1918 in aviation

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1918:

Table of contents

1 Events 2 First flights 3 Entered service

Events

• Escadrille Lafayette, the US volunteer squadron serving in the French Army is transferred to the US Army and redesignated the 103rd Aero Squadron.
• February 5 - 2nd Lt Stephen Thompson claims the first aerial victory for the US Air Service.

• March 11 - the first regular international airmail service begins, with Hansa-Brandenburg C.I aircraft linking Vienna, Lvov, Proskurov, and Kiev.
• March 21 - beginning of the Kaiserschlacht
• March 25 - Ensign John McNamara makes the first US Navy attack on a submarine.

• April 1 - the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service combine to form the Royal Air Force. The Women's Royal Air Force is formed at the same time.
• April 12 - the final Zeppelin raid on England is carried out.
• April 21 - Manfred von Richthofen, a living legend called the "Red Baron" and "ace of aces" is shot down and killed. By the time of his death, he had claimed 80 victories. Credit for his kill is given to Canadian Cpt Roy Brown, but this is disputed by others who claim that he was killed by ground fire from Australian troops.
• April 23 - Lt Paul Baer shoots down his fifth aircraft, becoming the first ace of the American Expeditionary Force

• May 15 - The first regular US airmail service commences, between New York and Washington, DC. The first flight is made by Lt Geoffrey Boyle in a Curtiss JN-4H.
• May 20 - German bombs fall on London for the last time in World War I.

• A detachment of US bomber pilots is stationed in Italy to strike at Austria.
• June 19 - Italy's highest-scoring ace, Maggiore Francesco Baracca is killed by Austrian ground fire. He had claimed 34 victories.
• June 24 - the first scheduled Canadian airmail flight is made, between Montreal and Toronto.
  • The RAF deploys its new 1,650 lb (748 kg) bomb for the first time. One is dropped on Middelkerke, Belgium by a Handley Page O/400 of No. 216 Squadron, RAF.

• July 26 - Maj Edward Mannock, Britain's highest scoring ace of the war, is shot down by German ground fire. He had scored 73 victories.

• August 11 - Flt Sub-Lt Stuart Culley shoots down Zeppelin L 53 after taking off from a barge towed behind HMS Redoubt

• September 12 - 627 French and 611 US fighters are brought together for the attack on St Mihiel salient. At the time, it is the largest force of aircraft assembled for a single operation.
• September 24 - Lt David Ingalls claims his fifth victory, to become the only US Navy ace of World War I.

• November 11 - the end of World War I

• December 12 - Cpt R.M. Smith, Brig Gen A.E. Borton and Maj Gen W. Salmond set out in a Handley Page O/400 from Heliopolis to Karachi, to survey a route for airmail to India.
• December 13 - Maj A.S.C. MacLaren and Cpt Robert Halley set out on the first England-India flight, in a Handley Page V/1500

• March 4 - de Havilland DH.10
• March 10 - Junkers D.I

• June 6 - Fairey III

• August 7 - Blériot-SPAD S.XX
• August 17 - Martin MB-1
• August 21 - Nieport-Delage NiD 29

• Fokker D.VIII