1951 in aviation

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1951:

Events

February

• February 21 – an English Electric Canberra becomes the first jet to make an unrefuelled crossing of the Atlantic, taking 4 hours 37 minutes

March

• March 6 – the Martin aircraft company gains production rights to the English Electric Canberra as the B-57
• March 15 – a QANTAS flying boat makes a survey flight from Sydney to Valparaiso via Easter Island, the airline's first flight across the South Pacific.

April

• April 12 – 48 USAF B-29 Superfortresses attack the Sinuiju Railway Bridge on the Yalu River.

May

• May 1 – US Navy A-1 Skyraiders and F4U Corsairs from USS Princeton attack the Hwachon Dam, flooding the Pukhan River
• May 20 – Cpt James Jabra becomes the first fighter ace to score his five victories in a jet (a F-86 Sabre) over jets (Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s)
• May 29 – Cpt C. Blair makes the first solo flight over the North Pole, in a P-51 Mustang

June

• June 1 – BEA commences helicopter services between London and Birmingham

July

• July 6 – aerial refueling is used under combat conditions for the first time, with a KB-29 Superfortress refueling four RF-80 Shooting Stars over North Korea

August

• The Canadian Blue Devils aerobatic team is disbanded.
• August 1 – Japan Air Lines is formed
• August 7 – William Bridgeman sets a new airspeed record in the Douglas Skyrocket of Mach 1.88 (1,245 mph, 1,992 km/h).
• August 15 – William Bridgeman sets a new altitude record in the Douglas Skyrocket of 74,494 ft (22,706 m)
• August 15 – BEA commences turboprop freight services

October

• October 3 – HS-1 is commissioned, the US Navy's first ASW helicopter squadron

September

• September 21 – the US Marine Corps makes the world's first mass combat deployment by helicopter. 228 Marines are landed in 12 Sikorsky HRS

December

• December 1 – F/O Bruce Gogerly of No. 77 Squadron RAAF shoots down a MiG-15 from his Gloster Meteor, the RAAF's only confirmed air-to-air kill of the Korean War.
• December 12 – Alaska Air becomes the first airline to fly over the North Pole
• December 13 – Maj George Davis of the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron shoots down four MiG-15s in a single day

First flights

February

• February 23 – Dassault Mystére I

March

• March 12 – Fairey Delta FD.1
• March 15 – Sud-Ouest SO.30R

April

• April 26 – Lockheed X-7

May

• May 18 – Vickers Valiant prototype WB210

June

• June 20 – Bell X-5, first aircraft with swing wings
• June 21 – Handley Page HP.88

July

• July 20 – Hawker Hunter prototype WB188

August

• August 31 – Supermarine Type 508

September

• September 26 – de Havilland Sea Vixen

November

• November 26 – Gloster Javelin prototype WD804

December

• December 10 – Fiat G.80, Italy's first true jet
• December 10 – Kaman K-225, first turbine-powered helicopter
• December 12 – de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter prototype CF-DYK-X

Entered service

May

• English Electric Canberra with No. 101 Squadron RAF

August

• August 22 – Supermarine Attacker with No. 800 Squadron FAA, the Fleet Air Arm's first jet