1953 in aviation

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1953:

Events

The first year in which the world's airlines carried more than 50 million people (ICAO statement, 29 December)

February

No. 194 Squadron is commissioned as the Royal Air Force's first helicopter squadron

March

April

April 1 - BEA and Air France introduce "tourist class" fares
April 3 - BOAC introduces a weekly service to Tokyo by de Havilland Comet jet airliner

May

June

June 18 - a USAF C-124 Globemaster crashes near Tokyo, killing 129 people in the worst air crash to date. It is the first crash in which over 100 people were killed.

July

July 1 - air traffic control for West Germany is handed back to German authorities
July 3 - first tethered flight by the Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig VTOL aircraft
July 8 - Sabena begins the first international helicopter service, linking Belgium, the Netherlands and France
July 27 - end of the Korean War

September

September 1 - a B-47 Stratojet is refueled by a KB-47 in the first jet-to-jet aerial refueling
September 21 - North Korean pilot No Kum-Sok defects, bringing his MiG-15 with him to Seoul and collecting a $US 100,000 reward.

October

October 10 - an RAF English Electric Canberra wins the Christchurch Centenary air race, flying 11,792 miles (18,976 km) from England to New Zealand in 23 hours 50 minutes
October 20 - a TWA Lockheed Constellation makes the first non-stop, scheduled passenger flight across the United States

November

November 20 - Scott Crossfield flies the Douglas Skyrocket past Mach 2, the first flight to reach this speed. The world airspeed record is now set at 1,291 mph (2,078 km/h)