The Pan American Airways Corporation officially renames itself
Pan American World Airways, the name the airline had begun to use for itself unofficially in 1943.[citation needed]
January 24 – A
Société Transatlantique Aérienne (STA) Douglas C-47A-50-DL Skytrain (registration F-BFGD) on a domestic flight in
Madagascar crashes into a 4,600-foot (1,400-meter) mountain 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of
Tamatave, killing all 14 people on board.[4]
Early February – A U.S. Weapon Systems Evaluation Group reports that the U.S. Air Force's
Strategic Air Command would suffer heavy losses in an air offensive against the Soviet Union, with the most favorable assumptions allowing 70 to 85 percent of atomic bombs to be delivered to their targets. It estimates bomber losses of about 35 percent in night raids and 50 percent in daylight raids, and that the bombers could deliver the planned 292 atomic bombs called for in the initial attack but would suffer losses too high to allow the follow-on strikes with conventional bombs required by U.S. war plans.[7]
February 13 – A U.S. Air Force
B-36B Peacemaker bomber participating in the first full-scale practice for a
nuclear strike on the Soviet Union
suffers the failure of all six of its engines during a mission to simulate a Soviet nuclear attack on
San Francisco,
California. The crew jettisons the
Mark 4atomic bomb the plane is carrying, which detonates over the
Pacific Ocean in the first loss of a
nuclear weapon, then bails out – which 12 of the 17 men on board survive – over
Princess Royal Island,
British Columbia,
Canada, leaving the plane to fly on
autopilot out over the Pacific Ocean and crash. Instead, some of its engines apparently recover power on their own, and the bomber flies unmanned for several hours and crashes on a remote mountainside in northern British Columbia; this remains unknown until it is discovered lying almost intact on the mountain in 1953.
Mid-February – A U.S. military Joint Advanced Study Committee reports that the United States will have to rely heavily on atomic weapons in achieving its strategic objectives in a war with the Soviet Union, with early atomic strikes critical during a war. It finds that the U.S. Air Force will have to strike Soviet atomic bomb assembly and storage sites and
Soviet Air Force long-range bomber bases early in a conflict to protect the
United States from Soviet atomic attacks.[8]
Late February – The U.S.
Joint Intelligence Committee reports that at the beginning of a war the Soviet Air Force could field 1,725 long-range bombers and 18,325 other aircraft and that the
Soviet Navy could deploy 3,225 aircraft, while the
United States Navy could deploy four
fleet aircraft carriers off
Europe. It notes that the U.S. Air Force has 14 bomber and 6+2⁄3 fighter
groups.[8]
March
Sixty aircraft from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier
USS Boxer (CV-21) make a tight-formation flyover over
Saigon in the
State of Vietnam to encourage the population and government there to support the French in
French Indochina and oppose the expansion of
communism, beginning U.S. aid to the French in the region.[9]
March 12 – The
Llandow air disaster occurs, as the
Avro Tudor V airliner Star Girl (G-AKBY) on a private charter flight from
Dublin,
Ireland, crashes on final approach to
Lladow aerodrome in
South Wales. Three passengers survive, but 80 people (75 passengers and all five crew members) die in the worst aviation accident in history to that time.
March 15 – The last operational prototype of the
United States Air Force's
Northrop YB-49 jet-powered
flying wing bomber is destroyed when its nose gear collapses during high-speed taxiing tests simulating takeoff runs at
Muroc Air Force Base,
California. The incident brings the YB-49 bomber program to an end, although the U.S. Air Force continues development of the YRB-49A reconnaissance version of the aircraft.[10]
May 30 – After an
Aerovias Brasil Douglas C-47-DL Skytrain (registration PP-AVZ) begins a descent from 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) through clouds, it encounters severe turbulence that causes the displacement of passengers and cargo. The crew loses control of the aircraft, which enters a dive too steep for its design limits, loses both its wings, and crashes near
Ilhéus,
Brazil, killing 13 of the 15 people on board.[25]
June 9 – During a flight from
Kingston,
Jamaica, to
Maracaibo,
Venezuela, a
New Tribes MissionDouglas DC-3 (registration N16030) strikes a tree about 15 feet (4.6 meters) above the ground on a mountaintop in the
Serrania de Valledupar Range, loses parts of both its wings, crashes inverted at an elevation of 4,400 feet (1,300 meters) near the top of a mountain 31 kilometers (19 miles) east-northeast of
Fonseca,
Colombia, and catches fire, killing all 15 people on board. Its wreckage is not discovered until July 6.[27]
June 14 – The Air France Douglas DC-4 Ciel de Gascognecrashes into the Persian Gulf southeast of Bahrain while on approach to land there after a flight from Karachi, killing 40 of the 53 people on board. The crash occurs within a mile (1.6 km) of the virtually identical Air France crash two days earlier.
