1947 in aviation

January
January 26, A KLM Douglas DC-3 "Dakota" crashed after take-off from Copenhagen, killing all 22 onboard, including Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten of Sweden.

March
March 14 - Saudia--Saudi Arabian Airlines begins regular domestic services.

March 16 - Saudia--Saudi Arabian Airlines begins regular international services.

April
April 4 - International Civil Aviation Organisation was formed.

May
May 28 - British South American Airways trials non-stop flights from London to Bermuda using aerial refueling over the Azores

June
June 17 - PAA - Pan American World Airways begins a New York City to San Francisco service flying east-to-west around most of the entire globe.

June 19 - Col Albert Boyd sets a new official world airspeed record of 623.62 mph (1,003 km/h) in a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. (This is still marginally slower than unofficial German speed records in rocket-powered aircraft during World War II).

July
July 3 - The Philippine Air Force was formed.

July 15 - Northwest Airlines launched the first commercial passenger service from the U.S.A. to Asia's Far East along the North Pacific route with Douglas DC-4 The Manila, linking Minneapolis/St. Paul (USA) and Tokyo (Japan), Shanghai (China) and Manila (Philippines) by way of Edmonton (Canada) (technical stop), Anchorage (Alaska USA) and Shemya (USA) (technical stop). The Northwest Seattle--Anchorage service offered a connection (at Anchorage) with this new operation to the Orient. Seoul (South Korea) was included as a stop on the Northwest Airlines route to the Orient in August 1947.

August
August 3 - a parade at Moscow-Tushino airport USSR, presented the newest Soviet jets including among others: Yak-19, La-150, La-156, La-160, Su-9, Su-11.

August 10 - BEA began the world's first regular cargo-only airline service.

August 14 - The Royal Pakistan Air Force was formed.

August 20 - a new world air speed record of 640 mph (1,031 km/h) is set in the Douglas Skystreak.

August 25 - the Douglas Skystreak achieves another air speed record of 650 mph (1,047 km/h).

September
September 17 - the United States Air Force becomes its own fully independent military command.

October
October 1 - Los Angeles Airways begins the first scheduled carriage of airmail by helicopter

October 1 - George Welch allegedly breaks the sound barrier during a dive in his XP-86 Sabre.

October 14 - Chuck Yeager took the rocket-powered Bell X-1 past the speed of sound, the first controlled, supersonic, level flight.

October 24 - United Airlines Flight 608 DC-6 (NC37510) en route to Chicago from Los Angeles caught fire and then crashed while attempting an emergency landing at the Bryce Canyon, Utah airport.

October 26-November 7 - Rhulin A. Thomas made the first solo coast-to-coast flight by a deaf pilot. Calbraith Perry Rodgers was an earlier deaf pilot who flew coast-to-coast in 1911, but was supported by a team on the ground.

First flights

January
January 8 - Yakovlev Yak-19
January 11 - McDonnell XF2D-1 Banshee, later redesignated XF2H-1

March
Lavochkin La-156

May
May 28 - Sukhoi Su-11 (1947), first aircraft with Soviet-designed jet engines
May 28 - Douglas Skystreak

June
Yakovlev Yak-15U, a prototype of Yak-17
Lavochkin La-160, first Soviet swept-wing fighter

June 22 - Martin XB-48
June 25 - Boeing B-50
June 30 - Avions Fairey Junior - OO-TIT
June 30 - Vickers Valetta VL249

July
July 8 - Boeing 377
July 8 - Yakovlev Yak-23
July 16 - Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 TG263
July 21 - Aero 45
July 24 - Ilyushin Il-22
July 27 - Tupolev Tu-12, first Soviet jet bomber
July 27 - Bristol Sycamore, first British helicopter

September
September 2 - Hawker P.1040 VP401

October
October 1 - North American XP-86
October 21 - Northrop YB-49 jet powered Flying Wing

November
November 2 - Hughes H-4 Hercules ("Spruce Goose")
November 2 - Yakovlev Yak-25 (1947)

December
C-119 Flying Boxcar
December 17 - Boeing XB-47
December 30 - Mikoyan-Gurevich I-310, prototype of the MiG-15

Entered service

April
Douglas DC-6 with American Airlines

August
McDonnell FH Phantom with United States Navy squadron VF-171

October
October 31 - Avro Tudor 4 with British South American Airways

November
McDonnell FH Phantom with United States Marine Corps squadron VMF-122, first deployment of a jet by a US Marine combat unit

Republic F-84B Thunderjet with the United States Air Force 14th Fighter Group.