wing monoplane aircraft that was first flown in 1937. It was originally manufactured by the Engineering and Research Corporation (ERCO) shortly before World War II; several other manufacturers continued it ...
light planes. * Fairchild Aircraft, Hagerstown, Maryland 1929-1984. Maker of civilian and military aircraft such as the
Fairchild C-123 Provider The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Re ...
. * General Aviation Manufacturing Corporation, 1931–1934, Built the YO-27 in an unused Curtiss Caproni Corporation plant at Logan field and the 700 hp model 34 The General Motors subsidiary was sold to North American Aviation in 1933. *
Kreider-Reisner The Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company was an American flying service and aircraft manufacturer from 1923 to 1929. History The Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company was formed at Hagerstown, Maryland in 1923 as a sub-contractor. By September 1925 the c ...
, Hagerstown, Maryland 1923-1929. Produced light biplanes. Purchased by Fairchild Aircraft in 1929. * Glenn L. Martin Company, now Lockheed Martin,
Middle River, Maryland Middle River is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 33,203 at the 2020 census. A Middle River Train Station first appeared on the 1877 G.M. Hopkins & Co Baltimore ...
1928-1961. Production included the
Martin Maryland The Martin Model 167 Maryland was an American medium bomber that first flew in 1939. It saw action in World War II with France and the United Kingdom. Design and development In response to a December 1937 United States Army Air Corps requiremen ...
,
Martin Baltimore The Martin 187 Baltimore was a twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company in the United States as the A-30. The model was originally ordered by the French in May 1940 as a follow-up to the earlier Martin Maryland, then ...
, and 4056 B-26 Bombers. *
Maryland Pressed Steel Company Maryland Pressed Steel Company was an American aircraft manufacturer of the Bellanca CD, and CE aircraft. The New York & Hagerstown Metal Stamping Co manufactured arms for the British and was reorganized into the Maryland Pressed Steel Company ...
, 1915-1920 Production of the Bellanca CD, and Bellanca CE biplanes in Hagerstown, Maryland. * North American Aviation, built the prototype
North American NA-16 The North American Aviation NA-16 was the first trainer aircraft built by North American Aviation, and was the beginning of a line of closely related North American trainer aircraft that would eventually number more than 17,000 examples, notab ...
trainer at the former Berliner-Joyce factory in Dundalk. * Rex Smith Aeroplane Company,
College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best known ...
, 1910-1916. Built the Rex Smith Biplane, with many early demonstrations in the Washington D.C. area.


Aerospace

* American Propeller and Manufacturing Company, in
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 ...
. Manufactured 75 percent of all propellers used by America in World War I. * Avemco,(1961-) part of HCC Insurance Holdings, is Headquartered in
Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...
. A provider of aviation insurance. * Lockheed Martin, an international defense contractor is headquartered in Bethesda. * Maryland Aviation Company 1911-1911 Company formed in 1911. * Martin Marietta, 1961-1995 The merger of Martin Company and American-Marietta Corporation, headquartered in Bethesda. Bought by Lockheed Martin in 1991. * Frank G. Schenuit Rubber Company, In
Baltimore, Maryland 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 ...
. Manufactured automotive tires since 1912, entering the aircraft tire business in World War II through the 1960s.


Airports

*
College Park Airport College Park Airport is a public airport located in the City of College Park, in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It is the world's oldest continuously operated airport. The airport is located south of Paint Branch and Lake A ...
Is the world's oldest continuously operated airport. *
Columbia Air Center The Columbia Air Center was an airfield in Croom, Maryland from 1941 to 1958. It was started by African American pilots who were not permitted to use other airports, but was also open to whites. It had an all black staff, and a number of the tra ...
was an airfield in Croom,
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 ...
, operated from 1941 to 1958. It was started by
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
pilots who were not permitted to use other airports, but was also open to whites. * List of Airports in Maryland


Commercial Service

*The Baltimore Airways Company operated daily flights in the late 1920s from
Park Heights, Baltimore Park Heights is an area of Baltimore City, Maryland, that lies approximately 10 miles northwest of downtown Baltimore and within two miles of the Baltimore County line. A 1,500-acre community, Park Heights comprises 12 smaller neighborhoods that ...
to New York. *
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Interna ...
provides air service with 277,662 operations annually. BWI is served by most major carriers, with Southwest Airlines as the prime carrier with over 50% of passenger volume. *Hagerstown Maryland based
Henson Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airlines ...
became
Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airline ...
. The commuter airline is now based at
Salisbury, Maryland Salisbury () is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, United States, and the largest city in the state's Eastern Shore region. The population was 33,050 at the 2020 census. Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury ...
, with a fleet of 44 aircraft. *Chesapeake Airways - Service to Baltimore began on April 5, 1946, in C-47 aircraft. The service continued until 1949. * Washington Airlines Became FAA's first approved instance of a STOL airline service in 1969 between Baltimore and Washington National and Dulles.