Flying a [Lockheed F-80C] U.S. Air Force [1st Lieutenant] [Robert "Bob" E Wayne] shoots down 2 North Korean Air Force [Soviet made] Ilyushin-2 Shturmovik fighters in the first American Jet victories
A U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54D Skymaster crashes into a 2,000-foot (610-meter) high hill northwest of
Pusan, South Korea, killing all 23 people on board.[34]
July 4 – Seafires and Fireflies from Triumph strike targets of opportunity in Korea, including a railway bridge and a column of North Korean troops.[40]
July 13 – A U.S. Air Force
B-50 Superfortress carrying a
nuclear bomb crashes near
Lebanon,
Ohio, during a training mission. High-explosive components of the bomb detonate, but no nuclear explosion occurs.[43]
July 16 – Okinawa-based U.S. Navy
PB4Y-2 Privateers of Patrol Squadron 28 (VP-28) begin patrols of the coast of the People's Republic of China.[41]
July 17 – An
Indian National Airways Douglas C-47A Skytrain (registration VT-ATS) loses its left wing in flight due to severe turbulence and crashes southeast of
Pathankot,
India, killing all 22 people on board.[44]
A U.S. Air Force
Curtiss C-46D Commando (serial number 44-77577) loses its left
aileron during its initial climb out of
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, causing its crew to lose control of it at an altitude of between 1,000 and 2,000 feet (300 and 610 meters). Both of the C-46D's wings fail, and it crashes just west of
Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina, killing all 39 people on board.[50]
July 27 – A U.S. Air Force Douglas C-47D Skytrain (serial number 44-76439) crashes into the sea 60 Miles ENE of
Haneda Air Base, Japan, 20 minutes after taking off from
Haneda in
Tokyo, killing 25 of the 26 people on board.[52]
July 28
A U.S. Air Force B-29 Superfortress mistakenly shoots down a British
Fleet Air ArmSupermarine Seafire of 800 Naval Air Squadron from HMS Triumph off Korea, apparently mistaking it for a
Yakovlev Yak-9.[40]
Encountering bad weather and a low ceiling, a
Panair do BrasilLockheed L-049 Constellation (registration PP-PCG) aborts an attempted landing at
Canoas Air Force Base at
Canoas,
Brazil. As the crew attempts to maintain visual contact with the ground while circling for another landing attempt, the aircraft strikes the 200-meter (660-foot) hill Morro do Chapéu and crashes, killing all 51 people on board. At the time it is both the deadliest aviation accident in Brazilian history and the deadliest accident involving the Lockheed L-049.[53]
The starboard wing fuel tank of a
Compagnie Air Transport (CAT)
Bristol 170 Freighter 21 (registration F-BENF) explodes in flight, leading to multiple structural failures. The aircraft crashes in the
Tanezrouft area of
French Algeria, killing all 26 people on board. At the time it is the deadliest aviation accident in the history of
Algeria.[54]
July 30
An
AeroflotIlyushin Il-12 (registration CCCP-L1803) suffers an engine failure just after takeoff from
Karaganda Airport in
Karaganda in the
Soviet Union's
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic and crashes while attempting to return to the airport, killing all 25 people on board. The aircraft had suffered engine trouble previously, but a crew performing a test flight the previous day at
Alma-Ata to see whether maintenance had corrected the problem had failed to report that engine trouble persisted after the attempted repairs. At the time it is the deadliest aviation accident in the history of
Kazakhstan.[55]
July 31 – U.S. Navy aircraft have flown 716 combat and 431 patrol sorties over and around Korea since July 1, most of them by aircraft from the aircraft carrier
USS Valley Forge (CV-45). U.S. Navy aviators have claimed 26 enemy aircraft destroyed and 13 probably destroyed during the period, and have destroyed numerous
tanks,
locomotives,
power stations, and bridges. In exchange, the U.S. Navy has lost six aircraft and one aviator.[57]
The U.S. Navy's Convair XP5Y-1, prototype of the
R3Y Tradewind, sets a world endurance record for a
turboprop-powered aircraft, remaining aloft for 8 hours 6 minutes. It covers 3,450 miles (5,550 km) during the flight.[21]
Birth of
Yang Yuanyuan, Chinese aviation safety regulator.
Late in the evening, North Korean troops launch a heavy assault on the
Pusan Perimeter. Aircraft from the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) and USS Valley Forge (CV-45) provide support to defending forces.[65]
After a major fire breaks out in the No. 3 engine of
Trans World Airlines Flight 903 – the
Lockhead L-749A ConstellationStar of Maryland (registration N6004C) – during a flight from
Cairo to
Rome, the crew attempts to return to Cairo, but the fire worsens and the engine detaches from the aircraft. The crew then attempts a crash-landing in the
Libyan Desert, but the aircraft crashes near
Wadi El Natrun,
Egypt, killing all 55 people on board. Among the dead are
architectMaciej Nowicki and an Egyptian film star. It is the worst accident in history involving a Lockheed L-749, and at the time it is the deadliest aviation accident in Egyptian history.[66]
September
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff report that the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) requires an additional 8,636 aircraft for tactical and defensive operations if NATO is engage in a successful defense forward of the
Rhine River against a Soviet offensive.[67]
September 4
Captain Robert Wayne becomes the first pilot to be rescued from behind enemy lines by a helicopter.
During U.S. Navy carrier air strikes on targets north of Inchon, Korea, four
F4U Corsair fighter-bombers from the aircraft carrier
USS Valley Forge (CV-45) intercept a twin-engine bomber approaching
Task Force 77 off Korea and
Lieutenant, junior grade, Richard Downs shoots it down over the
Yellow Sea after it opens fire on them. A
Soviet aviator's body is recovered from the water, demonstrating direct Soviet air participation in the Korean War for the first time.[39][65]
September 10, 13, and 14 – United Nations carrier aircraft soften up targets in the
Inchon area in preparation for the
landing there.[72]
September 15 –
Task Force 77, centered on five U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and one
Royal Navy carrier, supports the U.S. Marine Corps assault on
Green Beach, paving the way for the
Inchon landing.
A
Bell 47 becomes the first helicopter to fly over the
Alps.[76]
September 22 – U.S. Air Force
Colonel David Schilling makes the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a jet fighter, flying a
Republic EF-84E Thunderjet from the
United Kingdom to the
United States in 10 hours 2 minutes with three
aerial refuelings. The flight demonstrates that large numbers of fighters could be moved quickly across the Atlantic.
September 26 – A U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54D-1-DC Skymaster taking part in the airlift of troops and supplies to Korea crashes into the sea just after takeoff from
Ashiya Air Field in
Ashiya, Japan, killing 23 of the 51 people on board.[77]
October 20 – U.S. paratroops cut off supplies from
Pyongyang, Korea.
October 31 – The British European Airways
Vickers VC.1 VikingLord St. Vincent (G-AHPN)
crashes while landing in thick fog at
London Airport, killing 28 of the 30 people on board.
November 22 – Flying in fog, a
New Tribes MissionDouglas DC-3C (registration N74586) crashes into
Wyoming's
Mount Moran at an altitude of 11,200 feet (3,400 meters), killing all 21 people on board, including eight children. A rescue party discovers the wreckage on November 25, but its location precludes recovery of the aircraft or bodies.[86]
November 25 – The
People's Republic of China launches a major offensive across the
Yalu River against United Nations forces in Korea. Under terrible winter weather conditions, United Nations aircraft are heavily committed to supporting ground forces, which are driven out of northern Korea by the end of the year.[88]
November 30 – After a rushed replenishment in Japan, the U.S. Navy's
Task Force 77 returns to action off Korea, its aircraft carriers launching 39 sorties during the day in support of United Nations forces retreating in the face of the Chinese offensive in northern Korea.[90]
December 2–25 – Four hundred aircraft from seven United Nations aircraft carriers support U.N. ground forces with air strikes while U.S. Air Force aircraft drop supplies to them as they break out of their encirclement in northern Korea and are evacuated successfully by sea from
Hungnam in the
Battle of Chosin Reservoir.[88]
December 3 – The carrier aircraft of U.S. Navy
Task Force 77 are tasked solely with support to United Nations ground forces in northern Korea retreating in the face of the Chinese offensive toward an evacuation at Hungnam, flying reconnaissance missions, attacking Chinese positions, and escorting
military transport aircraft flying supplies into
Hagaru-ri. Air controllers handle 359 U.N. aircraft on this day, most of them from Task Force 77.[93]
December 13 – After its crew makes a navigational error, an
Air India Douglas C-47B-5-DK Skytrain (registration VT-CFK) crashes into high ground near Rangaswamy Pillar,
Kotagiri,
India, killing all 21 people on board (including the statistician
Abraham Wald).[96]
December 15 – An
Avensa Douglas C-47-DL Skytrain (registration YV-C-AVU) crashes into mountains near
Valera,
Venezuela, killing all 31 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Venezuelan history at the time.[97]
December 18 – Two
French Air ForceJunkers Ju 52s (registration 328/F-RBEH and 384/F-RBDK) are involved in an accident at
Tourane,
French Indochina, killing all 30 people aboard the two aircraft. At the time, it is the second-deadliest aviation accident in the history of what would later become
Vietnam.[99][100]
December 19 – During a flight from
Naha Air Base on
Okinawa to
Clark Air Force Base in the
Philippines, a U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54E-5-DO Skymaster flying at 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) under
instrument flight rules crashes into 9.322-foot (2.841-meter)
Mount Tabayoc 93 miles (150 kilometers) north of Clark, killing all 37 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Philippine history at the time.[99][101]
December 30
A Royal Australian Air Force
CAC Wirrawaycrashes into a crowded beach at
Maroochydore in
Queensland,
Australia, killing three children and injuring 14 other people on the beach. The two-man crew survives the crash.
