1951 IN AVIATION

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1951:

Contents

Events

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

December

First flights

Entered service

Events

February

★ February 21 - an English Electric Canberra becomes the first jet to make an unrefuelled crossing of the Atlantic, taking 4 hours 37 minutes

March

★ March 6 - the Martin aircraft company gains production rights to the English Electric Canberra as the B-57

★ March 15 - a Qantas flying boat makes a survey flight from Sydney to Valparaíso via Easter Island, the airline's first flight across the South Pacific.

April

★ April 12 - 48 USAF B-29 Superfortresses attack the Sinuiju Railway Bridge on the Yalu River.

May

★ May 1 - US Navy A-1 Skyraiders and F4U Corsairs from USS ''Princeton'' attack the Hwachon Dam, flooding the Pukhan River

★ May 20 - Cpt James Jabra becomes the first fighter ace to score his five victories ''in'' a jet (a F-86 Sabre) ''over'' jets (Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s)

★ May 29 - Cpt C. Blair makes the first solo flight over the North Pole, in a P-51 Mustang

June

★ June 1 - BEA commences helicopter services between London and Birmingham

July

★ July 6 - aerial refueling is used under combat conditions for the first time, with a KB-29 Superfortress refueling four RF-80 Shooting Stars over North Korea

August

★ The Canadian Blue Devils aerobatic team is disbanded.

★ August 1 - Japan Air Lines is formed.

★ August 7 - Bill Bridgeman sets a new airspeed record in the Douglas Skyrocket of Mach 1.88 (1,245 mph, 1,992 km/h).

★ August 15 - William Bridgeman sets a new altitude record in the Douglas Skyrocket of 74,494 ft (22,706 m).

★ August 15 - BEA commences turboprop freight services.

September

★ 16 September - A damaged US Navy F2H-2 Banshee attempting to land on USS ''Essex'' (CV-9) crashes into a group of aircraft parked on the carrier's deck, killing seven sailors.

★ September 21 - the US Marine Corps makes the world's first mass combat deployment by helicopter. 228 Marines are landed in 12 Sikorsky HRS

October

★ October 3 - HS-1 is commissioned, the US Navy's first ASW helicopter squadron

★ October 25 - Japan Airlines flies its first flights, using three Northwest Airlines Martin 2-0-2 aircraft, flown by Northwest crews. [1]

December

★ December 1 - F/O Bruce Gogerly of 77 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), flying a Gloster Meteor, shoots down a Soviet-piloted MiG-15, the first of four air-to-air kills for RAAF pilots during the Korean War.[2]

★ December 12 - Alaska Air becomes the first airline to fly over the North Pole

★ December 13 - Maj George Davis of the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron shoots down four MiG-15s in a single day

First flights

'February'

★ February 23 - Dassault Mystére I
'March'

★ March 12 - Fairey Delta FD.1

★ March 15 - Sud-Ouest SO.30R
'April'

★ April 26 - Lockheed X-7
'May'

★ May 18 - Vickers Valiant prototype ''WB210''
'June'

★ June 20 - Bell X-5, first aircraft with swing wings

★ June 21 - Handley Page HP.88
'July'

★ July 16 - Iberavia I-11 ''EC-AFE''

★ July 20 - Hawker Hunter prototype ''WB188''
'August'

★ August 5 - HAL HT-2, India's first indigenously designed basic trainer.

★ August 5 - Supermarine Swift ''WJ960''

★ August 31 - Supermarine Type 508 ''VX133''
'September'

★ September 7 - Auster B.4 ''G-AMKL''

★ September 26 - de Havilland Sea Vixen ''WG326''
'November'

★ November 26 - Gloster Javelin prototype ''WD804''
'December'

★ December 10 - Fiat G.80, Italy's first true jet

★ December 10 - Kaman K-225, first turbine-powered helicopter

★ December 12 - de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter prototype ''CF-DYK-X''

Entered service

'February'

★ Avro Shackleton with No. 120 Squadron RAF (Coastal Command)
'May'

★ May 24 - English Electric Canberra with No. 101 Squadron RAF
'August'

★ Gloster Meteor NF11 with No. 29 Squadron RAF

★ August 22 - Supermarine Attacker with 800 Naval Air Squadron, the Fleet Air Arm's first jet