Aviation
Historical Chronology
Aviation
Historical ChronologyPOST WAR YEARS
The years following the greatest war in history were highlighted
by the problems of demobilization, organizational readjustment
and an uneasy international situation not in itself related to
the outcome of the war.
Demobilization was rapid. Ships were retired to a mothball fleet;
aircraft were placed in storage. Shore stations at home and abroad
were deactivated. Within a year after the end of hostilities the
on-board figures for the men of naval aviation fell to a mere
one-quarter of the World War II peak. Only a skeleton of the wartime
force remained to carry new operational demands that arose before
the forces required for peace could be organized.
The unsettled international situation raised new, yet old, problems
for the Navy. Within months fleet elements assigned to areas for
the purpose of supporting occupation forces were given the additional
and familiar task of supporting the Nation's policy in areas on
opposite sides of the world. A task force built around one or
two carriers cruised the Mediterranean and as the years passed
became a fixture in that sea. A similar force in the western Pacific
provided the same tangible symbol of American might and determination
to support the free peoples of the world.
Organizational readjustment took place at several levels. At the
top there were problems of adjusting to a new departmental organization
formed by what was really only compromise agreement. At the bureau
and office level there were problems of reducing staffs and of
realigning the functional elements of technical and administrative
units to meet new requirements. In the fleet there were problems
of transition partly in size but particularly in weapons and tactics
developed either as a result of combat experience or of technological
advances. The introduction of jet aircraft posed special problems
for carrier operations, proving once again that after the machine
was developed navies had the additional problem of finding the
means of taking it to sea. Superimposed were new concepts based
upon guided missiles which had been introduced during World War
II, but which were still in embryonic development and which required
additional efforts in all areas from design through operational
deployment. In all of these the degree of difficulty was increased
by the need to complete the transition without even a temporary
loss of combat effectiveness.
It was a period in which changes occurred at an ever accelerating
rate and came to be accepted as normal. Technological and scientific
advances built rapidly upon each other and almost before they
could be turned to an advantage new and greater advances had been
made. It was a period of constant readjustment in plans, continual
adaptation in force organization, and repeated revision of tactical
doctrine. There was no time to sit back for deliberate study of
the lessons of war and the careful examination of the various
possibilities to determine the most favorable course of action.
There existed an urgency that was not lessened by the realization
of the truly destructive power that was now available to mankind.
In other respects, however, the period was a repetition of the
twenties. There was the same clamor for a separate air force and
for a merger of the services, but this time both were successfully
accomplished in the unification of three services into a single
department of defense. The study of aviation and national air
policy by a President's commission and a congressional committee
was reminiscent of the Morrow Board and Lampert Committee of 1925.
There was new agreement among the services on their respective
missions and functions. There was also dispute. As the services
sought larger shares of a decreasing budget old charges of duplication
were raised; navies were again declared obsolete. This time the
culprit was not the battleship, but the aircraft carrier. They
were too expensive and too vulnerable. Their capability to perform
so-called strategic missions was duplication of effort, and if
they were not used in that fashion their use was too limited to
warrant their existence. Carrier supporters retaliated with criticism
of the newest long range bomber which was equally vulnerable,
expensive, and entirely unable to live up to its billing. The
Secretary of Defense canceled a carrier already under construction
and the Secretary of the Navy resigned in protest. The argument
raged and the whole affair seemed out of hand as it reached the
fantastic situation in which one service was publicly deciding
for another not only how its mission should be carried out but
what was needed to do it. But the whole affair came to a halt
when war in Korea provided more immediate problems and a greater
national appreciation of the necessity for adequate military forces
in an era when survival of the free world was at stake.
JANUARY
2--Fleet Air Wing 17 was disestablished in Japan.
26--The Naval Aviation Ordnance Test Station was established at
NAAS Chincoteague under the cognizance of the Bureau of Ordnance
and under the air station for administration and logistic support.
The establishing order also provided for the transfer from Johnsville
of all Bureau of Ordnance guided missile test facilities and staff
to operate at the new location with a mission to perform tests
and modifications as necessary to develop aviation ordnance and
guided missiles.
FEBRUARY
1--A major reorganization of the Bureau of Aeronautics aligned
the technical divisions into two groups according to function,
one titled Research Development and Engineering, and the other
Material and Services. An additional Assistant Chief was established
over each group and the former Assistant Chief, whose staff divisions
were also strengthened by the reorganization, was given the title
of Deputy and Assistant Chief.
MARCH
1--Operation Frostbite--Midway with elements of Air Group 74 on
board, and accompanied by three destroyers, left Norfolk under
command of Rear Admiral John H. Cassady to conduct cold weather
tests in Davis Strait. In the period 7-22 March, these units operated
as a carrier task force off the coast of Labrador and above the
Arctic Circle, conducting flight operations with World War II
type aircraft and the newer F8F Bearcat, the combination prop
and jet FR-1 Fireball, and the HNS-1 helicopter.
2--The Chief of Naval Operations established an aircraft storage
program whereby up to 6,000 aircraft of types in operation were
to be stored against future needs and an additional 360 F6F-5's
for future conversion to drones.
5--The Secretary approved the conversion of two submarine hulls
into guided-missile launching vessels. Cusk (SS 348) and Carbonero
(SS 337) were later selected for this conversion.