An
Aerolineas Argentinas Douglas C-47A-20-DK Skytrain (registration LV-ACH) with between 15 and 18 people on board crashes during a night flight near
Cobo,
Argentina. An eight-year-old girl is the only survivor.[102]
Late December – The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff note that if the Korean War expands into an open war with the
People's Republic of China, the United States will launch an air offensive against the Chinese mainland but would not engage in a major war in
East Asia that would jeopardize the defense of Europe against the Soviet Union.[103]
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 108.
^"Today in History," The Washington Post Express, January 31, 2012, p. 34.
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, pp. 139–140.
^
abRoss, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 138.
^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. 607.
^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. 176.
^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, pp. 176–177.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 341.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 3.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, pp. 6–7.
^Karnow, Stanley, Vietnam: A History, New York: The Viking Press, 1983,
ISBN0-670-74604-5, p. 177.
^
abCrosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 2006,
ISBN978-1-84476-917-9, p. 36.
^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, pp. 182–183.
^
abKnott, Richard C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004.
ISBN0-945274-52-1.
^
abcSturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917–1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 165.
^
abcKnott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 7.
^
abKnott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 10.
^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. 187.
^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. 184.
^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. 188. On p. 183, Isenberg states that Valley Forge's aircraft destroyed "at least 38 North Korean aircraft during[clarification needed] July," without explaining why this figure differs from those on p. 188.
^Muir, Malcolm, Jr., Sea Power on Call: Fleet Operations June 1951 – July 1953, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2005,
ISBN0-945274-53-X, p. 34.
^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. 189.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 16.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 12.
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 140.
^
abIsenberg, 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. 190.
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 142.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 19.
^Hallion, Richard P., "Skyrocketing Through Mach 2: How Scott Crossfield Scored Aviation's Double-Sonic Prize," Aviation History, January 2014, p. 32.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, pp. 19–20.
^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. 203.
^McGowen, Stanley S. Helicopters: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. Weapons and warfare series. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2005.
ISBN1-85109-468-7, p. 56.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 23.
^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. 206.
^
abCrosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 2006,
ISBN978-1-84476-917-9, p. 46.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 54.
^Norris, Robert S.; Arkin, William M.; Burr, William (1999).
"Where they were"(PDF). Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 55 (6): 26–35.
doi:
10.2968/055006011.
^
abKnott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, pp. 28–29, 34.
^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, pp. 216–217.
^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. 276.
^
abcIsenberg, 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. 217.
^Alexander, Joseph H., Fleet Operations in a Mobile War, September 1950 – June 1951: The U.S. Navy and the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 2001,
ISBN0-945274-45-9, p. 38.
^Crosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 2006,
ISBN978-1-84476-917-9, p. 37.
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 141.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 88.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 352.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 401.
^Dorr, Robert F., "Cold Warrior," Aviation History, January 2015, p. 47.
^Swanborough, Gordon, and Peter M. Bowers, United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911, London: Putnam, 1976,
ISBN0-370-10054-9, p. 228.
Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd, 1951.
Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam, 1979.
ISBN0-370-00050-1.
de Narbonne, Roland. "Janvier 1950, dans l'aéronautique française: Et le gagnant est...un planeur". Le Fana de l'Aviation, January 2010, No. 482. pp. 75–79 (in French).
de Narbonne, Roland. "Mai 1950, dans l'aéronautique française: Un petit qui devi endra grand". Le Fana de l'Aviation, May 2010, No. 486. pp. 78–79 (in French).
de Narbonne, Roland. "Août 1950, dans l'aéronautique française: Le Nord 2800: Un petit tour et puis s'en va". Le Fana de l'Aviation, August 2010, No. 489. pp. 78–79 (in French).
