Lake Central Airlines becomes the first employee-owned scheduled airline in history[4] when 162 of its employees (65% of the total) buy 97.5% of the outstanding stock, 25% outright and the rest financed over 24 months.
A
Cunard Line report assesses that
airlines do not pose a threat to the
transatlanticocean liner business because political interference with
airline routes prevents aircraft from having the freedom of navigation that ships enjoy.[14]
As tensions in the
Formosa Strait ease, the People's Republic of China releases four captured American fliers. It will release all other captured Americans over the summer.[16]
June 22 – The Soviet armed forces shoot down a U.S. Navy patrol plane over the
Bering Strait. The Soviet Union surprises the United States by paying half the damages and issuing a statement of regret even though the American plane clearly had violated Soviet
airspace.[20]
June 28 –
Jean Moire lands a
Bell 47 helicopter on top of
Mont Blanc, at an altitude of 4,807 m (15,772 ft).
August 1 – Lockheed Article 001, prototype of the
Lockheed U-2reconnaissance aircraft, first takes to the air in what is intended to be only a high-speed taxi test at
Groom Lake in Nevada.
August 4 –
American Airlines Flight 476, a
Convair CV-240-0 attempting an emergency landing at
Forney Army Airfield,
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, crashes just short of the runway, after earlier reporting an engine fire. All 27 passengers and three crew members die in the crash. Witnesses report seeing the right wing of the plane break away before the crash; the wing is found on a hill 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from the main wreckage.[25][26]
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.
October 15 – A
United States NavyDouglas XA4D-1 Skyhawk sets a world speed record over a 500-kilometer (310.5-mile) closed-circuit course, reaching 1,119.382 km/h (695.163 mph).[35]
October 16 – The Boeing 367-80 (a
Boeing 707 prototype) crosses the United States in just 3 hours 58 minutes.
December 24 – As a public relations move, the U.S.
Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) issues a statement to the press claiming that it is tracking
Santa Claus's
sleigh on
Christmas Eve, adding that "CONAD,
Army,
Navy and
Marine Air Forces will continue to track and guard Santa and his sleigh on his trip to and from the U.S. against possible attack from those who do not believe in
Christmas." It begins the
annual tradition of CONAD and its successor, the North American Air Defense Command (later renamed the
North American Aerospace Defense Command) reporting the tracking of Santa Claus's sleigh on Christmas Eve, with the "reports" of his progress becoming more and more elaborate in future years.[37]
^Isenberg, Michael T., Shield of the Republic: The United States Navy in an Era of Cold War and Violent Peace, Volume I: 1945-1962, New York: St. Martin's Press,
ISBN0-312-09911-8, p. 613.
^Isenberg, Michael T., Shield of the Republic: The United States Navy in an Era of Cold War and Violent Peace, Volume I: 1945-1962, New York: St. Martin's Press,
ISBN0-312-09911-8, p. 614.
^Polmar, Norman, "Historic Aircraft: Great But Impractical Aircraft," Naval History, June 2012, p. 13.
^Guttman, Jon, "Canada's Contribution: The Canuck," Aviation History, May 2014, p. 42.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 282.
^Maxtone-Graham, John, The Only Way to Cross, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN978-0-7607-0637-4, p. 409.
^Isenberg, Michael T., Shield of the Republic: The United States Navy in an Era of Cold War and Violent Peace, Volume I: 1945-1962, New York: St. Martin's Press,
ISBN0-312-09911-8, p. 621.
^Handleman, Philip, "Discovering Purpose in the Sky," Aviation History, July 2017, p. 12 (photo caption).
^Polmar, Norman, "Historic Aircraft: The Flying Banana," Naval History, August 2010, p. 17.
^Isenberg, Michael T., Shield of the Republic: The United States Navy in an Era of Cold War and Violent Peace, Volume I: 1945-1962, New York: St. Martin's Press,
ISBN0-312-09911-8, p. 598.
^"Four Killed In Air Crash". The Times. No. 53261. London. 1955-07-01. p. 10.
^Chinnery, Philip D., Vietnam: The Helicopter War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991,
ISBN978-1-55750-875-1, p. 2.
^Angelucci, Enzo (1987). The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present. New York:
Orion Books. p. 352.
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9.
^
abDonald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 273.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 451.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 404.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 408.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 116.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 70.
Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1955–56, New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1955.
Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1956–57, New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1956.