1949 in aviation explained
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1949:
Events
January
- The United States force of atomic bomb assembly teams has risen from two in mid-1948 to seven. Each atomic bomb requires two days to be assembled for use.[5]
- January 2 - Taking off from Boeing Field in Seattle, in fog after an only partially successful de-icing, a Seattle Air Charter Douglas C-47A-50-DL Skytrain (registration NC79025) drags its left wing along the ground just after becoming airborne, lands outside the runway, crashes into a hangar, and bursts into flames, killing 14 of the 30 people on board.[6]
- January 4 - Twenty-two hijackers commandeer a Maszovlet Douglas C-47 Skytrain with 25 people aboard during a domestic flight over Hungary from Pécs to Budapest and force it to fly them to Munich in the American occupation zone in Allied-occupied Germany.[7]
- January 7 - On the last day of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, five Royal Egyptian Air Force Supermarine Spitfires strafe an Israeli motorized column near Rafah, setting three trucks on fire before departing. When four Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfires of No. 208 Squadron arrive on the scene to investigate, the column mistakes them for additional Egyptian aircraft and shoots one down. Two Israeli Air Force Spitfires then arrive, mistake the three surviving RAF Spitfires for Egyptian aircraft, and shoot all three of them down. Seven British Hawker Tempests of No. 213 Squadron, eight Tempests of No. 6 Squadron and four more Spitfires of No. 208 Squadron sent to search for the four missing No. 208 Squadron fighters encounter four Israeli Spitfires over Rafah, and in the ensuring dogfight the Israelis shoot down one No. 213 Squadron Tempest.[8]
- January 9 - Chuck Yeager makes the only conventional take-off from a runway ever attempted in a Bell X-1, then climbs to 23000feet in 90 seconds.
- January 16 - During a one-hour domestic flight in India from Jammu to Srinagar, a Dalmia Jain Airways Douglas C-47B-5-DK Skytrain (registration VT-CDZ) disappears near Banihal Pass with the loss of all 13 people on board.[9]
- January 17 - The British South American Airways Avro Tudor IV Star Ariel (G-AGRE) disappears without trace on a flight from Bermuda to Kingston, Jamaica, with the loss of all 20 people on board.
- January 30 - Six hijackers take over a China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) airliner during a domestic flight over China from Shanghai to Qingdao (Tsingtao) and force it to fly them to Tainan on Taiwan.[10]
February
- El Al purchases its first airliners, two Douglas DC-4s that it buys from American Airlines. Previously, El Al had used only leased airliners.
- February 1 - In the United Kingdom, the Women's Auxiliary Air Force is renamed the Women's Royal Air Force.[11]
- February 3 - A United States Navy Lockheed R6O Constitution sets a new record for the number of people carried on a single nonstop flight across the continental United States, taking 96 people - 74 members of the press, four other passengers, and a crew of 18 - on a 9-hour 35-minute flight from Moffett Field, California, to Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C.[12] The flight also sets a new record for the number of passengers (exclusive of crew members) carried on such a flight.[13]
- February 8
- A Danish Air Lines Vickers 628 Viking 1B (registration OY-DLU) disappears on approach to Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the loss of all 27 people on board. Its wreckage is found a month later on the sea bottom in Swedish waters in the Kattegat off Barsebäck, Sweden, at a depth of 23abbr=offNaNabbr=off. At the time, it is both the deadliest aviation accident in Swedish history and the deadliest accident involving any model of the Vickers Viking.[14]
- The United States Air Force′s Boeing XB-47, prototype of the B-47 Stratojet bomber, flies from Moses Lake Air Force Base, Washington, to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, in 3 hours 46 minutes at an average speed of 607 mph.[15]
- February 9 - The U.S. Air Force's Northrop YB-49 jet-powered flying wing bomber prototype flies from Muroc Air Force Base, California, to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, in 4 hours 25 minutes at an average speed of 511 mph.[15]
- February 10 - A Faucett Perú Douglas C-47B-15-DK Skytrain (registration OB-PAV-223) crashes into a mountain peak on approach to Huánuco Airport in Huánuco, Peru, killing all 16 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Peruvian history at the time.[16]
- February 19 - A British European Airways Douglas Dakota and a Royal Air Force Avro Anson T21 collide in clear weather over Exhall, England. Both aircraft crash, killing all 10 people on the Dakota and the entire four-man crew of the Anson.
