1955 in aviation - Definition and Overview

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1955:

Events

February

• February 26 - George F. Smith becomes the first person to survive a supersonic ejection, from a North American F-100 Super Sabre travelling (Mach 1.05).

March

• March 10 - Pakistan International Airlines is formed

April

• April 1 - post-World War II bans on powered flight in West Germany are lifted

June

• June 28 - Jean Moire lands a Bell 47 helicopter on top of Mont Blanc, at an altitude of 4,807 m (15,772 ft)

July

• July 26 - Capital Airlines adopts the Vickers Viscount, the first US airline to select a British airliner.
• July 27 - an El Al Lockheed Constellation is shot down by Bulgarian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s. All 58 aboard are killed

August

• August 29 - an English Electric Canberra sets a new altitude record of 65,876 ft (20,079 m)

September

• September 3 - J. S. Fairfield makes the first ejection from an aircraft on the ground, escaping from a Gloster Meteor traveling at 120 mph (193 km/h) along a runway
• September 9 - American Airlines, TWA, and United Airlines agree to adopt a domestic "coach class" for transcontinental flights across the United States.

October

• October 10 - helicopters from USS Saipan play a key role in rescuing people stranded by flooding in Tampico, Mexico
• October 16 - the Boeing 367-80 (707 prototype) crosses the United States in just 3 hours 58 minutes.

November

• November 1 - a United Airlines Douglas DC-6 is destroyed by a bomb planted by a man attempting to cash in his mother's life insurance policies. 58 people are killed

December

• December 4 - Glenn A. Martin dies at age 69
• December 15 - the de Havilland Mosquito flies its final operational sortie with the Royal Air Force

First flights

February

• February 14 - Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-2, prototype of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

March

• March 2 - Dassault Super Mystère
• March 12 - Aérospatiale Alouette II

May

• May 27 - Sud Caravelle

June

• June 17 - Tupolev Tu-104
• June 25 - Dassault Mirage I
• June 25 - Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer

July

• July 23 - PZL TS-8 Bies

August

• August 4 - Lockheed Article 001, prototype of the Lockheed U-2

September

• September 7 - Sukhoi S-1, prototype of Su-7.
• September 20 - Nord 1500 Griffon

October

• October 22 - Republic XF-105
• October 25 - Saab Draken

November

• November 24 - Fokker F27

December

• December 15 - Douglas DC-7

Entered service

January

• January 9 - Vickers Valiant with No. 138 Squadron RAF

June

• June 29 - B-52 Stratofortress with the 93rd Bomb Wing