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This is a list of aviation-related events from 1954:

Events

January

• January 10 - a de Havilland Comet 1, operating BOAC Flight 781, crashes into the Mediterranean Sea near Elba following fatigue failure, killing all 35 people aboard.

April

• April 1 - last operational flight by an RAF Spitfire, a photo-reconnaissance sortie against bandits in Malaya.
• April 8 – a de Havilland Comet 1, operating South African Airways Flight 201 from Rome to Cairo and Johannesburg, disintegrates in mid-air over the Mediterranean Sea near Naples following fatigue failure, killing all 14 passengers and seven crew.
• April 8 - a Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 36 people on the aircraft and 1 person on the ground.

June

• June 2 - Yugoslavian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s attack a Belgian Douglas DC-3, which lands in Austria.
• June 21 - three USAF B-47 Stratojets cross the Pacific Ocean in under 15 hours.

July

• July 22 - a Cathay Pacific Airways Douglas DC-4 is shot down near Hainan Island.
• July 26 - Soviet Air Force Lavochkin La-7s attack two US Navy A-1 Skyraiders searching for survivors from the CPA flight. The Skyraiders in response shoot down the La-7s.

September

• September 5 – KLM Flight 633, a Lockheed L1049 Super Constellation, ditches after takeoff from Shannon Airport in Ireland, killing 28 of 56 on board.

November

• November 2 - the VTOL Convair XFY transitions from vertical to horizontal flight and back.
• November 7 - Soviet Air Force MiG-15s shoot down a USAF B-29 Superfortress off Hokkaidō, claiming it was spying.
• November 17 - a B-47 is forced by bad weather to remain aloft for 47 hours 35 minutes, needing nine aerial refuellings.

December

• December 25 - BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser G-ALSA crashes on landing at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, killing 28 of the 36 passengers and crew onboard.

First flights

March

• March 4 - Lockheed XF-104, prototype of the F-104 Starfighter.

June

• June 14 - PAC Fletcher.

July

• July 15 - Boeing 367-80, prototype of the Boeing 707 and Boeing C-135 families.

August

• August 3 - Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig (free flight).
• August 4 - English Electric P.1, prototype of the English Electric Lightning.
• August 23 - Lockheed YC-130 Hercules, from Palmdale, CA to Edwards Air Force Base.

September

• September 29 - McDonnell F-101A Voodoo, flown by test pilot Robert C. Little.^[1][2]

October

• October 3 - Douglas XF4D-1.
• October 6 - Fairey FD.2.

Entered service

• Tupolev Tu-16 with Soviet Air Force.

February

• Supermarine Swift with No. 56 Squadron RAF.

September

• FJ Fury with VF-173.
• September 27 - F-100 Super Sabre with 479th Fighter Day Wing.

References