7--The Chief of Naval operations directed that Ground Controlled
Approach equipment (GCA) be adopted as the standard blind landing
system for the Navy.
11--A modification of the class designation of naval aircraft
eliminated the VB and VT used for bomber and torpedo aircraft
and set up VA to identify aircraft with a primary mission of attacking
surface targets. This change was responsible for the subsequent
redesignation of most BT2D and BTM aircraft as AD and AM.
12--In a reorientation and consolidation of Navy guided-missile
developments, the Chief of Naval Operations directed that Glomb,
Gorgon II-C, and Little Joe be discontinued; that Gargoyle, Gorgon
II-A, Gorgon III-A, and Dove be limited to test and research vehicles;
that the Loon be continued as a launching test vehicle and a possible
interim weapon; that the Bat be completed; and that Kingfisher,
Bumblebee, and Lark be continued as high priority missile developments.
15--The Chief, Bureau of Aeronautics formally proposed to the
Commanding General, Army Air Forces that a joint Army-Navy project
be established for development of an earth satellite.
25--The XHJD-1, the first twin engined helicopter, made a hovering
flight. Designed for the Navy by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation,
this helicopter was intended for experimental use in a flight
development program and for tactical use in utility and air-sea
rescue operations.
APRIL
3--A contract was issued to Douglas for the design and construction
of the XF3D-1 night fighter.
MAY
15--The designation of patrol squadrons reverted to its prewar
status with the change from VPB to VP.
21--The Chief of Naval Operations outlined a program for the operational
introduction of the Bat (SWOD Mk 9) which called for its assignment
to VP-104 of the Atlantic Fleet and VP-115 of the Pacific Fleet
and directed transfer to VP-104 of all PB4Y-2's already modified
to operate the Bat missile.
22--The initial operational tests of an XCF dunking sonar carried
by in HO2S helicopter were completed off Key West. During a 3-month
period in which the tests were conducted, Lieutenant S. R. Graham,
USCG, and Ensign W. H. Coffee, USCG, piloted the helicopter and
Lieutenant Commander Roy Rather, Dr. J. J. Coop, and Mr. C. V.
Scott operated the sonar which provided good sonic and supersonic
listening ranges and a high degree of bearing accuracy against
both conventional and snorkel type submarines.
29--The Aeronautical Board acted upon the Bureau of Aeronautics
proposal for a joint Army-Navy earth satellite project by approving
the establishment of an Earth Satellite Subcommittee to coordinate
projects already underway.
JUNE
6--The Joint Research and Development Board was created by charter
of the Secretaries of War and Navy for the purpose of coordinating
all research and development activities of joint interest to the
two departments. Its several committees embraced aeronautics,
atomic energy, electronics, geographical exploration, geophysical
sciences, and guided missiles.
24--A contract was issued to North American Aviation, Inc., for
the design and construction of three XAJ-1 aircraft, thereby beginning
active development of a long-range carrier-based bomber capable
of delivering nuclear weapons.
25--A contract was issued to Chance Vought for the development
and construction of three XF7U-1 aircraft. This was a tailless,
high performance fighter, equipped with tricycle landing gear,
powered with twin turbojet engines, and designed for carrier operation.
26--The Aeronautical Board agreed unanimously that the knot and
the nautical mile be adopted by the Army Air Forces and Navy as
standard aeronautical units of speed and distance, and directed
that use of the terms be specified in all future procurement of
air speed indicators, charts, related equipment, and future issues
of applicable handbooks and technical orders.
JULY
1--Operation Cross Roads--Tests to determine effects of atomic
bombs on naval targets were conducted at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
In the first test, a Nagasaki-type bomb, dropped from a B-29 at
30,000 feet on ships anchored in the lagoon, sank five of them
outright and did heavy damage to nine others. A shallow underwater
burst on the 25th raised the total number sunk directly or indirectly
to 32 of the 83 ships of all types used in the tests. Among them
were the aircraft carriers Saratoga, sunk in shallow water on
the 25th after 19 years of active service, and Independence which
was so heavily damaged and contaminated that she was no longer
fit for use. Although these tests had broad national impact, to
the Navy and to naval aviation they not only made clear the importance
of nuclear weapons in control of the sea but they also provided
much detailed data on the effects of nuclear blasts and a sound
technical basis for intensification of efforts to develop tactics
and equipment whereby the damage of such attacks against a naval
task force could be held to a minimum.
1--The Naval Air Reserve Program was formally activated under
the Naval Air Training Command, with 21 Reserve activities already
in operation.
1--Experimental Squadron, VX-3, was established at NAS New York
to study and evaluate the adaptability of helicopters to naval
purposes.
3--Fleet Air Wing 8 was disestablished at NAS Alameda.
11--To establish clear-cut relationships for aircraft maintenance,
the Chief of Naval Operations directed the disestablishment of
all CASU's and other maintenance units and their replacement by
Fleet Aircraft Service Squadrons by 1 January. The new FASRON's
were to be of three kinds according to aircraft types serviced,
and were designed to promote higher standards and greater uniformity
and efficiency in aircraft maintenance.
21--In the first U.S. test of the adaptability of jet aircraft
to shipboard operation, an XFD-1 Phantom piloted by Lieutenant
Commander James Davidson, made successful landings and takeoffs
(deck launched without catapults) on board Franklin D. Roosevelt.
