| Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Dirigible |
| National origin | United States |
| Designer | |
| Number built | 1 |
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. [1]
On 5 August 1908, the Army tested SC-1 at Fort Myer, Virginia. The craft fell short of a two-hour, 20 mph objective to meet a $8,000 per unit award. The Army formally accepted the craft as Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1, paying $5,737.50. [2] On 28 August 1908 Lieutenants Frank Lahm, Michael "CC" Finney, Thomas Selfridge, and Benjamin Foulois were taught to fly the craft. [1]
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. [3]
On 26 May, pilot Lieutenant Lahm and Lieutenant Foulois made a flight in SC-1 at Fort Omaha, and maneuvered the craft at will. SC-1 remained there until scrapped in 1912. The Army did not purchase another dirigible until after World War I. [1]