1978 in aviation

January
January 1 - British Aircraft Corporation, Hawker Siddeley, and Scottish Aviation are absorbed into British Aerospace

January 1 - Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashes into ocean near Bombay, killing 213.

April
April 1 - The Canadian Snowbirds aerobatic team officially becomes the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron.

April 18 - the Vickers Viscount becomes the first turboprop airliner to see 25 years in service

April 20 - a Korean Airlines Boeing 707 makes a crash landing after being attacked by Soviet fighters over the Kola Peninsula. Two passengers are killed.

April 26 - VP-23 Crashes into the water, possibly due to engine trouble, near NAF Lajes, Azores, Portugal (BUNO:152724) Killing LTJG. Michael Dziubak, with six other members of his VP-23 flight AP6Q in a P3 plane.

May
May 20 - McDonnell Douglas delivers its 5,000th F-4 Phantom aircraft, twenty years after the first flight of the prototype.

July
July 1-19 - Frank Haile Jr and William Wisner fly two Beechcraft Bonanzas around the world in formation.

July 11 - the UK government agrees to fund development of the BAe 146

July 14 - after receiving orders from United Airlines, Boeing begins full-scale development of the Boeing 767

August
August 12-17 - Ben Abruzzo and crew make the first transatlantic crossing by balloon, taking 5 days 17 hours to travel from Presque Island, Maine USA to Evreux, France in the Double Eagle II

September
September 3 - an Air Rhodesia Vickers Viscount is shot down by members of Joshua Nkomo's Patriotic Front using a SA-7 surface-to-air missile. The ten passengers who survived the crash are shot dead.

September 25 - Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182, a Boeing 727 airliner, collides with a Cessna 172 over San Diego, California. There were no survivors on either plane, and with the seven fatalities on the ground the total number of lives lost was 144, making it the worst air disaster in California history to date.

October
October 30 - the Indian government approves the purchase of the SEPECAT Jaguar for the Indian Air Force

November
November 20 - the US Air Force orders development of the KC-10 Extender

December
December 7 - PSA Flight 1771 crashes near Cayucos, California, killing all 43 on board. A disgruntled passenger shoots his ex-boss on the flight, then shoots both pilots and himself.

December 28 - United Airlines Flight 173 crashes in Portland, Oregon. Aircraft ran out of fuel while crew trouble shooted landing gear indicator problems.

December 29 - Freddie To makes the first flight of a solar-powered aircraft, the Solar One

First flights

January
January 11 - American Jet Industries Hustler N400AJ

February
February 14 - Cessna 303

March
March 10 - Dassault Mirage 2000 2000-01

April
April 10 - Sikorsky S-72 NASA545 (2nd aircraft)

June
June 30 - Rutan Defiant

July
July 6 - NASA QSRA NASA715

August
August 12 - Pilatus PC-7 HB-HAO
August 20 - Aerospatiale Fouga 90 F-WZJB
August 20 - British Aerospace Sea Harrier XZ450

September
September 13 - Aérospatiale Super Puma F-WZJA

November
November 8 - Canadair CL-600 Challenger C-GCGR-X
November 9 - AV-8B Harrier II
November 18 - McDonnell Douglas YF-18A Hornet 160775

December
December 19 - Beriev A-50
December 30 - General Avia Canguro I-KANG

Entered service

January
January 26 - Westland Lynx with No. 702 Squadron FAA

April
HU-25 Guardian with United States Coast Guard

June
June 28 - Dassault Super Étendard with the Aéronavale

August
August 20 - BAe Sea Harrier