AUGUST
1--An Act of Congress established the Office of Naval Research
in the Navy Department to plan, foster and encourage scientific
research. The new office came into being on 21 August 1946 by
redesignation of the Office of Research and Inventions which had
been established by Secretarial order in May 1945.
13--Congress approved the Hale Plan, also known as the "Flying
Midshipmen." The program was designed to provide the Navy
with qualified pilots in the post-World War II period following
the loss of a large segment of experienced naval aviators returning
to civilian life. For those who joined the program, it offered
to pay for two years of college and training as a naval aviator
in exchange for a service obligation. Personnel completing their
flight training and designated a naval aviator were not automatically
commissioned at the same time. They remained as aviation midshipman
and were ordered to the fleet, serving a pilots but not as a commissioned
officer. After a period of service in the fleet these "flying
midshipmen" usually received their commission. The program
was in effect between 1946 and 1950.
14--The Chief of Naval Operations standardized missile terminology
within the Navy to the extent that he directed the term "Guided
Missiles" be used for all types developed by the Navy. Past
practice was continued, however, in that authorization was given
to continue as model designations, and in the description of missile
classes, the Bureau of Ordnance term "Special Weapons Ordnance
Device (SWOD)" and the Bureau of Aeronautics term "Pilotless
Aircraft (P/A)."
15--An Instrument Flight Standardization Board was established
at NAS Anacostia under the operational control of the Deputy Chief
of Naval Operations (Air), for the purpose of determining the
means by which the instrument flight proficiency of pilots could
be improved.
SEPTEMBER
1--A reorganization of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval
Operations (Air) placed its divisions into four groups titled
Plans, Personnel, Readiness, and Air Logistics. An Air Planning
Group was also set up on the DCNO (Air) staff to facilitate planning
on the top policy level and to coordinate and direct the work
of all divisions toward the same goals.
29 September October--The Truculent Turtle, a Lockheed P2V Neptune
(bureau number 89082), manned by Commanders T. D. Davies, E. P.
Rankin, W. S. Reid and Lieutenant Commander R. A. Tabeling, flew
from Perth, Australia to Columbus, Ohio, in 55 hours 17 minutes,
and broke the world's record for distance without refueling with
a flight of 11,235.600 miles.
OCTOBER
1--Naval Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, Calif., was established
to conduct tests and evaluation of guided missiles and components,
Captain A. N. Perkins, commanding.
2--A recommendation was made by the Bureau of Aeronautics that
the designation XF9F-2 be adopted in lieu of XF9F-1, thereby reflecting
a decision to abandon development of the XF9F-1 four-engine night
fighter in favor of a single engine day fighter. Involved in this
decision was the substitution of a Rolls Royce Nene engine for
Westinghouse 24C's, an action that led to American production
of the Nene.
30--Under a project conducted by NAMC Philadelphia, Lieutenant
(jg) A. J. Furtek made a successful ejection from a JD-1, flying
at about 250 knots at 6,000 feet over Lakehurst, N.J. It was the
Navy's first live test of an ejection seat.
NOVEMBER
3--The airship XM-1 landed at Naval Air Facility, Glynco, Ga.,
completing a flight of 170.3 hours, a world record for duration
in self-sufficient flight for any type aircraft. The flight, with
Lieutenant H. R. Walton in command, left Lakehurst, N.J., on 27
October, followed the Atlantic coast to Savannah, Ga., then seaward
to the Bahamas, to Florida, to Cuba, over the Gulf of Mexico and
back to Glynco.
7--A letter identification system for marking all Navy and Marine
aircraft, including those of the training command and the Naval
Air Reserve, was adopted. Letters were assigned to all carriers
and to wings, groups and squadrons not assigned to carrier operations.
In addition, a wide orange stripe around the fuselage, forward
of the empennage, was ordered placed on all aircraft of the Naval
Reserve. By a change issued the following month (12 Dec), the
assignment of letters to carriers was discontinued and the letters
were assigned instead to Carrier Air Groups and to Marine squadrons
operating on CVE's.
8--The Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Special
Weapons) was disestablished and its functions relating to guided
missiles were reassigned to a new
Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (Guided Missiles) and a Guided
Missiles Division, both established under DCNO (Air).
11--Lieutenant Colonel Marion E. Carl, USMC, flying a jet propelled
P-80A made two catapult launches, four free take-offs and five
arrested landings aboard Franklin D. Roosevelt. His first catapult
launches were on 1 November. These operations were part of an
extensive investigation of the carrier suitability of jet aircraft
which had begun on 29 June 1945 with the delivery of a P-80A to
NAS Patuxent River.
15--To correct the results of demobilization which had left squadron
numbers all out of sequence and a system of no apparent order,
sweeping changes were made in air unit designation. Carrier Air
Groups of four types were designated according to their assigned
ship, as CVBG for Battle Carrier, CVG for Attack Carrier, CVLG
for Light Carrier and CVEG for Escort Carrier. Carrier squadrons
were limited to Fighter and Attack, thus abolishing the VBF, VB
and VT designations, and were assigned suffix letters to indicate
their carrier type assignment. Patrol squadrons were redesignated
to show in addition to the VP, an abbreviation of their aircraft
class, as VP-MS-1 for Patrol Squadron 1 operating medium seaplanes.
