Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1
Encyclopedia
Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1 was the first powered aircraft ordered for the Signal Corps
by the Aeronautical Division of the United States Army
. The purchase of SC-1, a dirigible designed by Thomas Scott Baldwin
was the result of urgings by Chief Signal Officer Brigadier General James Allen
. After seeing Baldwin demonstrate a dirigible at the St. Louis air meet in 1907, Allen had urged the U.S. Army to buy a dirigible as many European armies had dirigibles by the turn of the century.
During the summer of 1908, the Army tested SC-1 at Fort Myer
, Virginia and formally accepted the craft as Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1. On 28 Aug. 1908 Lieutenants Frank Lahm
, Thomas Selfridge
and Benjamin Foulois
were taught to fly the craft.
After Second Lieutenant John G Winter Jr of the 6th Cavalry was assigned to duty in the Aeronautical Division, the balloon detachment was transferred to Fort Omaha
, Nebraska.
On 26 May, pilot Lieutenant Lahm and Lieutenant Foulois made a flight in it SC-1 at Fort Omaha and maneuver the craft at will. SC-1 remained there until scrapped in 1912. The Army did not purchase another dirigible until after World War I.
Signal Corps
The Signal Corps is a military branch, usually subordinate to a country's army, responsible for the military communications .Many countries have a Signal Corps, whose main function is usually communication .* Arma de Comunicaciones, signals branch of the Argentine Army* Arma delle...
by the Aeronautical Division of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. The purchase of SC-1, a dirigible designed by Thomas Scott Baldwin
Thomas Scott Baldwin
Thomas Scott Baldwin was a pioneer balloonist and U.S. Army major during World War I. He was the first American to descend from a balloon by parachute.-Early career:...
was the result of urgings by Chief Signal Officer Brigadier General James Allen
James Allen
James, Jim, or Jimmy Allen may refer to:*James Allen , American football linebacker*James Allen , American football running back...
. After seeing Baldwin demonstrate a dirigible at the St. Louis air meet in 1907, Allen had urged the U.S. Army to buy a dirigible as many European armies had dirigibles by the turn of the century.
During the summer of 1908, the Army tested SC-1 at Fort Myer
Fort Myer
Fort Myer is a U.S. Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is a small post by U.S...
, Virginia and formally accepted the craft as Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1. On 28 Aug. 1908 Lieutenants Frank Lahm
Frank Lahm
Frank Purdy Lahm was an American aviation pioneer, the "nation's first military aviator", and a general officer in the United States Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces....
, Thomas Selfridge
Thomas Selfridge
Thomas Etholen Selfridge was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and the first person to die in a crash of a powered airplane. He was a passenger while Orville Wright was piloting the aircraft.-Biography:...
and Benjamin Foulois
Benjamin Foulois
Benjamin Delahauf Foulois , was a United States Army general who learned to fly the first military planes purchased from the Wright Brothers. He became the first military aviator as an airship pilot, and achieved numerous other military aviation "firsts"...
were taught to fly the craft.
After Second Lieutenant John G Winter Jr of the 6th Cavalry was assigned to duty in the Aeronautical Division, the balloon detachment was transferred to Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, Nebraska, the facility is primarily occupied by ...
, Nebraska.
On 26 May, pilot Lieutenant Lahm and Lieutenant Foulois made a flight in it SC-1 at Fort Omaha and maneuver the craft at will. SC-1 remained there until scrapped in 1912. The Army did not purchase another dirigible until after World War I.