Years in aviation:	1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958
Centuries:	19th Century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
Years:	1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958

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

Contents 1 Events 1.1 February 1.2 March 1.3 April 1.4 June 1.5 July 1.6 August 1.7 September 1.8 October 1.9 November 1.10 December 2 First flights 2.1 February 2.2 March 2.3 April 2.4 May 2.5 June 2.6 July 2.7 August 2.8 September 2.9 October 2.10 November 2.11 December 3 Entered service

[edit] Events

[edit] February

• February 19 – TWA Flight 260, a Martin 404, crashes into the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico, killing all 16 on board.
• February 26 - George F. Smith becomes the first person to survive a supersonic ejection, from a North American F-100 Super Sabre travelling at Mach 1.05.

[edit] March

• March 10 - Pakistan International Airlines is formed.
• March 20 - American Airlines Flight 711, a Convair CV-240, strikes the ground during final approach at Springfield, Missouri, killing 13 of the 35 on board.
• March 26 – Pan American World Airways Flight 845/26, a Boeing 377, ditches into the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast, killing four.

[edit] April

• April 1 - post-World War II bans on powered flight in West Germany are lifted and reconstituted Lufthansa resumes operations.
• April 11 - The Air-India Constellation Kashmir Princess is sabotaged by Kuomintang agents in a failed attempt to assassinate Zhou Enlai. 16 people are killed.

[edit] 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).

[edit] July

• July 26 - Capital Airlines adopts the Vickers Viscount, the first US airline to select a British airliner.
• July 27 - El Al Flight 402, a Lockheed Constellation, is shot down by Bulgarian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s. All 58 aboard are killed.

[edit] August

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

[edit] 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.

[edit] October

• October 6 - a Douglas DC-4 operating United Airlines Flight 409, crashes in the Medicine Bow Mountains near Centennial, Wyoming, killing all 66 on board.
• 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 (a 707 prototype) crosses the United States in just 3 hours 58 minutes.

[edit] November

• November 1 - a Douglas DC-6 operating United Airlines Flight 629, is destroyed by a bomb planted by Jack Gilbert Graham, attempting to cash in his mother's life insurance policies. 58 people are killed.
• November 22 - Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 drops the first Soviet thermo-nuclear bomb RDS-37.

[edit] December

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

[edit] First flights

[edit] February

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

[edit] March

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

[edit] April

• April 25 - FFA P-16 J-3001

[edit] May

• May 27 - Sud Caravelle

[edit] June

• June 17 - Tupolev Tu-104
• June 17 - Reynolds-Bensen B-8 gyro-glider prototype
• June 25 - Dassault Mirage I
• June 25 - Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer

[edit] July

• July 14 - Martin XP6M-1 Seamaster, BuNo 138821
• July 23 - PZL TS-8 Bies

[edit] August

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

[edit] September

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

[edit] October

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

[edit] November

• November - Cessna 172
• November 24 - Fokker F27

[edit] December

• December 6 - Bensen B-8M autogyro
• December 15 - Douglas DC-7

[edit] Entered service

January

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

June

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

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