1954 in aviation - Definition and Overview

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1954:

Events

January

• January 10 - a BOAC de Havilland Comet crashes into the Mediterranean Sea near Elba with the loss of all 35 people aboard.

April

• April 1 - Last operational flight by a RAF Spitfire, a photo-reconnaissance sortie against bandits in Malaya

June

• June 2 - Yugoslavian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s attack a Belgian Douglas DC-3, which lands in Austria
• June 21 - three USAF B-47 Stratojets cross the Pacific Ocean in under 15 hours

July

• July 22 - an Air Cathay Douglas DC-4 is shot down near Hainan Island
• July 26 - Soviet Air Force Lavochkin La-7s attack two US Navy A-1 Skyraiders searching for survivors from the Air Cathay flight. The Skyraiders respond and shoot down the La-7s

November

• November 2 - the VTOL Convair XFY transitions from vertical to horizontal flight and back
• November 7 - Soviet Air Force MiG-15s shoot down a USAF B-29 Superfortress off Hokkaido, claiming it was spying.
• November 17 - a B-47 is forced by bad weather to remain aloft for 47 hours 35 minutes, needing nine aerial refuellings.

First flights

August

• August 3 - Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig (free flight)
• August 4 - English Electric P.1, prototype of the English Electric Lightning

July

• July 15 - Boeing 367-80, prototype of the Boeing 707 and Boeing C-135 families

September

• September 29 - McDonnell F-101A

October

• October 3 - Douglas XF4D-1
• October 6 - Fairey FD.2

Entered service

February

• Supermarine Swift with No. 56 Squadron RAF

September

• FJ Fury with VF-173
• September 27 - F-100 Super Sabre with 479th Fighter Day Wing