1960 in aviation

January
January 1 - Fiji Airways is reconstituted, becoming equally owned by BOAC, Qantas, and Tasman Empire Airways.

February
February 9 - the US Air Force opens its National Space Surveillance Control Centre at Bedford, Massachusetts.

February 13 - France detonates its first nuclear weapon

April
April 6 - the Short SC.1 makes its first transition from vertical to horizontal flight and back.

April 10 - BOAC resumes scheduled air service from London to Cairo (Egypt), suspended in October 1956 at the time of the Suez Crisis.

April 13 - the United Kingdom terminates ballistic missile research, preferring to simply purchase the US-developed Skybolt missile.

May
May 1 - CIA pilot Gary Powers is captured by the Soviet Union when his Lockheed U-2 is shot down near Sverdlovsk

May 12 - a USAF C-130 Hercules drops a record 35,000 lb (15,876 kg) by parachute.

June
June 1 - Trans-Canada Air Lines begins transatlantic jet service with Douglas DC-8 aircraft on the route Montreal (Canada)--London (UK)

July
July 1 - British United Airways is formed

July 1 - PVO Strany MiG-19 shoots down an RB-47H Stratojet (s/n 53-4281) in international airspace with 4 of the crew killed and 2 captured by the Soviets

July 9 - Sabena begins airlifting Belgian nationals out of Congo. Over the next three weeks, 25,711 will fly home

August
August 16 - Captain (later Colonel) Joseph Kittinger (USAF) sets a world record for highest parachute jump (102,200 ft or 31,150m) and longest parachute freefall (84,700 ft or 25,815 m) while testing high altitude parachute escape systems in Project Excelsior.

August 18 - a C-119 Flying Boxcar recovers a data capsule from the Discoverer 14 satellite in mid-air.

September
September 10 - NORAD carries out Operation Sky Shield, testing US and Canadian radar systems.

September 15 - Tasman Empire Airways retires its last flying boat from service.
September 17 - East African Airways commences jet service with the Comet 4 between London and Nairobi

October
October 27 - Air Mali is established

October 31 - BEA retires the DC-3, its last piston-engined airliner serving out of London-Heathrow, from scheduled passenger service.

First flights

January
January 10 - Auster D.5
January 14 - Piper Cherokee

February
February 5 - PZL TS-11 Iskra
February 12 - Auster D.4 G-25-8
February 29 - Beechcraft Baron

April
April 19 - Grumman A2F-1, A-6 Intruder prototype

May
May 9 - Auster D.6 G-25-10

June
June 24 - Avro 748

October
Dassault Mirage IIIC (production model)
October 21 - Hawker P.1127 (tethered flight)
October 25 - Boeing Vertol Model 107, predecessor to the CH-46 Sea Knight.

November
November 16 - Canadair CL-44

December
Agusta A.104 I-AGUM
December 6 - Sikorsky S-61

Entered service

June
June 29 - English Electric Lightning with No. 74 Squadron RAF at RAF Coltishall