1971 in aviation

January
January 6 - the United States Marine Corps takes delivery of its first AV-8 Harriers

January 22 - a US Navy P-3 Orion sets a distance record of 7,010 miles (11,282 km) for an aircraft in its class

March
March 24 - Federal funding for the Boeing SST project is cut by the US Congress.

May
May 20 - Boeing announces that they have canceled their SST project.

June
June 18 - Southwest Airlines founded

July
July 30 - All Nippon Airways Flight 58 - An All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 and a Japanese Air Force F-86 Sabre collide over Morioka, Japan killing 162

September
First crossing of the Atlantic by Concorde

October
October 1 - Aurigny Air Services commences operations

December
December 3-17 - Indo-Pakistan War. The Indian Air Force loses 72 aircraft and the Pakistan Air Force 94 aircraft.

First flights

January
January 20 - Grumman E-2C Hawkeye

February
February 26 - Saab-MFI 15

March
AEREON 26
March 15 - VFW-Fokker H3 Sprinter D-9543
March 21 - Westland Lynx XW835
March 25 - Ilyushin Il-76 SSSR-86712
March 26 - CASA C.212 Aviocar
March 31 - SH-2D Sea Sprite

April
April 22 - Aero Boero AB-210
April 29 - Piper PA-48 Enforcer

May
May 28 - Dassault Mercure F-WTCC

July
July 14 - VFW-614 D-BABA
July 20 - Mitsubishi T-2
July 23 - GAF Nomad VH-SUP
July 30 - Robin HR200

August
August 4 - Agusta A109

September
September 3 - EMBRAER Xavante
September 10 - Bell 309 KingCobra N309J
September 12 - Bede BD-5 N500BD
September 20 - VFW VAK 191B
September 30 - Avro Shackelton AEW2 WL745

October
October 21 - Italair F.20 Pegaso I-GEAV

December
Aerosport Quail N88760

Entered service

January
January 20 - McDonell Douglas RF-4E Phantom II with Luftwaffe
January 29 - EA-6 Prowler with VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island

April
April 1 - Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B with British European Airways
April 15 - Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier with VMA-513 of the United States Marine Corps

August
August 5 - McDonnell Douglas DC-10 with American Airlines

October
October 1 - Britten-Norman Trislander with Aurigny Air Services