1952 in aviation - Definition and Overview

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1952:

Events

January

• January 5 - Pan Am commences trans-atlantic freight services.

February

• February 10 - Maj George A. Davis Jr is awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, after attacking a group of 12 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s that were about to bounce other US aircraft. He shot down two before being shot down himself.

May

• May 1 - the IATA agrees on new "tourist class" fares, which are adopted by Pan Am on its NewYork-London "Rainbow service"
• May 2 - BOAC introduces the de Havilland DH.108 Comet on its London-Johannesburg route, the first regular service flown by a jet airliner. G-AYLP makes the first flight.
• May 12 - Sqn Ldr P. G. Fisher makes the first non-stop, unrefuelled flight from England to Australia in an English Electric Canberra bomber in a record 23 hours 5 minutes.
• May 29 - aerial refueling is used on a combat mission for the first time, with twelve F-84 Thunderjets of the 159th Fighter Bomber Squadron being refueled by a KB-29 Superfortress on their way to Sariwon

June

• June 16-17 - Soviet Air Force MiG-15s shoot down a Royal Swedish Air Force C-47 Dakota on an intelligence gathering mission over the Baltic Sea, and the PBY Catalina that is sent to search for survivors.
• June 23-24 - in the most intense use of airpower of the Korean War, US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft fly 1,200 sorties against North Korean power generation facilities.

July

• July 1 - the Portugese Air Force is formed by the amalgamation of the nation's various previous air arms.
• July 8 - New York Airways begins inter-airport helicopter services to link Idlewild, La Guardia, and Newark airports.
• July 15-31 - a pair of USAF H-19 Chickasaws make the first transatlantic crossing by helicopter
• July 29 - a USAF RB-45 Tornado makes the first non-stop crossing of the Pacific by jet

August

• August 9 - Lt Peter Carmichael of No. 802 Squadron FAA aboard HMS Ocean claims the Fleet Air Arm's first MiG-15 kill, from a Hawker Sea Fury.
• August 28 - a F6F Hellcat is loaded with explosives and flown as a remote-controlled drone against a railway bridge at Hungnam

September

• September 6 - the de Havilland Sea Vixen prototype disintegrates at the Farnborough Air Show, killing 28 spectators as well as its pilot

October

• October 26 - a BOAC Comet is badly damaged in an accident during take-off from Rome

First flights

January

• January 3 - Bristol Belvedere

April

• April 15 - Boeing YB-52

June

• June 19 - Yak-120 prototype of Yakovlev Yak-25

August

• August 6 - Boulton Paul P.120
• August 16 - Bristol Britannia
• August 22 - Saunders-Roe Princess
• August 30 - Avro Vulcan

September

• September 10 - BOMARC surface-to-air missile
• September 20 - Douglas X-3 Stiletto
• September 28 - Dassault Mystère IV
• September 30 - GAM-63 Rascal surface-to-air missile

October

• October 16 - Sud Aviation Vautour
• October 28 - Douglas XA3D-1

November

• November 3 - Saab Lansen

December

• December 24 - Handley Page Victor

Entered service

January

• January 22 - de Havilland DH.108 Comet with BOAC

March

• March 13 - Airspeed Ambassador with BEA

June

• June 17 - airship ZPN-1 with the US Navy

August

• de Havilland Venom with the RAF