World Aviation in 1982
8-10 January
A Gulfstream III, owned by the United States National Distillers and Chemical Corporation, circumnavigates the globe in 47 hours 39 minutes, breaking three world records and setting ten new ones.
15 January
The first of an initial batch of forty General Dynamics F16s is handed over to the Egyptian Air Force.
22 January
The first fully automatic landing of a McDonnell Douglas F18 Hornet is made at the Naval Air Test Centre at Patuxent River in Maryland. The system links the aircraft’s autopilot to a ground radar, meaning the pilot need make no inputs.
27 January
The Cessna Aircraft Company delivers its 1,000th business jet, a Citation II.
4-10 February
The Sikorsky company uses an S76II to set twelve new helicopter class records.
16 February
The first Airbus A310 is completed at Toulouse. The aircraft is destined for service with Swissair.
24 February
The Australian government confirms the purchase of HMS Invincible from the Royal Navy.
25 March
The 35th anniversary of the start of Beech Bonanza by the Beech Aircraft Corporation. Almost 15,000 aircraft have been sold in this period, two-thirds of these being the V-tailed Model 35.
26 March
Funding is approved for the Hughes AH64A Apache attack helicopter.
31 March
The first SEPECAT Jaguar, built by Hindustan Aeronautics for the Indian Air Force, makes its first flight.
2 April
Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.
3 April
The first production Airbus A310 makes a successful first flight.
30 April
Pilatus Britten-Norman delivers its 1,000th Islander/Trislander aircraft.
12 May
The airline Braniff International collapses due to the recession in the United States.
13 May
Soyuz T5 is launched from Baikonur with two cosmonauts and successfully links up with the Salyut 7 orbiting laboratory.
15 May
A SOCATA TB10 Tobago makes its first flight after having its Avco Lycoming engine converted to run on liquid petroleum gas (LPG).
17 May
The crew of Salyut 7 place an amateur radio satellite into earth orbit. This is believed to be the first launch of a satellite from a space station.
20 May
Boeing Vertol delivers the first production CH47D to the United States Army.
8 June
Argentine aircraft attack British landing ships at Bluff Cove, killing fifty British soldiers with eleven Argentine aircraft are shot down.
1 July
Denmark integrates its three armed services, although each will retain a separate identity.
2 July
The first 112 Panavia Tornados for the Federal German Marineflieger are delivered.
2 July
Free Enterprise, designed to fly around the world non-stop and without refuelling, crashes on a test flight, killing its pilot Tom Jewett.
23 July
Japan unveils plans to purchase over 500 new aircraft as part of a £35 billion defence review.
29 July
Mexico’s main airline Compania Mexicana de Aviacion is nationalised.
5 August
Australian Dick Smith begins the first solo helicopter flight around the world.
19 August
Boeing delivers the first Model 767-200 for commercial use to United Airlines.
1-30 September
H. Ross Perot Jr. and J.W. Coburn complete the first round-the-world helicopter flight in a Bell Model 206L LongRanger II named ‘The Spirit of Texas’. Together they cover a distance of 41,850 kilometres (26,000 miles).
13 October
The first General Dynamics F16 fighters for the Pakistan Air Force are delivered.
29 October
Air France terminates its Concorde service to Washington, but maintains flights to New York.
4 November
Pan American World Airways (Pan-Am) inaugurate a service from Los Angeles to Sydney. Using Boeing 747SPs to cover the 12,049 kilometres (7,487 miles), it is thought to be the world’s longest non-stop commercial service.
1 December
Suburban Airlines of Pennsylvania introduces the Shorts 360 into commercial airline service.
15 December
The first British Aerospace (BAe) Jetstream 31 airliner for commercial use is delivered to Contactair of Stuttgart.