The Syrian airfield prepare for reception of military aircraft of China
The latest news about fast emergence in borders of Syria of navy of China encouraged Syrians and res[...]
1955
FEBRUARY 26 Off the coast of California, test pilot George Smith is forced to eject from his F-100 Super Sabre at a speed of Mach 1.7. He is knocked unconscious by the blast of 64 g’s while exiting the aircraft, but is safely conveyed to the water by his shredded parachute. Smith is the first man to survive a supersonic ejection.
MARCH 1 At Otis Air Force Base, Maine,
the first operational Lockheed RC-121D airborne early warning platforms begin patrolling the East Coast of the United States.
In Washington, D. C., Trevor Gardner gains appointment as the first secretary of the Air Force for Research and Development.
MARCH 2 The Boeing Model 367-80 (KC-135) successfully demonstrates its new in-flight refueling system, which departs from the probe-and-drogue system pioneered by the British.
MARCH 6 In Washington, D. C., Air Force Chief of Staff General Nathan F. Twining announces that the Atlas, Nav – aho, and Snark programs will be accelerated in light of recent Soviet advances in missile technology.
April 6 Above Yucca Flat, Nevada, a B-36 bomber releases a nuclear-tipped missile at 42,000 feet, which then climbs six miles before detonating.
April 21 The Air Force launches its first
Aerobee-Hi sounding rocket, which reaches upwards for 123 miles while carrying a 200-pound payload.
May 2 In Washington, D. C., the Department of the Air Force gives its nod towards the Western Development Division’s suggestion to construct a second, more capable type of intercontinental ballistic missile, which emerges as the Titan.
May 10 The Air Force accepts the last of 448 Douglas C-124 Globemaster II transports into active service. This capable craft was known as “Old Shaky” to those who flew it.
Over Schenectady, New York, an experimental GE XJ-79 turbojet engine is test flown in the belly of a RB-45C aircraft. The J-79 engine goes on to power an entire generation of Air Force fighters and bombers.
May 15 The governments of the United States and Canada agree on the details of a major construction project to build the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line. This consists of a series of radar sites across the northern hemisphere that will detect any incoming Soviet bomber aircraft.
June 11 At Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base, Ohio, an experimental F-80C fighter partially constructed of magnesium alloys is used to test the strength and weight of new aviation alloys.
The first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile is test fired for the first time. This liquid-fueled weapon is capable of accurately hitting a target several thousand miles away with a nuclear warhead.
June 29 At Castle Air Force Base, California, the 93rd Bombardment Wing accepts delivery of the first production B – 52 Stratofortress.
July 1 Dr. S. J. Gerathewohl is tasked by the Air Force with directing a research program on weightlessness. He initiates airborne parabolic flight profiles that temporarily induce zero-gravity conditions while descending.
July 11 At Lowry Air Force Base, Colo
rado, the first class of the U. S. Air Force Academy, consisting of 306 students, gathers for initial instruction.
July 20 The NB-36H Peacemaker research aircraft goes aloft for the first time, but the nuclear reactor it carries remains inactivated.
AUGUST 1 Lockheed F-80s and T-33s conduct the first zero-gravity research flight involving parabolic flight profiles.
AUGUST 4 At Groom Lake, central Nevada, the top secret Lockheed U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft flies for the first time.
In China, the Communist government releases the crew of the B-29 Stardust 40; they had been held in captivity since being shot down over North Korea on January 13, 1953. They have been held prisoner longer than any other captives from this conflict.
AUGUST 8 Over California, a Bell X-1A explodes prior to being dropped by a B-29 mother ship; pilot Joseph A. Walker manages to escape the crippled craft, which is then released from the bomb bay.
AUGUST 20 Over the Mojave Desert, California, an F-100 Super Sabre piloted by Colonel Horace A. Hanes, who is also the director of the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, set a world speed record of 822.1 miles per hour at high altitude. He consequently wins the Mackay Trophy.
OCTOBER 5 Boeing contracts with the Air Force to construct an initial batch of 29 KC-135 tanker aircraft, although over 700 will ultimately be acquired.
OCTOBER 20 At Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, the last Boeing B-50 Superfortress is finally retired from the 97th Bombardment Wing.
October 22 The Republic XF-105 prototype flies for the first time and breaks the sound barrier during its maiden flight. It enters service as the F-105 Thunderchief and serves with distinction throughout the Vietnam War.
November 8—14 Because President Dwight D. Eisenhower has pronounced the acquisition ofICBMs and IRBMs as the nation’s highest priority, the Air Force proffers streamlined procedures for their development and adoption.
November 18 Over California, the Bell X-2 research plane drops from an EB – 50A mothership with Lieutenant Colonel Frank Everest at the controls. On this initial flight it reaches Mach 0.95, or 627 miles per hour.
December 10 The Ryan X-13 Vertijet makes its maiden flight. While designed for vertical lift-off, it is fitted with conventional landing gear for its initial foray and makes a conventional flight profile.