Organizations

*
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States ...
- is headquartered in
Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...
.


Government and Military

*All flight operations in Maryland are conducted within
FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
oversight. *The
Maryland Aviation Administration The Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) is a state agency of Maryland and an airport authority under the jurisdiction of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The agency owns and operates Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marsha ...
maintains state regulations, and owns and operates
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Interna ...
. *The
Maryland State Police The Maryland State Police (MSP), officially the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP), is the official state police force of the U.S. state of Maryland. The Maryland State Police is headquartered at 1201 Reisterstown Road in the Pikesvill ...
Aviation command operates 12
Eurocopter Dauphin The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) AS365 Dauphin (''Dolphin''), also formerly known as the Aérospatiale SA 365 Dauphin 2, is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters. It was originally developed a ...
helicopters, 1 Beechcraft B300 King Air 350, and 1 Cessna P210N Pressurized Centurion for medivac and prisoner transport. In 2013, Maryland started replacing the Dauphin fleet with 10
AgustaWestland AW139 The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including V ...
helicopters. *Several Maryland cities and counties operate helicopter units. This includes Anne Arundel County 1
Bell 407 The Bell 407 is a four-blade, single-engine, civil utility helicopter. A derivative of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger, the 407 uses the four-blade, soft-in-plane design rotor with composite hub developed for the United States Army's OH-58D Kiowa W ...
, 2 Bell OH-58 Kiowa, Baltimore City "foxtrot" unit 1
Eurocopter EC120 The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) EC120 Colibri ("hummingbird") is a five-seat, single-engine, light utility helicopter. Jointly designed and developed by Eurocopter, China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), ...
, Baltimore County 3 Eurocopter AS350B3, Howard County 1
Bell 407 The Bell 407 is a four-blade, single-engine, civil utility helicopter. A derivative of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger, the 407 uses the four-blade, soft-in-plane design rotor with composite hub developed for the United States Army's OH-58D Kiowa W ...
, Prince George's County 2 MD520N, Harford County 1 Bell OH-58. *The
Maryland Air National Guard The Maryland Air National Guard (MD ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Maryland, United States of America, and a reserve component of the United States Air Force. It is, along with the Maryland Army National Guard, an element of the Maryla ...
was founded June 29, 1921. On that date the 104th Observation Squadron was federally recognized in Baltimore. *NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center builds spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, solar system, and the universe. *The
Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility Joint Base Andrews (JBA) is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 316th Wing, Air Force District of Washington (AFDW). The base was e ...
opened in 1942 as Camp Springs Air Base in Prince George's County, Maryland. The base houses dozens of units serving the metro Washington. D.C. area. Most notably, the 89th Airlift wing, supporting the
Boeing VC-25 The Boeing VC-25 is a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner, modified for presidential transport and commonly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) as ''Air Force One'', the call sign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the p ...
, " Air Force One" when occupied by the President of the United States.


Museums

*
Baltimore–Washington International Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Internat ...
has a gallery with aircraft cut-aways and Maryland Aviation History. *College Park Aviation Museum in
College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best known ...
. *Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum in
Middle River, Maryland Middle River is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 33,203 at the 2020 census. A Middle River Train Station first appeared on the 1877 G.M. Hopkins & Co Baltimore ...
. *Hagerstown Aviation Museum, in Hagerstown, Maryland * Massey Air Museum,
Massey, Maryland Massey is an unincorporated community in Kent County, Maryland, United States. Massey is located at the intersection of Maryland routes 299, 313 and 330, southeast of Galena. Education It is in the Kent County Public Schools. Kent County Mid ...
*NASA Goddard Space Flight Center visitors center
Greenbelt, Maryland Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,921. Greenbelt is the first and the largest of the three experimental and controversial New D ...
*
Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility The Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility, also known colloquially as "Silver Hill", is a storage and former conservation and restoration facility of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, located in Suitland, Ma ...
Silver Hill, Maryland *
Patuxent River Naval Air Museum The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum is a museum at Lexington Park, Maryland, first opened in 1978, which preserves and interprets the Naval Air Station Patuxent River history and heritage of advancing US naval aviation technology with artifacts, ...
,
Lexington Park, Maryland Lexington Park is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States, and the principal community of the Lexington Park, Maryland Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,626 at th2010 census History Nati ...


Gallery

File:BWI aerial2.jpg, BWI Airport File:P 8 and P 3 over Pax River.jpg, Patuxent River NAS File:Curtiss plane - College Park.jpg, Curtiss aircraft at College Park File:070727 New Washington ADIZ-FRZ.jpg, Post 9-11 airspace


References

{{Reflist Transportation in Maryland