page_title: Salvador E. Felices
section_title: Korean War
hierarchical_section_title: Salvador E. Felices / Korean War
caption_attribution_description: Boeing B52H (code 0052) taking off from the Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. The wheels are beginning to retract, including the wingtip support wheels. Photographed by Adrian Pingstone on July 17th 2006 and released to the public domain.
context_page_description: Major General Salvador Enrique Felices was the first Puerto Rican to reach the rank of major general in the United States Air Force. In 1957, he participated in "Operation Power Flite", the first round-the-world nonstop flight by a jet airplane.
context_section_description: In 1953, Felices flew in 19 combat missions over North Korea, during the Korean War, as combat operation officer for the 344th Bombardment Squadron. In 1954, he was reassigned and stationed at Castle Air Force Base, California.  In 1955, Felices completed the instructor course for the B-52
  In January 1957, he participated in a historic project that was given to Fifteenth Air Force by the Strategic Air Command headquarters known as "Operation Power-Flite". Operation Power-Flite was the first around the world flight by an all-jet aircraft. He later completed a course on the KC-135 aircraft at the Boeing Company Ground School and participated in its flight test program. He wrote the first flight curriculum and initial qualification requirements for future SAC pilots.
  In July 1957, Felices delivered the first KC-135 to SAC Headquarters and he was the first to pilot the first flight of a KC-135 made by the then-Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1958, he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for landing a B-52 without the right rear landing gear.
caption: B-52 - Type of aircraft flown by Felices
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