1948 In Aviation

Events

• January 17 - BOAC begins to replace flying boat routes with the Lockheed Constellation

• the Israeli Air Force is formed, with the new state of Israel
• March 10 - VF-5 becomes the first US Navy carrier squadron to be equipped with jets.
• March 19 - BOAC extends its Hong Kong service to Japan
• March 23 - Grp Cpt John Cunningham sets a new world altitude record of 59,446 ft (18,119 m) in a de Havilland Vampire.
• March 28 - B-29 Superfortresses undergo aerial refueling tests, demonstrating the viability of this technique to extend the range of strategic bombers.

• two specially modified Gloster Meteors begin carrier trials aboard HMS Implacable.
• April 3 - Alitalia recommences services to the UK
• April 25 - a North American YP-86 becomes the first jet-powered aircraft to exceed Mach 1.

• May 15 - Tel Aviv is attacked by the Egyptian Air Force. The Israeli Air Force retaliates by striking Arab troops near Samakh.

• June 1 - BEA commences the first helicopter airmail service in the UK
• June 8 - Air India commences a regular Bombay-London service by Lockheed Constellation.
• June 26 - the Berlin Airlift begins, with USAF, Royal Air Force, and British civil transport aircraft carrying supplies into West Berlin
• June 28 - Sdn Ldr Basil Arkel sets a new helicopter speed record of 124 mph (200 km/h) in a Fairey Gyrodyne.

• July 6 - the US Navy's first two carrier-based AEW squadrons are formed, VAW-1 and VAW-2.
• July 14 - Vampire F3s of No. 54 Squadron RAF became the first jet aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. The six aircraft, commanded by Wg Cdr D S Wilson-MacDonald, DSO, DFC, go via Stornoway, Iceland and Labrador to Montreal on the first leg of a goodwill tour of Canada and the US where they gave several formation aerobatic displays.
• July 14 - Silver City Airways makes the first car-carrying flight between England and France.

• September 5 - a US Navy Martin JRM Mars sets a new cargo record of 62,262 lb (28,242 kg)
• September 6 - a de Havilland DH.108 breaks the sound barrier, the first British aircraft to do so.

First flights

• February 22 - LWD Junak

• March 5 - XF-87 Blackhawk
• March 9 - Gloster E.1/44

• May 7 - Tupolev Tu-78

• July 3 - Douglas XAJ-1
• July 8 - Ilyushin Il-28
• July 16 - Vickers Viscount

• Lavochkin La-174D, prototype of the La-15
• August 16 - Northrop XF-89
• August 23 - XF-85 Goblin

• September 1 - Saab J-29R, Sweden's first jet
• September 18 - Convair XF-92
• September 29 - F7U Cutlass

• December 16 - X-4 Bantam
• December 29 - Supermarine Type 510

Entered service

• March 10 - FJ Fury with VF-1 aboard USS Boxer

• May 5 - FH Phantom with VF-17 aboard USS Saipan

• June 1 - Convair 240 with American Airlines

• B-45 Tornado with the 47th Bombardment Wing

Births

• August 8 - Svetlana Savitskaya, cosmonaut

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