1951 <strong>The</strong> Douglas C–124 Globemaster II could be loaded through large clamshell nose doors. October 23: <strong>The</strong> first production B–47 Stratojet medium bomber entered service with the 306th Bombardment Wing, Medium. This aircraft became the workhorse for Strategic <strong>Air</strong> Command through most <strong>of</strong> the 1950s. 72 <strong>The</strong> Boeing XB–47, prototype <strong>of</strong> the B–47, the first all-jet strategic bomber
November 30: Maj. George A. Davis, Jr., became the first <strong>USAF</strong> ace <strong>of</strong> two wars, shooting down his fourth and fifth enemy airplanes in Korea after having shot down seven enemy aircraft during World War II. 1952 1951–52 February 1: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Force acquired its first general-purpose, high-speed digital computer, a vacuum-tube-based Univac I. February 10: Leading a flight <strong>of</strong> three F–86 Sabre jets on a combat air patrol mission near the Manchurian border, Maj. George A. Davis, Jr., engaged 12 enemy MiG–15 jet fighters in aerial combat. After shooting down two enemy aircraft and completely disrupting the enemy formation, Major Davis himself was shot down and killed. For engaging superior forces and shooting down enemy aircraft, he earned the Medal <strong>of</strong> Honor. April 15: <strong>The</strong> YB–52, prototype <strong>of</strong> the eight-jet Strat<strong>of</strong>ortress and the first all-jet intercontinental heavy bomber, flew for the first time. May 2: <strong>The</strong> British-made DeHavilland Comet, the world’s first jet airliner, made its first public demonstration flight in London. May 3: A ski-and-wheel-equipped <strong>USAF</strong> C–47 Skytrain made the world’s first successful North Pole landing. June 23–24: <strong>Air</strong> Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft in coordinated attacks virtually destroyed the hydroelectric power plants <strong>of</strong> North Korea. <strong>The</strong> two-day operation, involving over 1,200 sorties, was the largest single air effort since World War II. July 16–17: With the help <strong>of</strong> aerial refueling, 58 F–84 Thunderjets <strong>of</strong> the 31st Fighter Escort Wing under Col. David C. Schilling completed the first mass flight <strong>of</strong> jet fighters across the Pacific Ocean. Departing from Turner <strong>Air</strong> Force Base, Georgia, on July 4, the airplanes stopped at the islands <strong>of</strong> Oahu, Midway, Wake, Eniwetok, Guam, and Iwo Jima on the way to Yokota <strong>Air</strong> Base, Japan. July 29: An RB–45 assigned to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing completed the first nonstop jet aircraft flight across the Pacific Ocean. It flew from Elmendorf <strong>Air</strong> Force Base, Alaska, to Yokota <strong>Air</strong> Base, Japan. Maj. Louis H. Carrington, Jr., Maj. Frederick W. Shook, and Capt. Wallace D. Yancey earned the 1952 Mackay Trophy for this flight. July 31: Two Sikorsky H–19 helicopters completed the first transatlantic helicopter flight, having flown in five stages from Westover Field, Massachusetts, to Prestwick, Scotland. 73