- February 24
- After the crew of a Cathay Pacific Airways Douglas C-47A-90-DL Skytrain (registration VR-HDG) aborts a landing at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong and begins a go-around in poor visibility, the aircraft crashes into a hillside at North Point near Braemar Reservoir, killing all 23 people on board. It is the second-deadliest aviation accident in Hong Kong's history at the time.[17]
- The left main undercarriage of a TAM Perú Douglas DC-3 collapses during its takeoff roll at Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport in Cusco, Peru, with 26 people aboard. The No. 1 propeller detaches and cuts through the fuselage, badly injuring the captain, and the airliner catches fire after sliding to a halt. The crash and fire kill 22 of the 26 people on board, including the captain, who later dies of his injuries. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Peruvian history at the time, exceeding the death toll in the Faucett Perú crash two weeks earlier.[18]
- February 25
- February 26 - Replacing Global Queen, the B-50A Superfortress Lucky Lady II of the U.S. Air Force's 43rd Bombardment Group takes off from Carswell Air Force Base and flies eastward to begin an attempt to become the first airplane to circle the world nonstop.[19]
March
- March 2 - The United States Air Force 43rd Bombardment Group Boeing B-50A Superfortress Lucky Lady II passes the control tower at Carswell Air Force Base near Fort Worth, Texas, becoming the first airplane to circle the world nonstop. Lucky Lady II had taken off from Carswell on February 26 and flown eastward at altitudes between 10000and, refueling from KB-29M Superfortress tankers four times, and had made the flight in 94 hours 1 minute at an average ground speed of 249mph, traveling 23452abbr=offNaNabbr=off.[19]
- March 4 - The U.S. Navy Martin JRM-2 Mars flying boat Caroline Mars sets another record for the number of people carried on a single flight, transporting 263 passengers and a crew of six on a 2-hour 41-minute trip from San Diego to Alameda California.[12]
- March 7 - Aden Airways is founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). It will begin flight operations in October.
- March 9 - Việt Minh leader Ho Chi Minh orders the organization of an Air Force Research Committee for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
- March 10 - Its centre of gravity too far aft for it to remain stable in the air, a Queensland Airlines Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registration VH-BAG) stalls immediately after takeoff from Coolangatta Airport in Bilinga, Queensland, Australia, and crashes into a swamp, killing all 21 people on board.[21]
- March 18 - A New Zealand National Airways Lockheed C-60A-5-LO Lodestar (registration ZK-AKX) crashes into a hillside at an elevation of 2000abbr=offNaNabbr=off on approach to Paraparaumu Airport in Paraparaumu, New Zealand, killing all 15 people on board. At the time, it is the deadliest aviation accident in New Zealand's history.[22]
- March 31 - The best single month of the Berlin Airlift concludes, with American aircraft having delivered 154,475 short tons (140,139 metric tons) of cargo to West Berlin since March 1.[12]
April
May
- The United States Marine Corps practices deploying by helicopter for the first time, in Exercise Packard III.
- The Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, General Hoyt Vandenberg, calls for an American atomic bomb inventory large enough to allow the United States to strike 220 targets.[27]
- The Government of Egypt acquires all capital and aircraft of Misr Airlines, the future EgyptAir, becoming the company's sole stockholder. The airline's name changes to Misrair.
- May 4
- May 6
- May 7 - A time bomb planted by two ex-convicts explodes aboard a Philippine Air Lines Douglas C-47B-35-DK Skytrain (registration PI-C98) during a domestic flight in the Philippines from Manila to Daet. The airliner crashes into the Philippine Sea, killing all 13 people on board.[30]
- May 11 - The Royal Air Force's No. 28 Squadron flies from Malaya to Hong Kong to help reinforce the island against Communist forces on mainland China.