Observation squadron numbers again followed the parent ship division
but suffix letters B or C were added to differentiate between
battleship and cruiser units. The VJ for utility became VU, VPP
replaced the VD for photographic squadrons, and VPM replaced VPW
for meteorological squadrons. Reserve units were changed to the
same system but were assigned consecutive numbers of a higher
series. Marine Corps units were not affected by the change.
20--At Cleveland, Ohio, an F8F Grumman Bearcat with Lieutenant
Commander M. W. Davenport as pilot, took off in a distance of
115 feet from a standing start and climbed to 10,000 feet in 94
seconds.
25--The report of a Board, headed by Rear Admiral T. S. Combs
and established to consider the steps required to adapt the Integrated
Aeronautic Maintenance, Material and Supply Program to postwar
conditions, was approved. Recommendations were largely concerned
with measures to improve program administration such as providing
for exact planning, rigid adherence to schedules and complements,
the receipt of complete information from the field, and its proper
evaluation. Many touched on areas so critical that action was
taken before final approval.
DECEMBER
6--Captain Victor D. Herbster, No. 4, died at the Naval Hospital,
St. Albans, N.Y. He served continuously in aviation from 8 November
1911, when he reported for flight training at Annapolis, to his
retirement on 1 July 1936. Upon his return to active service in
August 1940, he again served in aviation until his final retirement
on 29 March 1946.
31--Special Unit Project Cast was disestablished and its personnel,
material and functions transferred to the Air Support Division,
NRL, which had been established 1 September at NATC Patuxent River
to provide the Naval Research Laboratory with flight test services
as necessary to its electronics equipment research and development
program.
JANUARY
2--Unit identification letters, assigned in November, were ordered
displayed on both sides of the vertical fin and rudder and on
the upper right and lower left surfaces near the wing tips. This
placement required relocation of several standard markings on
aircraft.
2--A new specification for aircraft color was issued providing
for the use of glossy sea blue on all shipboard and water based
aircraft and all helicopters; aluminum was retained for landplane
transports, utility planes and advanced training planes; and glossy
orange yellow was similarly retained for primary trainers. Special
color schemes included land camouflage (olive drab above and light
gray below) for Marine observation planes; glossy insignia red
for target drones; target towing aircraft were to have glossy
orange yellow wings, and glossy sea blue fuselage with glossy
insignia red wing bands and rudder.
14--A horizontal red stripe, centered on the white horizontal
bar, was added to the National Star Insigne.
29--From a position 660 miles off the Antarctic Continent, Philippine
Sea launched to Little America the first of six R4D transport
aircraft which she had ferried from Norfolk as a part of Operation
Highjump. The first plane off, which was also the first carrier
takeoff for an R4D, was piloted by Commander William M. Hawkes
and carried Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd as a passenger.
FEBRUARY
2--Colonel Bernard L. Smith, second Marine and sixth naval aviator,
died from injuries received when his car was hit by a train at
Coral Gables, Fla. From 18 September 1912, when he reported for
flight training at Annapolis, until his resignation on 20 January
1920, he served with Marine and Navy aviation elements in a variety
of duties including intelligence assignments overseas. For 6 years
1931-37, he was a member of the Naval Reserve, then transferred
to the Marine Corps Reserve and returned to active duty in World
War II, during which he again served with distinction until his
retirement in December 1946.
12--The Loon guided missile was launched from Cusk (SS 348) off
Point Mugu in the first firing of a guided missile from a submarine.
MARCH
1--The development of titanium alloys for aeronautical applications
was initiated by a Bureau of Aeronautics contract with P. R. Mallory
& Co. for study of methods of producing titanium metal and
alloys and of determining their essential properties.
4--Operation Highjump--Air operations in the Antarctic ended.
From 24 December 1946, six PBM's, based on seaplane tenders, operated
in the open seas around the continent of Antarctica, and from
9 February, six R4D's operated ashore from the airstrip at Little
America. Together these aircraft logged 650 hours on photographic
mapping flights covering 1,500,000 square miles of the interior,
and 5,500 miles of coastline, or the equivalent of about half
the area of the United States and its entire coastline--Atlantic,
Pacific, and Gulf coasts combined.
APRIL
30--A standard system of designating guided missiles and assigning
them popular names was adopted for use by the Army and Navy. The
basic designation adopted was a two letter combination of the
three letters A (Air), S (Surface), U (Underwater), in which the
first letter indicated the origin of the missile and the second
letter its objective; followed by the letter M for missile. Thus
a surface-to-air missile was designated SAM. This basic designation
was followed by a model number; odd for Army and even for Navy.
For popular names, it was agreed that ASM's would be named for
birds of prey, AAM's for other winged creatures, SAM's for mythological
terms, and SSM's for astronomical terms or bodies.
MAY
20--The Secretary of the Navy directed that within the period
1 June-1 August 1947, the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight at NAS Ottumwa,
Iowa, be relocated and redesigned U.S. Naval School, Pre-Flight,
NAS Pensacola.
JUNE
4--The Chief of Naval Operations approved new aircraft carrier
characteristics to be incorporated in an improvement program titled
"Project 27A", by which Essex Class carriers were modified
to meet the new operating requirements resulting from developments
in aircraft and weapons. The principal changes involved in the
program were directed toward a capability for operating aircraft
of up to 40,000 pounds, and included installation of two H-8 catapults,
strengthening the flight deck and clearing it of guns, increasing
elevator capacity and adding special provisions for jet aircraft
such as blast deflectors, increased fuel capacity and jet fuel
mixers. Oriskany first of nine carriers modernized under this
project, began conversion at the New York Naval Shipyard on 1
October 1947.
