1962 in aviation
This is a list of
aviation-related events from
1962:
January
*
US Army CH-21 Shawnees are dispatched to
Vietnam, the first US military aircraft to be deployed there
*
January 10-
11 - a
B-52 Stratofortress is flown from
Okinawa to
Madrid, establishing a new distance record of 12,532 miles (20,168 km)
*
January 24 - two
US Navy F-4 Phantoms are seconded to the US Air Force as the air force plans to adopt the type.
February
*
February 20 -
John Glenn becomes the first US astronaut to orbit the earth in
Mercury Atlas 6April
* the
United States Marine Corps arrives in Vietnam
*
April 26 - Lou Schalk pilots the 1st unofficial flight of the
A-12 Article 131
*
April 30 - Lou Schalk pilots the 1st official flight of the
A-12 Article 131
June
*
June 3 - An
Air France Boeing 707 jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris, killing 130.
July
*
July 7 - a
Soviet Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-152 sets a new airspeed record of 2,681 km/h (1,666 mph)
*
July 17 - Maj
Robert M. White (USAF), pilots the
North American X-15 to a record altitude of 314 750 feet (59 miles, 96 km).
*
July 25 - the US Army forms its first armed helicopter company, using
UH-1 Hueys
September
*
September 18 -
United States Armed Forces are directed by the
United States Department of Defense to use a unified designation system for aircraft. See
1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system for more information.
October
*
October 14 - a
US Air Force Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance flight over
Cuba reveals the presence of launchpads for
Medium Range Ballistic Missiles, triggering the
Cuban Missile Crisis*
October 24 -
aircraft carriers
USS Enterprise,
USS Independence,
USS Essex, and
USS Randolph take part in blockading Cuba.
*
October 26 - the last B-52 off the production line is delivered to the US Air Force
*
October 27 - a USAF U-2 is shot down over Cuba
December
*
December 8 - British troops are airlifted to
Borneo to quell uprisings in the region
January*
January 9 -
Hawker Siddeley TridentApril*
April 14 -
Bristol Type 188June*
June 29 -
Vickers VC10August*
August 13 -
Hawker Siddeley HS.125 G-ARYASeptember*
September 19 -
Aero Spacelines Pregnant GuppyOctober*
October 12 -
Dassault Balzac (tethered flight)
*
October 28 -
Westland WaspDecember*
December 7 -
Aérospatiale Super Frelon*
December 22 -
Lockheed A-12March*
March 18 -
Convair CV-990 with
American AirlinesJune*
McDonnell F4H-1 with
US Marine Corps VMF(AW)-314July*
July 1 -
Boeing Vertol 107 with
New York Airways