- May 12 - A committee to study the effectiveness of American atomic attacks on the Soviet Union appointed by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and chaired by U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Hubert R. Harmon reports that if the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command successfully struck 70 Soviet cities with a combined population of 34.7 million people with atomic bombs, the attack would kill 2.7 million people, injure 4 million, and greatly disrupt the lives of the other 28 million residents. However, it also finds that the attacks would not disrupt a Soviet ground and air offensive in Europe, and that Soviet industry damaged by the attacks would recover quickly, while the Soviet populations will to fight would be reinforced by anger over the attacks.
- May 13
- May 14 - The Soviet Union cancels the Ilyushin Il-20 program.
- Mid-May - A committee of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff recommends that the American atomic weapon stockpile be expanded to triple the total number of weapons planned previously.[33]
- May 19 - The United States Navy Martin JRM-1 Mars flying boat Marshall Mars sets a new record for the largest number of people to be carried on a single aircraft, taking 308 - 301 passengers and a crew of seven - on a flight from Alameda to San Diego, California.
- May 21 - A Sikorsky S-52 sets a new helicopter altitude record of 21200feet.
June
- June 6
- June 7 - After its Number Two engine fails one minute after takeoff from Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, an overloaded Strato-Freight Curtiss C-46D-5-CU Commando ditches in the Atlantic Ocean 200abbr=offNaNabbr=off off Punta Salinas. The aircraft remains afloat for six minutes, but 53 of the 81 people on board either die in the crash or drown. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Puerto Rican history, and at the time it is the second-deadliest involving any variant of the C-46.[36]
- June 23 - The KLM Lockheed L-749-79-33 Constellation Roermond (registration PH-TER) loses its tail at an altitude of about 4500abbr=offNaNabbr=off during a flight from Cairo, Egypt, to Amsterdam in the Netherlands and crashes into the Adriatic Sea just off Bari, Italy, killing all 33 people on board. At the time, it both the deadliest aviation accident in Italian history and the deadliest accident involving the Lockheed L-749.[37]
- June 24 - The Douglas Skyrocket exceeds Mach 1 for the first time.[38]
- June 30 - The United States Air Force signs an agreement with the Douglas Aircraft Company for Douglas to construct two Model 499D supersonic research aircraft under the service designation X-3.[39]
July
- July 2 - The MacRobertson Miller Aviation Douglas DC-3 airliner Fitzroy, registration VH-MME, crashes on takeoff during a driving rain from Perth, Australia, killing all 18 people on board.
- July 9 - A French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale) Junkers Ju 52 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off Zaouit Massa, French Morocco, killing all 18 people on board. At the time, it is the deadliest aviation accident in the history of Morocco.[40]
- July 12
- On approach to Santacruz Airport in Bombay, India, in low clouds and poor visibility, a KLM Lockheed L-749-79-33 Constellation (registration PH-TDF) crashes into a 205m (673feet) hill, killing all 45 people on board. At the time, it is the deadliest aviation accident in Indian history.[41]
- On approach to Lockheed Air Terminal in Burbank, California, a Standard Airlines Curtiss C-46E-1-CS Commando (registration N79978) crashes into high ground near Chatsworth, California, at an altitude of 1890abbr=offNaNabbr=off, about 430abbr=offNaNabbr=off below the crest of Santa Susana Pass. The crash kills 35 of the 48 people on board.[42]
- July 22 - A French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale) Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina amphibious flying boat conducting a nighttime exercise to search for the French Navy submarine Astrée crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off Agadir, French Morocco, and bursts into flames, killing all 17 people on board. It is the second-deadliest aviation accident in Morocco's history at the time.[43]
- July 25 - Squadron Leader Robert Kipp of the Canadian Blue Devils aerobatic team is killed in a training accident.
- July 30 - A United States Navy Grumman F6F-5N Hellcat night fighter performing aerobatics near Chesterfield, New Jersey, collides with Eastern Airlines Flight 557, a Douglas DC-3-201D (registration NC19963) flying from La Guardia Airport in Queens, New York, to Wilmington Airport in Wilmington, Delaware. Both aircraft crash, killing the Hellcat pilot and all 15 people aboard the DC-3.[44]
- July 31 - El Al makes its first international flight, a flight from Tel Aviv to Paris with a refueling stop in Rome.
