1938 in aviation

Imperial Airways inaugurates scheduled service from London to Montreal. Pan American World Airways is banned from British airports out of fears that more advanced U.S. aircraft will drive Imperial out of the transatlantic market.

January
January 20 - A Flight Refuelling Ltd Armstrong Whitworth AW.23 refuels an Imperial Airways Short Empire over Southampton Water

February
February 15-27 - Six USAAC B-17 Flying Fortresses make a goodwill tour of Latin America, traveling 12,000 miles (19,312 km) to Lima, Buenos Aires, Santiago and back.

April
April 20 - British Air Commodore Arthur Travers Harris makes a purchasing trip to the United States to select aircraft to expand the Royal Air Force. The Lockheed Hudson and North American Harvard are chosen.

May
May 12 - three B-17 Flying Fortresses use dead reckoning navigation to intercept the ocean liner SS Rex more than 600 miles at sea.

May 12 - the US Navy commissions its sixth aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise.

May 17 - the US Congress passes the Naval Expansion Act, leading to the construction of the Essex class aircraft carriers

May 21 - first flight of the long-range seaplane Dornier Do 26.

June
A prototype Heinkel He 118 makes the first airborne tests of a turbojet engine

June 9 - the Nicaraguan Air Force is formed as the Fuerza Aérea de la Guarda Nacional

June 25 - Official public opening of Manchester Airport at Ringway (England) with extensive air display.

July
July 14 - Howard Hughes flies a Lockheed 14N around the world in 3 days 19 hours, to and from Floyd Bennett Field New York, more than halving the time that Wiley Post took to make the trip.

August
August 10-11 - a Lufthansa Focke-Wulf Fw 200 (D-ACON Brandenberg) makes a non-stop flight from Berlin to New York, via Hamburg, Glasgow, Newfoundland, and Halifax, Nova Scotia ,taking 24 hours 36 minutes for the trip.

September
September 10 - Germany prohibits all foreign air traffic in its airspace except along specific air corridors.

November
November 5-7 - Non-stop flight by a pair of Vickers Wellesleys from Egypt to Darwin, Australia. This sets a new world distance record of 7,158 miles (11,520 km).

November 28-30 - a Lufthansa Fw 200 makes the airline's first flight to Japan, flying non-stop from Berlin to Tokyo via Basra, Karachi, and Hanoi. The 14,228 km (8,841 mile) flight breaks the distance record and takes 46 hours 18 minutes.

First flights

January -Aichi D3A
January 5 - Miles Mentor L4932
January 22 - Heinkel He 100
January 24 - Armstrong Whitworth Ensign

February
February 2 - Junkers Ju 88 V4

March
March 12 - PZL.44 Wicher

June
June 7 - Douglas DC-4E

August
Dornier Do 217
PZL.46 Sum

September
September 29 - Supermarine Sea Otter

October
October 2 - Dewoitine D.520
October 11 - Westland Whirlwind prototype L6844
October 14 - Curtiss XP-40
October 15 - Bristol Beaufort prototype L4441

December
December 4 - Miles M.18
December 10 - Lockheed Hudson
December 12 - Fairey Albacore prototype L7074
December 22 - De Havilland Flamingo
December 23 - Blackburn Roc prototype L3057
December 28 - Blackburn Botha
December 31 - Boeing 307

Entered service

April
Northrop BT with VB-5 aboard USS Yorktown

June
Westland Lysander with No. 16 Squadron RAF

July
Supermarine Spitfire with No. 19 Squadron RAF

September
Handley Page Hampden with No. 49 Squadron RAF

October
Vickers Wellington with No. 9 Squadron RAF
Armstrong Whitworth Ensign with Imperial Airways

November
Arado Ar 196