1921 in aviation

Events

Bessie Coleman attends flying school in France and became the first licensed African-American female pilot.

Mexicana de Aviacion begins service.

June
Boeing wins a $1,448,000 contract to build 200 Thomas-Morse MB-3 fighters for the US Army, allowing the company to abandon furniture-making.

June 8 - the US Army carries out the first experiments in cabin pressurisation, using a de Havilland DH.4.

June 13 - the US Army and Navy begin trials in Chesapeake Bay to test the effectiveness of aircraft in attacking ships. The captured German destroyer G-102, light cruiser Frankfurt and battleship Ostfriesland will all be successfully sunk by aerial bombing.

July
Douglas Aircraft Company founded.

August
August 11 - Schneider Trophy race flown at Venice, Italy. In an all-Italian field, Giovanni De Briganti won the race in a Macchi M-7. Speed 189.7 km/h (117.9 mph).

August 24 - British Airship R-38 breaks up over Hull, Yorkshire during trials, killing 44 people.

September
September 19 - the first regular scheduled airline service in Latin America commences, with Colombian airline SCADTA operating float-equipped Junkers F.13s between Barranquilla and Girandot.

October
The RAF takes over from the British Army in assuming policing duties in Iraq

October 15 - the Spanish airline Compania Española de Trafico Aereo is established - it will eventually form part of Iberia Airlines.

November
The 6th Salon d'Aeronautique is held in Paris. The Breguet 19 is unveiled.

November 5 - Curtiss test pilot Bert Acosta wins the Pulitzer Trophy in a Curtiss CR-2 and establishes a new closed-circuit airspeed record of 284.36 km/h (176.7 mph).

December
December 5 - The first regular air services in Australia commence, with West Australian Airways.

First flights

February
February 24 - Douglas Cloudster

April
Fairey Pintail
April 19 - Short Cromarty flying boat

May
Boeing GA-1

June
June 16 - Blériot-SPAD S.46
June 21 - Bristol Ten-seater

July
16 July - Avro 552