August
- August 6 - A Bristol 170 Freighter 21 (registration HC-SBU) operated by the Shell Company of Ecuador crashes at Ecuador's Salasaca Hill. killing all 34 people on board.[45]
- August 7 - Using the probe-and-drogue aerial refueling system, a Royal Air Force Gloster Meteor Mk 3 remains aloft continuously for 12 hours 3 minutes, with pilot comfort appearing to be the only factor limiting an ability to stay aloft even longer.[46]
- August 9
- August 10 - The Avro Canada C102 Jetliner makes its first flight. becoming the first jet airliner designed and built in the Western Hemisphere and the second jet airliner worldwide to fly.[48]
- August 13 - During a domestic flight in Colombia from Bogotá to Ibagué, a SAETA Douglas C-47 Skytrain (registration HK-1200) crashes in the Andes near Bojacá, killing all 32 people on board.[49]
- August 15
- August 19 - The British European Airways Douglas DC-3 G-AHCY crashes into a hill at Oldham, Lancashire, England, killing 24 of the 32 people on board.
- August 21 - Flying in poor weather, a Royal Canadian Air Force Canadian Vickers PBV-1A Canso A amphibious flying boat strikes trees on upsloping terrain near Bigstone Lake in Manitoba, Canada, and crashes, killing all 21 people on board.[51]
- August 23 - BOAC commences its first services to East Asia to be flown entirely by landplanes.
- August 24 - The flag carrier of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, JAT Jugoslovenski Aerotransport, inaugurates international service between Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and Zürich, Switzerland. Previously, Yugoslavia's isolation from both the Western world and the Eastern Bloc had forced the airline to survive on just six routes, all domestic.
September
- Pan American Airways acquires an ownership stake in and management contract with Middle East Airlines.
- September 9 - In order to kill his wife Rita, Albert Guay conspires with Généreux Ruest and Marguerite Pitre to plant a dynamite bomb in Rita Guays luggage aboard Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 108, a Douglas DC-3. The bomb explodes in mid-flight over Cap Tourmente near Sault-au-Cochon, Quebec, Canada, en route from Quebec City to Baie-Comeau, Quebec, killing Rita Guay and all of the other 22 people on board. Albert Guay, Ruest, and Pitre all will be hanged for the crime, the worst mass murder in Canadian history at the time.
- September 15 - Central Airlines commences scheduled revenue flights.
- September 16 - Five Polish hijackers, four with loaded guns and one with a toy pistol, force a LOT Polish Airlines Lisunov Li-2 making a domestic flight over Poland from Gdańsk to Łódź to fly to Nyköping-F11 Air Force Base in Nyköping, Sweden.[52]
- September 17 - The Shuttleworth Collection's Blackburn Type D monoplane of 1912 makes its first flight after restoration, the oldest airworthy British aircraft.[53]
- September 26 - During a domestic flight in Mexico from Oaxaca to Mexico City, a Mexicana Douglas DC-3A (registration XA-DUH) crashes into the stratovolcano Popocatepetl, killing all 24 people on board.[54]
- September 27 - Returning from a humanitarian mission to aid victims of a recent major earthquake in Ecuador, a Flota Aérea Mercante Argentina (FAMA) Douglas C-54A-1-DO Skymaster (registration LV-ABI) catches fire in flight and crashes near Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing five of the 27 people on board.[55]
- September 30 - The Berlin Airlift officially ends, with 2,325 tons (2,362 tonnes) of food and supplies having been flown into the city. The final flight is made a week later.
October
November
- The New Tachikawa Aircraft Company is formed in Japan.
- November 1 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 537, a Douglas C-54B-10-DO, en route from Boston, Massachusetts to Washington, D.C. collides with a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter on its final approach to National Airport. Both planes crash, killing all 55 people on board the Douglas. The P-38 pilot, Eric Rios Bridaux (a Bolivian Air Force pilot), survives. Among the dead are U.S. Congressman George J. Bates, former U.S. Congressman Michael J. Kennedy, and American cartoonist Helen E. Hokinson.[57]
- November 2 - The People's Republic of China establishes the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China – forerunner of the Civil Aviation Administration of China – as its national civil aviation authority. Initially, the People's Liberation Army Air Force manages it.