7--Fleet Air Wing 10 was disestablished at NAB Sangley Point.
17--The Navy awarded a contract to Douglas for design study and
engineering data for a deltawinged fighter. On the basis of the
technical information thus obtained, the Navy subsequently initiated
development of the XF4D-1.
26--Development of low drag bombs was initiated as the Bureau
of Aeronautics authorized Douglas Aircraft (El Segundo) to undertake
design of a bomb release system with smooth flight characteristics
at subsonic speeds. This development was undertaken to overcome
the aircraft buffeting which was induced by conventional bombs
when carried externally at three-quarters the speed of sound.
The basic goal was development of an external store shape which
could house conventional bombs, machine guns, rockets, etc. and
be adapted to use as an external fuel tank.
30--Fleet Air Wing 18 was disestablished at NAS Agana in the Marianas.
JULY
9--A Gorgon IV (PTV-2), powered by a subsonic ram-jet engine was
air-launched from a P-61C and made a 28 second free flight at
the Naval Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu.
24--The adaptation of the helicopter to amphibious warfare was
initiated when the Chief of Naval Operations established a requirement
for a type capable of transporting assault troops from an escort
carrier and setting them down ashore along with their necessary
combat equipment and supplies.
26--The National Security Act of 1947 became law providing the
most basic reorganization of defense activities since the creation
of the Navy Department in 1798. The law established the National
Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National
Security Resources Board, the National Military Establishment
and the Office of Secretary of Defense. Within the National Military
Establishment it established a third service, the U.S. Air Force,
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Research and Development Board
and the Munitions Board. It also defined the United States Navy
as "including such aviation as may be organic therein."
AUGUST
7--An Act of Congress restored the AEDO designation abolished
in 1940, by authorizing the assignment of qualified officers of
the line, including those designated EDO, to Aeronautical Engineering
Duty Only.
13--Naval Air Development Station, Johnsville, Pennsylvania, was
established replacing the Naval Aircraft Modification Unit. Its
mission was development of aircraft electronics, guided missiles
and aviation armament.
20--Commander Turner F. Caldwell, piloting the Douglas Skystreak
D-558-1, broke the world's speed record with 640.663 m.p.h. over
the 3-kilometer course at Muroc, Calif.
25--Major Marion E. Carl, USMC, flying the Douglas Skystreak D-558-1,
set a new world's speed record of 650.796 m.p.h. over the 3-kilometer
course at Muroc, Calif.
25--Tests of the Douglas low drag bomb shape were begun at the
Southern California Cooperative Wind Tunnel at Pasadena.
SEPTEMBER
6--A V-2 rocket was successfully launched from the flight deck
of Midway in the first firing of a large bombardment rocket from
a ship at sea. While the missile behaved abnormally after take-off,
the feasibility of the operation was demonstrated and considerable
experience was gained.
17--James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, took the oath of office
as first Secretary of Defense. The following day the National
Security Act of 1947 became effective and the Departments of the
Army, Navy and Air Force were constituted as integral parts of
the National Military Establishment.
30--The Research and Development Board was formally set up in
the National Military Establishment as Dr. Vannevar Bush took
office as Chairman. This Board, which superseded the Joint Research
and Development Board, functioned in areas dealing with research
and development coordination, planning and direction. At its first
meeting, 19 December, the credentials of all members were accepted
by the Board, one of two Navy members being the Deputy Chief of
Naval Operations (Air).
NOVEMBER
1--The U.S. Naval Parachute Unit moved from NAS Lakehurst to NAS
El Centro, Calif. Its mission was research, development and testing
of parachutes, parachute recovery systems and ejectable seat capsules.
28--The Norton Sound was assigned to Operational Development Force
for use as an experimental rocket-firing ship. Necessary alterations
were performed at the Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, beginning
the following March.
DECEMBER
1--Marine Helicopter Experimental Squadron, HMX-1, was established
at MCAS Quantico, Colonel Edward C. Dyer commanding. Its mission
was to develop techniques and tactics for the various uses of
helicopters in amphibious operations.
19--A New Development Board was established to review the programs
of the various bureaus and offices and to recommend the priorities
of development projects to the Chief of Naval Operations. This
Board was replaced in May 1948 by a Research and Development Review
Board consisting of the Chief of Naval Research and officers in
the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations responsible for development.
19--The Research and Development Board directed its Committee
on Guided Missiles to coordinate the Earth Satellite Vehicle Project,
thereby taking this function over from the Aeronautical Board.
30--The President's Air Policy Commission, Thomas K. Finletter
Chairman, submitted its report based on extensive hearings covering
a period of over three months. The report, Survival in the Air
Age, was a broad review of the international situation in terms
of the proven effectiveness of air power and its added potential
for destruction with the advent of the atomic bomb. The report
stressed the need to maintain military forces large enough to
make aggression dangerous and particularly emphasized the urgency
of building up strong military aviation with its supporting industry
and civil air transport, and of encouraging a progressive research
and development program to maintain the existing margin of superiority
held by the United States.
