1983 in aviation - Definition and Overview

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1983:

Events

January

• January 31 - the Ayres Turbo Thrush NEEDS cropduster plane officially joins the United States' "war on drugs".

February

• February 1 - Boeing announces it will stop producing Boeing 727 airliners.
• February 9 - British Airways begins Boeing 757 service.

March

• March 4 and 5 - a Cubana de Aviacion Ilyushin Il-62M strays off course and overflies important American buildings two days in a row.
• March 16 - a Boeing 767 lands at Boeing field in Washington, after a record breaking non-stop flight from Lisbon, Portugal. The 5,499 miles (8,798 km) flown non-stop constitute a record for twin engined airliners.
• March 25 - as a consequence of the March 4 and 5 incidents, the American government bans use of American airspace by Cubana de Aviacion for 14 days.

May

• May 5 - Richard Boddy, pilot of an Eastern Airlines TriStar barely avoids disaster when he is able to land at Miami International Airport, after getting one engine back to life after both engines had stopped working during a flight to the Bahamas.
• May 26 - a Learjet 55 sets a world speed record in its class of 448 mph (722 km/h) over the 5,655 mile (9,101 km) between Los Angeles and Le Bourget.

June

• June 1 - Singapore Airlines announces it has bought six Boeing 747s and four Boeing 757s, making it the first Asian airline to buy the 757.
• June 2 - An Air Canada McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 jet burned shortly after making an emergency landing at Cincinnati Airport, killing 23 of the 46 people on board.

July

• July 1 - A North Korean Ilyushin Il-62M jet en route to Conakry Airport in Guinea crashed into the Fouta Djall Mountains in Guinea-Bissau, killing all 23 people on board.
• July 8 - General Dynamics rolls out the 1,000th F-16 Fighting Falcon
• July 22 - Dick Smith achieves the first solo circumnavigation of the globe in a helicopter. Smith makes the 56,742 kilometre (35,258 mile) journey in stages using a Bell Jetranger III named Australian Explorer.

August

• August 1 - America West begins flying, from Phoenix, Arizona.
• August 24 - a Canadair Challenger 601 business jet arrives at London from Calgary, setting a world distance record for a business jet, at 4,364.2 miles (6,982 km).

September

• September 1 - a Korean Air Boeing 747 (Korean Air flight 007) is downed by Soviet Air Force Sukhoi Su-15s. According to investigations, the Korean Air plane had strayed off course and into Russian airspace near Sakhalin Island, and Soviet pilots claimed the plane had ignored warnings before being shot down. All 269 on board died.

October

• October 18 - Pan Am and American Airlines announce they will trade aircraft; Pan Am will send 15 McDonnell Douglas DC-10s to American in exchange for 8 Boeing 747s. It is the first time in history two airlines agree to a swap.
• October 26 - Pan Am celebrates the 25th anniversary of their first Boeing 707 with a 707 flight from JFK International Airport to Paris.

December

• December 4 - in reprisal to an attack on United States military bases in Beirut, 28 United States Navy A-6 Intruders attack suspected terrorist bases in Libya.
• December 9 - Delta Airlines receives the 1,000th production Boeing 737 at Boeing's headquarters.

First flights

January

• January 25 - Saab 340

April

• April 9 - Piper Enforcer
• April 25 - Dornier Do ATT

June

• June 27 - EMBRAER EMB-120

August

• August 23 - Skyfox Corporation Skyfox
• August 29 - Beech Starship 1

September

• September 15 - Agusta A 129

November

• November 11 - CASA CN-235

Entered service

January

• January 1 - Boeing 757 with Eastern Air Lines

May

• May 10 - Westland 30 with Airspur Helicopters.

November

• F/A-18A and F/A-18B Hornet with US Navy.