The Pan American Airways Corporation officially renames itself
Pan American World Airways, the name the airline had begun to use for itself unofficially in 1943.[citation needed]
January 24 – A
Société Transatlantique Aérienne (STA) Douglas C-47A-50-DL Skytrain (registration F-BFGD) on a domestic flight in
Madagascar crashes into a 4,600-foot (1,400-meter) mountain 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of
Tamatave, killing all 14 people on board.[4]
Early February – A U.S. Weapon Systems Evaluation Group reports that the U.S. Air Force's
Strategic Air Command would suffer heavy losses in an air offensive against the Soviet Union, with the most favorable assumptions allowing 70 to 85 percent of atomic bombs to be delivered to their targets. It estimates bomber losses of about 35 percent in night raids and 50 percent in daylight raids, and that the bombers could deliver the planned 292 atomic bombs called for in the initial attack but would suffer losses too high to allow the follow-on strikes with conventional bombs required by U.S. war plans.[7]
February 13 – A U.S. Air Force
B-36B Peacemaker bomber participating in the first full-scale practice for a
nuclear strike on the Soviet Union
suffers the failure of all six of its engines during a mission to simulate a Soviet nuclear attack on
San Francisco,
California. The crew jettisons the
Mark 4atomic bomb the plane is carrying, which detonates over the
Pacific Ocean in the first loss of a
nuclear weapon, then bails out – which 12 of the 17 men on board survive – over
Princess Royal Island,
British Columbia,
Canada, leaving the plane to fly on
autopilot out over the Pacific Ocean and crash. Instead, some of its engines apparently recover power on their own, and the bomber flies unmanned for several hours and crashes on a remote mountainside in northern British Columbia; this remains unknown until it is discovered lying almost intact on the mountain in 1953.
Mid-February – A U.S. military Joint Advanced Study Committee reports that the United States will have to rely heavily on atomic weapons in achieving its strategic objectives in a war with the Soviet Union, with early atomic strikes critical during a war. It finds that the U.S. Air Force will have to strike Soviet atomic bomb assembly and storage sites and
Soviet Air Force long-range bomber bases early in a conflict to protect the
United States from Soviet atomic attacks.[8]
Late February – The U.S.
Joint Intelligence Committee reports that at the beginning of a war the Soviet Air Force could field 1,725 long-range bombers and 18,325 other aircraft and that the
Soviet Navy could deploy 3,225 aircraft, while the
United States Navy could deploy four
fleet aircraft carriers off
Europe. It notes that the U.S. Air Force has 14 bomber and 6+2⁄3 fighter
groups.[8]
March
Sixty aircraft from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier
USS Boxer (CV-21) make a tight-formation flyover over
Saigon in the
State of Vietnam to encourage the population and government there to support the French in
French Indochina and oppose the expansion of
communism, beginning U.S. aid to the French in the region.[9]
March 12 – The
Llandow air disaster occurs, as the
Avro Tudor V airliner Star Girl (G-AKBY) on a private charter flight from
Dublin,
Ireland, crashes on final approach to
Lladow aerodrome in
South Wales. Three passengers survive, but 80 people (75 passengers and all five crew members) die in the worst aviation accident in history to that time.
March 15 – The last operational prototype of the
United States Air Force's
Northrop YB-49 jet-powered
flying wing bomber is destroyed when its nose gear collapses during high-speed taxiing tests simulating takeoff runs at
Muroc Air Force Base,
California. The incident brings the YB-49 bomber program to an end, although the U.S. Air Force continues development of the YRB-49A reconnaissance version of the aircraft.[10]
May 30 – After an
Aerovias Brasil Douglas C-47-DL Skytrain (registration PP-AVZ) begins a descent from 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) through clouds, it encounters severe turbulence that causes the displacement of passengers and cargo. The crew loses control of the aircraft, which enters a dive too steep for its design limits, loses both its wings, and crashes near
Ilhéus,
Brazil, killing 13 of the 15 people on board.[25]
June 9 – During a flight from
Kingston,
Jamaica, to
Maracaibo,
Venezuela, a
New Tribes MissionDouglas DC-3 (registration N16030) strikes a tree about 15 feet (4.6 meters) above the ground on a mountaintop in the
Serrania de Valledupar Range, loses parts of both its wings, crashes inverted at an elevation of 4,400 feet (1,300 meters) near the top of a mountain 31 kilometers (19 miles) east-northeast of
Fonseca,
Colombia, and catches fire, killing all 15 people on board. Its wreckage is not discovered until July 6.[27]
June 14 – The Air France Douglas DC-4 Ciel de Gascognecrashes into the Persian Gulf southeast of Bahrain while on approach to land there after a flight from Karachi, killing 40 of the 53 people on board. The crash occurs within a mile (1.6 km) of the virtually identical Air France crash two days earlier.
