1965 IN AVIATION

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1965:

Contents

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

September

November

December

First flights

February

April

May

June

July

August

September

Entered service

April

November

Events

January

★ January 2 - Denis Healey, the UK's Secretary of Defense cancels the nation's fighter and military transport programmes and orders the purchase of the US-built F-4 Phantom and C-130 Hercules in their place.

February

★ February 15 - G Meher sets out from Culver City, California on a journey to become the first woman to cross the United States by helicopter

★ February 19 - Lufthansa signs up as the first customer for the forthcoming Boeing 737

March

★ March 2 - Operation Rolling Thunder begins, a massive air campaign against North Vietnam by the US

★ March 6 - a Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King makes the first non-stop helicopter flight across North America. The distance travelled is 2,116 miles (3,405 kilometres) and a new distance record for helicopters

April

★ April 1 - Tasman Empire Airways becomes Air New Zealand

★ April 6 - United Air Lines places orders for new aircraft worth $US 750 million - the largest airliner purchase at the time.

★ April 6 - the BAC TSR.2 is cancelled in favour of the General Dynamics F-111 for the Royal Air Force (which is not, in the end, bought either)

★ April 23 - The first production C-141A Starlifter was delivered to the USAF Military Airlift Command (MAC, successor to MATS).

May

★ May 1 - a Lockheed YF-12 sets a new international airspeed record of 2,070 mph (3,331 km/h).

★ May 12 - Crash of prototype HFB-320 Hansa Jet due to tail design problem; killed was manufacturer Hamburger Flugzeugbau's chief test pilot.

★ May 26 - Sir Geoffery de Havilland dies aged 82.

June

★ June 17 - US Navy fighters from VF-21 shoot down two North Vietnamese Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17s

★ June 18 - the first B-52 Stratofortress missions are flown against North Vietnam

July

★ July 10 - first US Air Force aerial victories of the Vietnam War scored by F-4 Phantoms

September

★ the RAF carries out air strikes against Yemeni guerillas near Aden.

★ The Indian Air Force and Pakistan Air Force engage in clashes over Kashmir

★ September 11 - the US 1st Cavalry Division arrives in Vietnam with 400 helicopters

★ September 13 - a new hot air balloon altitude record is set of 9,770 ft (2,978 m)

November

★ November 15 - a Boeing 707 makes the first polar circumnavigation of the world.

December

★ December 2 - USS ''Enterprise'' becomes the first nuclear-powered warship to see combat, launching air strikes at the Viet Cong near Bien Hoa

★ December 21 - New York Airways commences helicopter services between the roof of the Pan Am building and John F. Kennedy International Airport

First flights

February

★ February 25 - Douglas DC-9

★ February 27 - Antonov An-22

April

★ April 2 - Partenavia Oscar

★ April 15 - Aérospatiale Puma prototype SA.330

★ April 22 - Transavia PL-12 Airtruk

May

★ May 7 - Canadair Dynavert

★ May 20 - De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

June

★ June 2 - Aerotec Uirapuru

★ June 4 - Nanchang Q-5

★ June 13 - Britten-Norman Islander

July

★ July 19 - Breguet Atlantic

August

★ August 31 - Aero Spacelines Super Guppy

September

★ September 7 - AH-1 Cobra

★ September 27 - A-7 Corsair II

Entered service

April

★ April 1 - NAMC YS-11 with Japan Domestic Airlines

★ April 9 - BAC One-Eleven with British United Airways

November

★ November 30 - Convair 600 with Central Airlines