JANUARY
1--The headquarters of the Naval Air Basic Training Command was
transferred from Corpus Christi to NAS Pensacola, and Naval Air
Training Bases, Corpus Christi, was disestablished. At the same
time the Naval Air Advanced Training Subordinate Command was established
at NAS Corpus Christi.
MARCH
1--The Congressional Committee on National Aviation Policy, headed
by Senator Owen Brewster, submitted its report which, although
differing in some respects with the earlier report submitted by
the President's Air Policy Commission, was a general reiteration
of its conclusions in regard to the effect of air power on the
national security and the need for a national policy that would
build a strong military air force supported by a healthy aircraft
industry and civil aviation.
4--A Test Pilot Training Division was established at the Naval
Air Test Center, Patuxent River, to instruct experienced fleet
pilots in aeronautical engineering and techniques of flight testing.
Ten years later this Division became the U.S. Naval Test Pilot
School.
10--The carrier suitability of the FJ-1 Fury jet fighter was tested
on board Boxer off San Diego, with a number of landings and takeoffs
by Commander Evan Aurand and Lieutenant Commander R. M. Elder
of Fighter Squadron 5A.
29--The Technical Evaluation Group of the Research and Development
Board noted that an earth satellite was feasible but recommended
that none be constructed until utility could be clearly established.
30--The establishment of a Naval Air Reserve Advisory Council
was approved by the Secretary of the Navy. The purpose of the
Council, which was composed of 50 aviation Reserve officers appointed
from civil life, was to make available to the Navy the experience
and continuing advice of reservists who had held key positions
while on active duty during the war.
APRIL
1--Helicopter Utility Squadron, HU-1, the first of its type in
the U.S. Navy, was established at NAS Lakehurst, Commander M.
A. Peters commanding.
21--The Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum for the Secretaries
within his Department, attaching a paper defining the functions
of the armed forces and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Based on the
policy embodied in the National Security Act, this was the first
functions paper drawn up by the services after their reorganization
and was commonly referred to as the Key West agreement.
27--In the first carrier launchings of planes of this size and
weight, two P2V-2 Neptunes, piloted by Commander T. D. Davies
and Lieutenant Commander J. P. Wheatley, made JATO takeoffs from
Coral Sea, off Norfolk.
MAY
1--Changes in aircraft marking specifications made it mandatory
for carrier squadrons to use distinguishing colors on propeller
spinners and across the top of the vertical fin and rudder. The
colors insignia red, insignia white, light blue, light yellow,
light green, and black outlined in white, were assigned to squadrons
one through six respectively of each carrier air group. The changes
also required that arresting hooks be painted in alternate four-inch
bands of black and white.
5--The submarine Cusk (SS 348) launched a Loon missile off the
Naval Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, guided it over a 46-mile
course and splashed it within 100 yards of its target, Begg Rock.
5--Fighter Squadron 17-A, equipped with 16 FH-1 Phantoms, became
the first carrier qualified jet squadron in the U.S. Navy. In
three days of operations aboard Saipan (CVL-48), all squadron
pilots plus Commander Air Group 17 were qualified with a minimum
of eight takeoffs and landings each.
8--The Michelson Laboratory of the U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station,
China Lake was dedicated. The opening of this laboratory was a
major step in the transition of the station from a rocket test
range to a research and development activity specially equipped
to study the various aspects of rocketry and guided missiles.
18--A contract was issued to Goodyear Aircraft Corporation for
design of an ASW airship with an envelope volume of 825,000 cubic
feet, approximately double that of the K class airship of World
War II. Through subsequent contractual action which was initiated
in September, one ZPN airship was ordered.
25--Two Support Wings were established and placed under a Commander,
Fleet Logistic Support Wings, to provide, subsequent to the merger
of Navy and Air Force air transport commands, such air logistic
support services over routes of sole Navy interest as would be
required for internal administration and the fulfillment of the
Navy's mission.
JUNE
1--The Naval Air Transport Service and the Air Transport Service
of the Air Force Air Transport Command, were consolidated to form
the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) as a unified element
of the National Military Establishment under the command and direction
of the U. S. Air Force.
4--To establish and maintain close relationships between the operating
forces and planning agencies, arrangements were made for an Air
Board to meet quarterly, with DCNO (Air), the Chief of BuAer,
ComAirLant and ComAirPac as principal members.
4--The Airborne Coordinating Group was renamed U.S. Naval Aviation
Electronics Service Unit (NAESU).
11--The Chief of Naval Operations issued standards for training
aviators as helicopter pilots and provided that helicopter pilots
previously trained by the Coast Guard or VX-3 would retain their
qualification.
18--The Chief, Bureau of Aeronautics authorized the Naval Air
Missile Test Center to train, on a noninterfering basis, the Air
Force's First Experimental Guided Missile Group in the operation
of the Lark guided missile.
22--Flight training was opened to men between the ages of 18 and
25, with at least 2 years of college, under a plan that was in
essence a reactivation of the Aviation Cadet program. Candidates
were required to serve on active duty for 4 years after which
they would be returned to inactive duty as members of the Reserve,
but a limited number were to be given the opportunity to remain
on active duty with possibilities for transferring to the regular
Navy. First of the new Aviation Cadets under this program reported
for training in the latter part of August.
