UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

205

1954-Contin ued

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I f.

The S2F,

Tracker anti-

submarine

search and at-

tack plane,

comes in for a

landing on

Valley Forge

1053776

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2 November The XFY-l delta wing experimental

fighter, piloted by 1. F. Coleman, made a successful

flight at NAS Moffett Field, Calif., consisting of vertical

takeoff, transition to horizontal flight and return to

vertical position for landing. The first free vertical

takeoff had been made on 1 August. For his contribu-

tion to the art of flying in testing the XFY-l, Coleman

was later awarded the Harmon International Trophy

for 1955.

1955

17 January VX-6 was established at NAS Patuxent

River, Md., for operations with Task Force 43 in

Operation Deep Freeze. This squadron provided ser-

vices for parties based ashore on Antarctica and made

courier flights between that continent and New

Zealand.

21 January The Flying Platform, a one-man heli-

copter of radical design, made its first flight at the

Hiller plant in Palo Alto, Calif. Although the flight oc-

curred during ground tests and was therefore acciden-

tal, it was successful in all respects.

,

27 January A North American FJ-3 Fury, piloted by

Lieutenant Commander William 1. Manby, Jr., of VF-33,

set a new unofficial climb mark by reaching 10,000

feet from a standing start in 73.2 seconds at NAS

Oceana, Va.

XFY-l, expeljmental vertical take-off fighter 709126