Flying a [Lockheed F-80C] U.S. Air Force [1st Lieutenant] [Robert "Bob" E Wayne] shoots down 2 North Korean Air Force [Soviet made] Ilyushin-2 Shturmovik fighters in the first American Jet victories
A U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54D Skymaster crashes into a 2,000-foot (610-meter) high hill northwest of
Pusan, South Korea, killing all 23 people on board.[34]
July 4 – Seafires and Fireflies from Triumph strike targets of opportunity in Korea, including a railway bridge and a column of North Korean troops.[40]
July 13 – A U.S. Air Force
B-50 Superfortress carrying a
nuclear bomb crashes near
Lebanon,
Ohio, during a training mission. High-explosive components of the bomb detonate, but no nuclear explosion occurs.[43]
July 16 – Okinawa-based U.S. Navy
PB4Y-2 Privateers of Patrol Squadron 28 (VP-28) begin patrols of the coast of the People's Republic of China.[41]
July 17 – An
Indian National Airways Douglas C-47A Skytrain (registration VT-ATS) loses its left wing in flight due to severe turbulence and crashes southeast of
Pathankot,
India, killing all 22 people on board.[44]
A U.S. Air Force
Curtiss C-46D Commando (serial number 44-77577) loses its left
aileron during its initial climb out of
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, causing its crew to lose control of it at an altitude of between 1,000 and 2,000 feet (300 and 610 meters). Both of the C-46D's wings fail, and it crashes just west of
Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina, killing all 39 people on board.[50]
July 27 – A U.S. Air Force Douglas C-47D Skytrain (serial number 44-76439) crashes into the sea 60 Miles ENE of
Haneda Air Base, Japan, 20 minutes after taking off from
Haneda in
Tokyo, killing 25 of the 26 people on board.[52]
July 28
A U.S. Air Force B-29 Superfortress mistakenly shoots down a British
Fleet Air ArmSupermarine Seafire of 800 Naval Air Squadron from HMS Triumph off Korea, apparently mistaking it for a
Yakovlev Yak-9.[40]
Encountering bad weather and a low ceiling, a
Panair do BrasilLockheed L-049 Constellation (registration PP-PCG) aborts an attempted landing at
Canoas Air Force Base at
Canoas,
Brazil. As the crew attempts to maintain visual contact with the ground while circling for another landing attempt, the aircraft strikes the 200-meter (660-foot) hill Morro do Chapéu and crashes, killing all 51 people on board. At the time it is both the deadliest aviation accident in Brazilian history and the deadliest accident involving the Lockheed L-049.[53]
The starboard wing fuel tank of a
Compagnie Air Transport (CAT)
Bristol 170 Freighter 21 (registration F-BENF) explodes in flight, leading to multiple structural failures. The aircraft crashes in the
Tanezrouft area of
French Algeria, killing all 26 people on board. At the time it is the deadliest aviation accident in the history of
Algeria.[54]
July 30
An
AeroflotIlyushin Il-12 (registration CCCP-L1803) suffers an engine failure just after takeoff from
Karaganda Airport in
Karaganda in the
Soviet Union's
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic and crashes while attempting to return to the airport, killing all 25 people on board. The aircraft had suffered engine trouble previously, but a crew performing a test flight the previous day at
Alma-Ata to see whether maintenance had corrected the problem had failed to report that engine trouble persisted after the attempted repairs. At the time it is the deadliest aviation accident in the history of
Kazakhstan.[55]
July 31 – U.S. Navy aircraft have flown 716 combat and 431 patrol sorties over and around Korea since July 1, most of them by aircraft from the aircraft carrier
USS Valley Forge (CV-45). U.S. Navy aviators have claimed 26 enemy aircraft destroyed and 13 probably destroyed during the period, and have destroyed numerous
tanks,
locomotives,
power stations, and bridges. In exchange, the U.S. Navy has lost six aircraft and one aviator.[57]
The U.S. Navy's Convair XP5Y-1, prototype of the
R3Y Tradewind, sets a world endurance record for a
turboprop-powered aircraft, remaining aloft for 8 hours 6 minutes. It covers 3,450 miles (5,550 km) during the flight.[21]
Birth of
Yang Yuanyuan, Chinese aviation safety regulator.