29--Development of TACAN (tactical air navigation system) was
initiated by a Bureau of Ships contract to the Federal Telecommunications
Laboratory for development of a surface beacon and airborne receiver
that were capable of determining the direction of the aircraft
from the surface station. Stringent accuracy requirements were
based upon needs growing out of World War II carrier operational
experience. A year later, following tests of the initial model,
contracts were issued to the same company for development of equipment
that would also measure distance.
JULY
1--The Naval Air Transport Service, which had remained in being
after the establishment of MATS to assist in the transfer of Navy
units to the new organization, was disestablished after 6 l/2
years of distinguished service.
1--The importance of rockets in the future of naval aviation was
emphasized by the establishment of the U.S. Naval Aeronautical
Rocket Laboratory, Lake Denmark, N.J. It provided a rocket testing
facility on the east coast, similar in function to the Air Force
Rocket Test Facility at Muroc, Calif.
3--Ordnance aspects of the low drag bomb development were initiated
as the Chief of Naval Operations requested the Bureau of Ordnance
to develop a 250-pound bomb on the lines of the Douglas shape
and a container to the same lines that could carry a number of
conventional 250-pound bombs.
6--Carrier Airborne Early Warning squadrons, VAW-1 and VAW-2,
were established in the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets with responsibilities
for organizing and training AEW teams for carrier operations.
Although AEW aircraft had operated from carriers at an earlier
date and a land based squadron, VPW-1, had been established on
1 April 1948 with a secondary mission of AEW, those squadrons
were the first to be organized specifically for the AEW mission
and the first to provide the fleet with AEW services from carriers.
20--The Chief of Naval Operations directed that the standard composition
of Carrier Air Groups be changed to three fighters and two attack
squadrons, thus adding one fighter squadron to each group. To
compensate for this increase, squadron aircraft complements were
slightly reduced.
22--Assembly and Repair Departments (A&R) at Navy and Marine
Corps air stations were renamed Overhaul and Repair Departments
(O&R.)
23--The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air approved a plan
to develop the Jacksonville area as a Fleet Aviation Center. The
plan included reactivation of Cecil Field and Mayport to help
support the air groups assigned to the Center, and the relocation
of the Naval Air Advanced Training Command based at NAS Jacksonville.
29--The President approved the construction, in a private shipyard,
of a flush-deck 65,000-ton aircraft carrier, subsequently named
United States, for which funds had been provided in the Naval
Appropriation Act 1949.
AUGUST
1--Because the National Security Act had assigned most of its
functions to other boards and some duplication appeared to exist,
the Aeronautical Board was dissolved after over 30 years as an
interservice agency for cooperation in aviation.
17--The Chief of Naval Operations informed the Chief of the Bureau
of Aeronautics of his intention to assign antisubmarine warfare
as a primary mission to most of the patrol squadrons, and requested
that the Bureau institute a vigorous program to outfit patrol
planes in service with the necessary equipment.
28--The Caroline Mars landed at Chicago with 42 persons on board
and a 14,000-pound payload, after a record nonstop flight from
Honolulu of 4,748 miles in 24 hours, 12 minutes.
SEPTEMBER
1--The system of group and squadron designations, in effect since
November 1946, was simplified. Carrier Air Groups became CVG without
regard to their carrier assignment; carrier squadrons VF and VA
were assigned two or three digit numbers, the first of which was
the same as the parent air group, and suffix letters were dropped.
Patrol squadrons reverted to the simple VP designation. Special
designations for transport squadrons, as VRF and VRU, became VR.
Some VC squadrons became VAW to reflect their air warning mission,
while others became VFN or VAN to reflect all-weather capability.
5--The JRM-2 Caroline Mars of VR-2, on a 390-mile flight from
Patuxent River, Md., to Cleveland, Ohio, carried a 68,282-pound
cargo, the heaviest payload ever lifted in an aircraft.
OCTOBER
1--Modification of the seaplane tender Norton Sound was completed
at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and after a brief shakedown
she was placed in operation as the Navy's first guided missiles
experimental and test ship.
27--Operation Vittles--Navy Transport Squadrons 6 and 8 of the
Military Air Transport Service, were ordered to move from their
Pacific bases to Germany to take part in the Berlin Airlift.
NOVEMBER
1--The Naval Air Advanced Training Command was transferred from
NAS Jacksonville to NAS Corpus Christi in accordance with plans
to convert the Jacksonville area into a fleet aviation center.
5--To meet the requirements of landing aircraft weighing up to
50,000 pounds at speeds as high as 105 knots, a project was initiated
at Naval Aircraft Factory for design of Mark 7 high energy absorption
arresting gear.
9--Navy transport squadrons, transferred from the Pacific to assist
in Operation Vittles, began flying cargo into Berlin.
DECEMBER
17--To meet the mounting requirements for transatlantic airlift
in support of Operation Vittles, MATS Navy Squadron VR-3 was switched
from flying the domestic routes to the Westover, Mass., to Frankfurt,
Germany, run.
JANUARY
23--The escort carrier Palau completed a 12-day test period
off the New England coast developing the capability of carriers
to conduct air operations under cold and severe weather conditions.
This marked the Navy's continued interest in cold weather tests,
first demonstrated on the Langley in the same area 18 years before.
26--Norton Sound, the Nation's first guided-missile experimental
test ship, launched its first missile, the Loon, off the Naval
Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu.
