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This is a list of aviation-related events from 1960:

Events

January

• January 1 - Fiji Airways is reconstituted, becoming equally owned by BOAC, Qantas, and Tasman Empire Airways.

February

• February 9 - the US Air Force opens its National Space Surveillance Control Centre at Bedford, Massachusetts.
• February 13 - France detonates its first nuclear weapon

March

• March 10 - last flight by a U. S. Air Force-operated North American B-25 Mitchell, when TB-25J-25-NC, 44-30854, the last Mitchell in the USAF inventory, lands at Eglin AFB, Florida for preservation. ^[1]

April

• April 6 - the Short SC.1 makes its first transition from vertical to horizontal flight and back.
• April 10 - BOAC resumes scheduled air service from London to Cairo (Egypt), suspended in October 1956 at the time of the Suez Crisis.
• April 13 - the United Kingdom terminates ballistic missile research, preferring to simply purchase the US-developed Skybolt missile.

May

• May 1 - CIA pilot Gary Powers is captured by the Soviet Union when his Lockheed U-2 is shot down near Sverdlovsk
• May 12 - a USAF C-130 Hercules drops a record 35,000 lb (15,876 kg) by parachute.

June

• June 1 - Trans-Canada Air Lines begins transatlantic jet service with Douglas DC-8 aircraft on the route Montreal (Canada)--London (UK)

July

• July 1 - British United Airways is formed
• July 1 - PVO Strany MiG-19 shoots down an RB-47H Stratojet (s/n 53-4281) in international airspace with 4 of the crew killed and 2 captured by the Soviets
• July 9 - Sabena begins airlifting Belgian nationals out of Congo. Over the next three weeks, 25,711 will fly home.

August

• August 16 - Captain (later Colonel) Joseph Kittinger (USAF) sets a world record for highest parachute jump (102,200 ft or 31,150m) and longest parachute freefall (84,700 ft or 25,815 m) while testing high altitude parachute escape systems in Project Excelsior.
• August 18 - a C-119 Flying Boxcar recovers a data capsule from the Discoverer 14 satellite in mid-air.

September

• September 10 - NORAD carries out Operation Sky Shield, testing US and Canadian radar systems.
• September 15 - Tasman Empire Airways retires its last flying boat from service.
• September 17 - East African Airways commences jet service with the Comet 4 between London and Nairobi

October

• October 27 - Air Mail is established
• October 31 - BEA retires the DC-3, its last piston-engined airliner serving out of London-Heathrow, from scheduled passenger service.

First flights

January

• January 10 - Auster D.5
• January 14 - Piper Cherokee

February

• February 5 - PZL TS-11 Iskra
• February 12 - Auster D.4 G-25-8
• February 29 - Beechcraft Baron

April

• April 19 - Grumman A2F-1, A-6 Intruder prototype

May

• May 9 - Auster D.6 G-25-10

June

• June 24 - Avro 748

October

• Dassault Mirage IIIC (production model)
• October 21 - Hawker P.1127 (tethered flight)
• October 25 - Boeing Vertol Model 107, predecessor to the CH-46 Sea Knight.

November

• November 16 - Canadair CL-44

December

• Agusta A.104 I-AGUM
• December 6 - Sikorsky S-61

Entered service

June

• June 29 - English Electric Lightning with No. 74 Squadron RAF at RAF Coltishall

References