- November 16 - Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force General Hoyt Vandenberg notes that in a few years the Soviet Union will have 50 to 60 atomic bombs and be able to devastate the United States. He recommends improvements in American air defense capabilities.[60]
- November 18 - A Douglas C-74 Globemaster carries 103 passengers and crew over the North Atlantic Ocean, the largest number to have made the crossing in a single flight.
- November 20 - The Aero Holland Douglas DC-3 PH-TFA crashes at Hurum, Norway, while on approach to Fornebu Airport outside Oslo, killing 34 of the 35 people on board. Of the 26 Jewish children aboard on their way to Israel, only one, a 12-year-old boy, survives.
- November 26 - During a domestic flight in Colombia from Bucaramanga to Cúcuta, a Limitada Nacional de Servicio Aéreo (LANSA) Douglas C-47 Skytrain (registration HK-305) crashes in mountainous terrain at an altitude of approximately 2000abbr=offNaNabbr=off near Páramo Bogueche, killing all 12 people on board.[61]
- November 27 - An Aigle Azur Douglas C-47B-5DK Skytrain (registration F-OABJ) crashes in flames near Đông Khê in French Indochina, killing 10 people on board. It is not clear whether it experienced a technical malfunction or was shot down by the Việt Minh.[62]
- November 28 - On approach to Lyon-Bron Airport in Lyon, France, an Air France Douglas C-54A-15-DC Skymaster (registration F-BELO) strikes a tree and crashes, sliding to a halt in an open field and catching fire. Five of the 38 people on board die.[63]
- November 29 - American Airlines Flight 157, a Douglas DC-6, strikes buildings at Dallas Love Field after the flight crew loses directional control on landing; 28 of the 46 people on board die and 16 of the 18 survivors are injured.
December
- The Royal Navys Fleet Air Arm takes delivery of its first British-built helicopter, a Westland Dragonfly.[64]
- Monarch Airlines buys a controlling interest in Challenger Airlines.
- December 1 - Flying in bad weather on a domestic flight in Brazil from São Paulo to Jacarezinho, a Real Transportes Aéreos Douglas C-47-DL Skytrain (registration PP-YPM) crashes into a mountain near Ribeirão Claro, killing 20 of the 22 people on board.[65]
- December 7 - During a flight in California from Oakland to Sacramento, a California Arrow Airlines Douglas C-47A-1-DL Skytrain (registration NC60256) makes an unplanned descent from 4000abbr=offNaNabbr=off and crashes into a hill east of Vallejo at an altitude of 782abbr=offNaNabbr=off, killing all nine people on board.[66]
- December 8 - Muroc Army Airfield is renamed Edwards Air Force Base in honor of test pilot Glen Edwards.
- December 9
- December 10 - A Civil Air Transport Curtiss C-46D-20-CU Commando (registration XT-820) crashes at Haikou, China, during a flight to Haikou Airport, killing 17 of the 40 people on board.[69]
- December 12
- After its crew makes a navigational error and begins a descent toward Karachi Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, too soon, a Pakair Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (registration AP-ADI) crashes into Karo Jabal Mountain near Jungshahi, Pakistan, at an altitude of about 1185abbr=offNaNabbr=off, killing 22 of the 26 people on board.[70]
- Capital Airlines Flight 500, a Douglas DC-3-313A (registration NC25691), stalls on approach to Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, and crashes into the Potomac River, killing six of the 23 people on board.[71]
- December 16
- December 18 - A Sabena Douglas C-47 Skytrain (registration OO-AUQ) crashes near Aulnay-sous-Bois, France, when its wing malfunctions just after departure from Paris – Le Bourget Airport. The crash kills all eight people on board.[74]
- December 30 - Local villagers gather around a Bharat Airways Douglas C-54A-DO Skymaster (registration VT-CYK) after it makes a forced landing at Comilla, East Pakistan. All three people on board survive, but seven villagers are killed when the aircraft catches fire and its fuel tanks explode.[75]
- December 31 - The U.S. Air Forces Strategic Air Command has 837 aircraft, of which 521 are capable of delivering atomic bombs.[76]
First flights
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Entered service
February
March
April
May
October
December
Retirements
References
- Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd, 1951.
