1961 in aviation

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1961:

Events

January

January 3 - A Finnair airplane crashes near Kvevlax, Finland because of an inebriated pilot.

February

February 1 - Trans-Canada Air Lines becomes the first sustained operator of the Vickers Vanguard.
February 3 - Operation Looking Glass commences, meaning that the US Air Force Strategic Air Command would have a permanent, airborne command post.
February 15 - Sabena Flight 548, a Boeing 707, crashes at Brussels, Belgium. All 72 aboard (including the entire United States Figure Skating team), as well as one person on the ground, are killed.

March

March 28 - Air Afrique is formed

April

April 1 - VIASA - the flag carrier of Venezuela - commences operations
April 12 - Yuri Gagarin makes the first human spaceflight in Vostok 1, orbiting the Earth once, in108 minutes.

June

June 1 - United Air Lines absorbs Capital Airlines to become the largest airline in the West, with a fleet of 267 aircraft.
June 21-22 - A Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan makes the first non-stop flight from England to Australia

July

July 1 - The RAF deploys Hawker Hunter combat aircraft to reinforce Kuwait, which is under threat from Iraq. Simultaneously it deploys Canberras and Valiant aircraft to Malta.
July 24 - The first deliveries of the McDonnell D-101B to the Canadian Air Force commence.

September

September 12 - The Hawker P.1127 makes its first transitions from vertical to horizontal flight and back

November

November 25 - The US Navy's first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise is commissioned.

First flights

February

Cessna 336 Skymaster

March

Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy
March 18 - Tupolev Tu-28

April

April 5 - Dassault Mirage IIIE
April 16 - Beagle Airedale G-ARKE
April 21 - North American X-15

May

Boeing C-135 Stratolifter

June

June 17 - HAL Marut
June 21 - Aviation Traders Carvair G-ANYB

August

August 17 - Handley Page HP-115

September

September 21 - Boeing CH-47 Chinook
September 22 - de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo

October

October 12 - Dassault Mirage IV
October 21 - Breguet Atlantic

November

November 11 - Lockheed F-104G Super Starfighter

Entered service

February

February 1 - Vickers Vanguard

June

AJ3-1 Vigilante with US Navy VAH-3

October

McDonnell F4H-1 Phantom II with US Navy VF-74

1961 in Aviation Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia