170

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

1947-Continued

1 December HMX-1 was established at MCAS

Quantico, Va., Colonel Edward C. Dyer commanding. Its

mission was to develop techniques and tactics for the

various uses of helicopters in amphibious operations.

19 December A New Development Board was

established to review the programs of the various

bureaus and offices and to recommend the priorities

of development projects to the Chief of Naval

Operations. This Board was replaced in May 1948 by a

Research and Development Review Board consisting

of the Chief of Naval Research and officers in the

Office of the Chief of Naval Operations responsible for

development.

19 December The Research and Development

Board directed its Committee on Guided Missiles to

coordinate the Earth Satellite Vehicle Project, thereby

taking this function over from the Aeronautical Board.

30 December The President's Air Policy

Commission, Thomas K. Finletter, Chairman, submitted

its report based on extensive hearings covering a peri-

od of over three months. The report, "Survival in the

Air Age," was a broad review of the international situ-

ation in terms of the proven effectiveness of air power

and its added potential for destruction with the advent

of the atomic bomb. The report stressed the need to

maintain military forces large enough to make aggres-

sion dangerous and particularly emphasized the

urgency of building up strong military aviation with its

supporting industry and civil air transport, and of

encouraging a progressive research and development

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program to maintain the existing margin of superiority

held by the United States.

1948

1 January The headquarters of the Naval Air Basic

Training Command was transferred from Corpus

Christi, Tex., to NAS Pensacola, Fla.,and Naval Air

Training Bases, Corpus Christi was disestablished. At

the same time, the Naval Air Advanced Training

Subordinate Command was established at NAS Corpus

Christi.

1 March The Congressional Committee on National

Aviation Policy, headed by Senator Owen Brewster,

submitted its report which, although differing in some

respects with the earlier report submitted by the

President's Air Policy Commission, was a general reit-

eration of its conclusions in regard to the effect of air

power on the national security and the need for a

national policy that would build a strong military air

force supported by a healthy aircraft industry and civil

aviation.

4 March A Test Pilot Training Division was estab-

lished at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River,

Md., to instruct experienced fleet pilots in aeronautical

engineering and techniques of flight testing. Ten years

later this Division became the U.S. Naval Test Pilot

School.

10 March The carrier suitability of the FJ-1 Fury jet

fighter was tested on board Boxer off San Diego, with

a number of landings and takeoffs by Commander

Evan P. Aurand and Lieutenant Commander Robert M.

Elder of VF-5A.

FJ-l Fury, early

design of an all-

jet fighter

1053785

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