27--The Chief of Naval Operations authorized conversion of all
new-construction cruisers to accommodate helicopters.
FEBRUARY
3--The Lockheed R6O Constitution, commissioned the day before
at NAS Alameda, inaugurated her transcontinental service, Moffett
Field to Washington, D.C., by establishing a new record for personnel
carried on a transcontinental flight. With 78 passengers and 18
crewmen, the 92-ton plane crossed the continent in 9 hours and
35 minutes.
25--The Caroline Mars, a JRM-2 flying boat, broke the world record
for passenger lift by transporting 202 men from Alameda to San
Diego, and broke it again the same day on the return flight with
a load of 218 men. These loads were in addition to a four-man
crew.
MARCH
4--The Caroline Mars, a JRM-2 flying boat of Transport Squadron
2, set a new record for persons carried aloft by transporting
263 passengers and a crew of six on a Fleet Logistic Air Wings
flight from San Diego to Alameda. The flight was of 2 hours 41
minutes duration and the passengers were the officers and men
of Air Group 15 on a routine transfer of station.
7--A P2V-3C, piloted by Captain J. T. Hayward of VC-5 was launched
from Coral Sea off the Virginia Capes with a 10,000-pound
load of dummy bombs, flew across the continent to drop its load
on the west coast and returned nonstop to land at NAS Patuxent
River, Md.
31--The best monthly total of the Berlin Airlift to date was made
as U.S. aircraft delivered 154,475 tons of cargo to the city.
In making its contribution to the total, Navy Transport Squadron
VR-8 set an all-time airlift record of 155 percent efficiency
for the month, and daily utilization of 12.2 hours per aircraft.
APRIL
5--The disestablishing of the last of the observation squadrons,
VO-2, marked the end of one era and the beginning of another as
a plan to use helicopters in place of fixed-wing aircraft aboard
battleships and cruisers was put into effect, with the changeover
scheduled for completion by 30 June.
23--Construction of the aircraft carrier United States was halted
by order of the Secretary of Defense.
MAY
19--The JRM-1 Marshall Mars broke the record for number of people
carried on a single flight when 301 passengers and a crew of seven
were flown from Alameda to San Diego.
JULY
15--Douglas pilots flying an XF3D-1 completed an initial flight
evaluation of the low drag external store shape at Muroc Air Force
Base. Carrying two of these shapes, the aircraft had a top speed
of 51 knots greater than when carrying two conventional 2,000-pound
bombs and 22 knots greater than with two 150-gallon external fuel
tanks.
31--The participation of Navy Transport Squadrons 6 and 8 in the
Berlin Airlift ended. During their 8 months in Germany, these
squadrons flew a total of 45,990 hours, carried 129,989 tons of
cargo into Berlin, and established a record of payload efficiency
and aircraft utilization at the unparalleled figure of better
than 10 hours per day per plane for the entire period.
AUGUST
1--The Naval Air Development Center, Johnsville, Pa., was established
and the Naval Air Development Station was disestablished. The
mission of the Center was development of aircraft electronics,
pilotless aircraft and aviation armament, and research and development
in the field of aviation medicine pertaining to the human centrifuge.
These functions were performed by four laboratories appropriately
named.
9--The first use in the United States of a pilot-ejection seat
for an emergency escape, was made by Lieutenant J. L. Fruin of
VF-171 from an F2H-1 Banshee while making over 500 knots in the
vicinity of Walterboro, S.C.
10--The National Security Act of 1947 was amended providing for
a limited increase in the authority of the Secretary of Defense
and replacing the National Military Establishment with the Department
of Defense. It further provided that the three military departments
would continue to be separately administered and that naval aviation
would "be integrated with the naval service . . . within
the Department of the Navy."
OCTOBER
1--In accordance with an interservice agreement reached in July,
an exchange program to indoctrinate selected Air Force and Navy
pilots (including the Marines) in the operational and training
activities of each other's service, began with the exchange of
18 pilots from each service for the period of 1 year. The agreement
provided that all pilots be qualified in the type of aircraft
operated by the unit to which they were assigned and that each
would occupy a regular pilot's billet in his new assignment.
5--In a demonstration of naval air capabilities, a Neptune P2V-3,
piloted by Commander F. L. Ashworth, took off from the carrier
Midway at sea off Norfolk and flew to the Panama Canal, then northward
over Corpus Christi, Tex., and on to NAS San Diego, completing
a 4,800-mile nonstop, nonrefueling flight in 25 hours and 40 minutes.
30--Lieutenant G. A. Rullo and M. D. Kembro, CAP, flew a Sikorsky
helicopter, HO3S, from NAS Seattle to NAS Alameda in 10 hours
and 50 minutes and unofficially bettered the existing distance
record for helicopters with a flight of 755 miles.
DECEMBER
1--In a reorganization of air transport services, the Atlantic
and Pacific Fleet Logistic Support Wings ceased to exist and all
air transport units were consolidated under a single command-the
Fleet Logistic Air Wing.
9--A reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve was completed in
which 128 Fighter, 41 Attack, 25 Composite, 29 Patrol, 26 Transport,
57 Service, and 5 Blimp Squadrons were placed under command of
27 Air Wings established at as many Reserve Air Stations spread
throughout the country.
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Historical Center home page30 June 1997