1963 in aviation - Definition and Overview

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1963:

Events

January

• January 7 - Aeroflot commences direct services between Moscow and Havana

February

• February 14 - the Indian Air Force receives its first batch of Soviet fighters, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s

March

• March 18 - the Dassault Balzac makes its first transitions from vertical to horizontal flight and back

July

• July 19 - Joe Walker flies a North American X-15 to a record altitude of 106,010 metres (347,800 feet) on X-15 Flight 90. Exceeding an altitude of 100 km, this flight qualifies as a human spaceflight under international convention.

October

• In an exercise named Operation Big Lift, the US Air Force airlifts an entire armoured division of 15,000 troops to Europe within 5 days.

First flights

January

• January 7 - Short Skyvan
• January 9 - Yakovlev Yak-36
• January 26 - Hiller OH-5

February

• February 9 - Boeing 727
• February 25 - Transall C.160

March

• March 26 - Hunting H.126

April

• April 20 - EWR VJ 101

May

• May 27 - McDonell F-4C Phantom II (USAF version)

June

• June 29 - Saab 105

August

• August 20 - BAC One-Eleven

December

• December 17 - C-141 Starlifter
• December 17 – Matra Jupiter
• December 21 - Hawker Siddeley Andover

Entered service

February

• A-6A Intruder with VA-42 Green Pawns of US Navy

November

• McDonnell F-4C Phantom II with USAF