1942 in aviation - Definition and Overview

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1942:

Events

January

• January 30 - Canadian Pacific Air Lines formed by the acquisition and merger of Arrow Airways and Canadian Airways, along with all the various subsidiaries of the latter.

April

• April 18 - Col James Doolittle leads the first US attack on the Japanese mainland, leading a force of sixteen B-25 Mitchells flying from the USS Hornet against Tokyo in what comes to be known as the "Doolittle Raid".
• April 22 - the USAAF forms China Ferry Command to support the Allied war effort in the China Burma India Theater.

May

• May 4-8 - the Battle of the Coral Sea is fought between US Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carriers. Japanese light carrier Shoho is sunk and Shokaku is badly damaged, and the USS Lexington is sunk.

June

• June 4-7 - the Battle of Midway is fought, the turning point in the Pacific War. Japan loses four carriers, the Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu. The US loses the USS Yorktown

July

• July 18 - a Messerschmitt Me 262 prototype makes its first flight under jet power, test-piloted by Fritz Wendel. Previous flights had been driven by a propeller.

September

• September 30 - German ace Hans-Joachim Marseilles is shot down and killed. He had 158 victories at the time.

October

• October 3 - the first A4 rocket, later dubbed the V-2 flies from Peenemünde, covering 190 km (119 miles) in 296 seconds at five times the speed of sound, reaching an altitude of 84.5 km (53 miles).

November

• November 28 - Australian pilot F/Sgt Ron Middleton earns a posthumous VC for valour in bringing his crew and crippled bomber home after a raid on Turin, Italy.

December

• December 4 - USAAF bombers make their first raid on Italy.

First flights

January

• January 7 - Supermarine Seafire
• January 14 - Sikorsky XR-4

February

• February 27 - Blackburn Firebrand

March

• Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 rotor kite
• March 20 - Mitsubishi J2M

April

• April 24 - Miles Martinet prototype LR 241
• April 26 - XB-28 Dragon

May

• May 26 - Northrop XP-61

June

• June 26 - Grumman XF6F

July

• July 5 - Avro York
• July 10 - A-26 Invader

September

• September 2 - Hawker Tempest
• September 12 - Miles Messenger
• September 21 - Boeing XB-29

November

• November 15 - Heinkel He 219

December

• Messerschmitt Me 264

Entered service

January

• Grumman TBF Avenger with Squadron VT-8 USN