- Chillon, Jacques; Dubois, Jean-Pierre & Wegg, John. French Postwar Transport Aircraft, Air-Britain, 1980. .
- Jackson, Paul. "Ouragon: Ancestor of Rafale." Air Enthusiast, No. 37, September–December 1988, pp. 15–24, 75–78. .
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Janvier 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Un réveillon copieux". Le Fana de l'Aviation, January 2009, No. 470. pp. 72–79 (in French).
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Février 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Diversité et contraste". Le Fana de l'Aviation, February 2009, No. 471. pp. 72–79 (in French).
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Mars 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Echecs et promesses". Le Fana de l'Aviation, March 2009, No. 472. pp. 76–79 (in French).
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Avril 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Grandes ambitions, grandes déceptions". Le Fana de l'Aviation, April 2009, No. 473. pp. 70–77 (in French).
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Mai 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: G111E, dernier hélicoptère Breguet". Le Fana de l'Aviation, May 2009, No. 474. p. 79. (in French).
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Juin 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Des graines d'avenir : la bonne et la mauvaise". Le Fana de l'Aviation, June 2009, No. 475. pp. 77–79. (in French).
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Juillet 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Un succès qu'on n'attend pas". Le Fana de l'Aviation, July 2009, No. 476. pp. 77–79. (in French).
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Août 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Un réussite véritable". Le Fana de l'Aviation, August 2009, No. 477. pp. 78–79. (in French).
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Octobre 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Millet Lagarde ML-10: L'innovation manquée". Le Fana de l'Aviation, October 2009, No. 479. pp. 78–79. (in French).
- de Narbonne, Roland. "Décembre 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Trois petirs tours et puis s'en vont...". Le Fana de l'Aviation, December 2009, No. 481. pp. 76–79. (in French).
Notes and References
- Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991,, p. 103.
- https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19499999-0 Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description
- Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991,, p. 108.
- [Ross, Steven T.]
- Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,, p. 12.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490102-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490104-0 Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description
- O'Connor, Derek, "Spitfire vs. Spitfire", Aviation History, November 2014, pp. 54-55, 57-58.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490116-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490130-1 Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description
- http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/women-of-the-air-force/womens-auxiliary-air-force-waaf-1939-1949.aspx rafmuseum.org.uk Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) 1939–1949
- Web site: Chronology of Significant Events in Naval Aviation: "Naval Air Transport" 1941 - 1999 . 2012-12-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160331224444/http://vrc-50.org/historyNATS.htm . 2016-03-31 . dead .
- Polmar, Norman, "The Really Big One", Naval History, December 2013, p. 65.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490208-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/flying%20wings/Northrop%20bombers.htm Wooldridge, E. T., "History of the Flying Wing: The Northrop Bombers," century-of-flight.net, undated.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490210-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490224-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490224-1 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/boeing-b-50-superfortress/ This Day in Aviation: Tag Archives: Boeing B-50 Superfortress
- Hallion, Richard P., "Skyrocketing Through Mach 2: How Scott Crossfield Scored Aviation's Double-Sonic Prize", Aviation History, January 2014, p. 32.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490310-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490318-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917–1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,, p. 164.
- Williams, Albert E., Black Warriors: Unique Units and Individuals, Haverford, Pennsylvania: Infinity Publishing, 2003,, p. 60.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490429-1 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490429-0 Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description
- Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,, p. 106.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490506-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://www.jetpsa.com/index/history.html jetpsa.com The History of PSA
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490507-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,, p. 88.
- McGowen, Stanley S. Helicopters: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. Weapons and warfare series. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2005., p. 56.
- Ross, Steven T., American War Plans 1945–1950: Strategies For Defeating the Soviet Union, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1996,, p. 107.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490606-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490606-1 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490607-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490623-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- Hallon, Richard P., "Skyrocketing Through Mach 2: How Scott Crossfield Scored Aviation's Double-Sonic Prize", Aviationn History, January 2014, p. 32.
- Guttman, Jon, "Douglas X-3 Stiletto", Aviation History, November 2016, p. 14.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490709-1 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490712-1 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490712-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490722-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490730-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490806-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- Crosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the Worlds 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: Hermes House, 2006,, p. 47.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490809-0 Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
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