1953 Flight Timeline
September 21, 1953 Lieutenant Noh Keun-suk, a North Korean pilot, defects with a MiG-15 jet fighter; he is given political asylum and a $100,000 reward.
September 25, 1953 Mike Lithgow sets a world speed record of 737.7 miles per hour in a Supermarine Swift.
October 3, 1953 Lieutenant Commander James Verdin sets a world speed record of 752.94 miles per hour in a Douglas XF4-D Skyray.
October 16, 1953 Robert O. Rahn flies a Douglas XF4-D Skyray to 728.11 miles per hour for a closed-course record.
October 24, 1953 The Convair F-102 makes its first flight; the aircraft can't go supersonic until its fuselage is redesigned with "Coke-bottle" effect. It is the first U.S. delta-wing aircraft to go into service.
October 29, 1953 Lieutenant Colonel F. K. Everest flies a North American F-100A to 754.98 miles per hour over a 15-kilometer course.
November 20, 1953 Scott Crossfield reaches 1,327 miles per hour in a Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket, the first Mach 2 flight.
November 29, 1953 The DC-7 enters commercial service with American Airlines.
December 12, 1953 Chuck Yeager flies an X-1A at 1,650 miles per hour (Mach 2.5) to 70,000 feet.