Late in the evening, North Korean troops launch a heavy assault on the
Pusan Perimeter. Aircraft from the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) and USS Valley Forge (CV-45) provide support to defending forces.[65]
After a major fire breaks out in the No. 3 engine of
Trans World Airlines Flight 903 – the
Lockhead L-749A ConstellationStar of Maryland (registration N6004C) – during a flight from
Cairo to
Rome, the crew attempts to return to Cairo, but the fire worsens and the engine detaches from the aircraft. The crew then attempts a crash-landing in the
Libyan Desert, but the aircraft crashes near
Wadi El Natrun,
Egypt, killing all 55 people on board. Among the dead are
architectMaciej Nowicki and an Egyptian film star. It is the worst accident in history involving a Lockheed L-749, and at the time it is the deadliest aviation accident in Egyptian history.[66]
September
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff report that the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) requires an additional 8,636 aircraft for tactical and defensive operations if NATO is engage in a successful defense forward of the
Rhine River against a Soviet offensive.[67]
September 4
Captain Robert Wayne becomes the first pilot to be rescued from behind enemy lines by a helicopter.
During U.S. Navy carrier air strikes on targets north of Inchon, Korea, four
F4U Corsair fighter-bombers from the aircraft carrier
USS Valley Forge (CV-45) intercept a twin-engine bomber approaching
Task Force 77 off Korea and
Lieutenant, junior grade, Richard Downs shoots it down over the
Yellow Sea after it opens fire on them. A
Soviet aviator's body is recovered from the water, demonstrating direct Soviet air participation in the Korean War for the first time.[39][65]
September 10, 13, and 14 – United Nations carrier aircraft soften up targets in the
Inchon area in preparation for the
landing there.[72]
September 15 –
Task Force 77, centered on five U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and one
Royal Navy carrier, supports the U.S. Marine Corps assault on
Green Beach, paving the way for the
Inchon landing.
A
Bell 47 becomes the first helicopter to fly over the
Alps.[76]
September 22 – U.S. Air Force
Colonel David Schilling makes the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a jet fighter, flying a
Republic EF-84E Thunderjet from the
United Kingdom to the
United States in 10 hours 2 minutes with three
aerial refuelings. The flight demonstrates that large numbers of fighters could be moved quickly across the Atlantic.
September 26 – A U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54D-1-DC Skymaster taking part in the airlift of troops and supplies to Korea crashes into the sea just after takeoff from
Ashiya Air Field in
Ashiya, Japan, killing 23 of the 51 people on board.[77]
October 20 – U.S. paratroops cut off supplies from
Pyongyang, Korea.
October 31 – The British European Airways
Vickers VC.1 VikingLord St. Vincent (G-AHPN)
crashes while landing in thick fog at
London Airport, killing 28 of the 30 people on board.
November 22 – Flying in fog, a
New Tribes MissionDouglas DC-3C (registration N74586) crashes into
Wyoming's
Mount Moran at an altitude of 11,200 feet (3,400 meters), killing all 21 people on board, including eight children. A rescue party discovers the wreckage on November 25, but its location precludes recovery of the aircraft or bodies.[86]
November 25 – The
People's Republic of China launches a major offensive across the
Yalu River against United Nations forces in Korea. Under terrible winter weather conditions, United Nations aircraft are heavily committed to supporting ground forces, which are driven out of northern Korea by the end of the year.[88]
November 30 – After a rushed replenishment in Japan, the U.S. Navy's
Task Force 77 returns to action off Korea, its aircraft carriers launching 39 sorties during the day in support of United Nations forces retreating in the face of the Chinese offensive in northern Korea.[90]
December 2–25 – Four hundred aircraft from seven United Nations aircraft carriers support U.N. ground forces with air strikes while U.S. Air Force aircraft drop supplies to them as they break out of their encirclement in northern Korea and are evacuated successfully by sea from
Hungnam in the
Battle of Chosin Reservoir.[88]
December 3 – The carrier aircraft of U.S. Navy
Task Force 77 are tasked solely with support to United Nations ground forces in northern Korea retreating in the face of the Chinese offensive toward an evacuation at Hungnam, flying reconnaissance missions, attacking Chinese positions, and escorting
military transport aircraft flying supplies into
Hagaru-ri. Air controllers handle 359 U.N. aircraft on this day, most of them from Task Force 77.[93]
December 13 – After its crew makes a navigational error, an
Air India Douglas C-47B-5-DK Skytrain (registration VT-CFK) crashes into high ground near Rangaswamy Pillar,
Kotagiri,
India, killing all 21 people on board (including the statistician
Abraham Wald).[96]
December 15 – An
Avensa Douglas C-47-DL Skytrain (registration YV-C-AVU) crashes into mountains near
Valera,
Venezuela, killing all 31 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Venezuelan history at the time.[97]
December 18 – Two
French Air ForceJunkers Ju 52s (registration 328/F-RBEH and 384/F-RBDK) are involved in an accident at
Tourane,
French Indochina, killing all 30 people aboard the two aircraft. At the time, it is the second-deadliest aviation accident in the history of what would later become
Vietnam.[99][100]
December 19 – During a flight from
Naha Air Base on
Okinawa to
Clark Air Force Base in the
Philippines, a U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54E-5-DO Skymaster flying at 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) under
instrument flight rules crashes into 9.322-foot (2.841-meter)
Mount Tabayoc 93 miles (150 kilometers) north of Clark, killing all 37 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Philippine history at the time.[99][101]
December 30
A Royal Australian Air Force
CAC Wirrawaycrashes into a crowded beach at
Maroochydore in
Queensland,
Australia, killing three children and injuring 14 other people on the beach. The two-man crew survives the crash.
