1936 in aviation

January
January 10 - Civil transport version of the Heinkel 111 bomber revealed in public for the first time at Berlin Tempelhof airport. Named Dresden, the He 111 V4 carried registration D-AHAO.

January 13-January 14 - Howard Hughes makes record-breaking sprint across the country from Burbank, California to Newark, New Jersey in 9 hours, 26 minutes, 10 seconds at average speed of 259 mph. He utilizes a Northrop Gamma specially fitted with a 1,000 h.p. Wright SR-1820-G2 radial engine.

January 17 - The USAAC orders 13 Boeing Y1B-17 Flying Fortresses, previously known by the manufacturer's designation, Model 299.

February
British Marine Aircraft Ltd. was established at Hamble, Hampshire to produce Sikorsky S-42-A flying boats under licence in the United Kingdom but nothing came of this. The company subsequently became Folland Aircraft Limited.

February 13 - Imperial Airways commences airmail services to West Africa

March
March 23 - Imperial Airways begins scheduled flights between Hong Kong and Malaysia.

March 28 - NACA begins operational use of newly-constructed 8-foot high speed tunnel (8-Foot HST) at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Langley, Virginia.

April
Aer Lingus - Ireland's national airline founded.

May
May 4-7 - Amy Johnson sets a new England-South Africa speed record of 3 days 6 hours 26 minutes in a Percival Gull Six.

July
July 14 - The British Royal Air Force is re-organised on functional grounds and Fighter Command, Bomber Command, Coastal Command and Training Command are established.

July 20 - Twenty Junkers Ju 52s ferry Spanish Nationalist troops from Morocco to Spain in the world's first major military airlift.

September
September 4-5 - Beryl Markham makes the first east-to-west solo crossing of the Atlantic by a woman in a Percival Vega Gull, from Abingdon, Berkshire to Cape Breton Island

September 11 - TB-3-4AM-34FRN with A. B. Yumashev at the controls set a payload-to-altitude record: 5000 kg (11,023 lb) to 8116 m (26,627 ft).

September 16- TB-3-4AM-34FRN with A. B. Yumashev at the controls set a payload-to-altitude record: 10000 kg (22,046 lb) to 6605 m (21,670 ft).

September 20 - TB-3-4AM-34FRN with A. B. Yumashev at the controls set a payload-to-altitude record: 12000 kg (26,455 lb) to 2700 m (8,858 ft).

October
28 October - TB-3-4AM-34FRN with A. B. Yumashev at the controls set a payload-to-altitude record: 5000 kg (11,023 lb) to 8980 m (29,462 ft).

December
December 21 - Eddie August Schneider, Bert Acosta, and Frederic Ives Lord, as the Yankee Squadron, travel by ship to fight in the Spanish Civil War with the Loyalists.

First flights

January
January 4 - Vought XSB2U-1 BuNo 9725

February
February 14 - Hawker Hector

March
March 4 - German airship LZ 129 Hindenburg
March 5 - Supermarine Spitfire prototype K5054
March 10 - Fairey Battle prototype K4303
March 17 - Armstrong Whitworth Whitley prototype K4586

May
May 12 - Messerschmitt Bf 110
May 14 - Miles Whitney Straight
May 27 - Fairey Seafox

June
June 15 - Vickers Wellington prototype K4049
June 15 - Westland Lysander prototype K6127
June 21 - Handley Page Hampden prototype K4240
June 25 - Bristol Blenheim prototype K7033
June 26 - Focke-Wulf Fw 61 D-EBVU, first fully-controllable helicopter

July
July 3 - Short Empire prototype RMA Canopus

October
October 28 - Dornier Do 19

December
December 13 - PZL.37 Łoś
December 21 - Junkers Ju 88 V1 prototype D-AQEN
December 22 - North American XB-21 s/n 38-485

Entered service

January
Hawker Hind with the Royal Air Force

March
Avro Anson with No. 48 Squadron RAF

July
Fairey Swordfish with No. 825 Squadron FAA

November
Fairey Hendon with No. 38 Squadron RAF