An
Aerolineas Argentinas Douglas C-47A-20-DK Skytrain (registration LV-ACH) with between 15 and 18 people on board crashes during a night flight near
Cobo,
Argentina. An eight-year-old girl is the only survivor.[102]
Late December – The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff note that if the Korean War expands into an open war with the
People's Republic of China, the United States will launch an air offensive against the Chinese mainland but would not engage in a major war in
East Asia that would jeopardize the defense of Europe against the Soviet Union.[103]
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 108.
^"Today in History," The Washington Post Express, January 31, 2012, p. 34.
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, pp. 139–140.
^
abRoss, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 138.
^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. 607.
^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. 176.
^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, pp. 176–177.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 341.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 3.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, pp. 6–7.
^Karnow, Stanley, Vietnam: A History, New York: The Viking Press, 1983,
ISBN0-670-74604-5, p. 177.
^
abCrosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 2006,
ISBN978-1-84476-917-9, p. 36.
^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, pp. 182–183.
^
abKnott, Richard C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004.
ISBN0-945274-52-1.
^
abcSturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917–1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
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^
abcKnott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 7.
^
abKnott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 10.
^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. 187.
^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. 184.
^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. 188. On p. 183, Isenberg states that Valley Forge's aircraft destroyed "at least 38 North Korean aircraft during[clarification needed] July," without explaining why this figure differs from those on p. 188.
^Muir, Malcolm, Jr., Sea Power on Call: Fleet Operations June 1951 – July 1953, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2005,
ISBN0-945274-53-X, p. 34.
^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. 189.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 16.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 12.
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 140.
^
abIsenberg, 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. 190.
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 142.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 19.
^Hallion, Richard P., "Skyrocketing Through Mach 2: How Scott Crossfield Scored Aviation's Double-Sonic Prize," Aviation History, January 2014, p. 32.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, pp. 19–20.
^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. 203.
^McGowen, Stanley S. Helicopters: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. Weapons and warfare series. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2005.
ISBN1-85109-468-7, p. 56.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 23.
^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. 206.
^
abCrosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 2006,
ISBN978-1-84476-917-9, p. 46.
^Knott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, p. 54.
^Norris, Robert S.; Arkin, William M.; Burr, William (1999).
"Where they were"(PDF). Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 55 (6): 26–35.
doi:
10.2968/055006011.
^
abKnott, Robert C., Attack From the Sky: Naval Air Operations in the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center, 2004,
ISBN0-945274-52-1, pp. 28–29, 34.
^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, pp. 216–217.
^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. 276.
^
abcIsenberg, 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. 217.
^Alexander, Joseph H., Fleet Operations in a Mobile War, September 1950 – June 1951: The U.S. Navy and the Korean War, Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 2001,
ISBN0-945274-45-9, p. 38.
^Crosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 2006,
ISBN978-1-84476-917-9, p. 37.
^Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,
ISBN0-7146-4192-8, p. 141.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 88.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 352.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 401.
^Dorr, Robert F., "Cold Warrior," Aviation History, January 2015, p. 47.
^Swanborough, Gordon, and Peter M. Bowers, United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911, London: Putnam, 1976,
ISBN0-370-10054-9, p. 228.
Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd, 1951.
Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam, 1979.
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de Narbonne, Roland. "Janvier 1950, dans l'aéronautique française: Et le gagnant est...un planeur". Le Fana de l'Aviation, January 2010, No. 482. pp. 75–79 (in French).
de Narbonne, Roland. "Mai 1950, dans l'aéronautique française: Un petit qui devi endra grand". Le Fana de l'Aviation, May 2010, No. 486. pp. 78–79 (in French).
de Narbonne, Roland. "Août 1950, dans l'aéronautique française: Le Nord 2800: Un petit tour et puis s'en va". Le Fana de l'Aviation, August 2010, No. 489. pp. 78–79 (in French).