1962 in aviation

January
US Army CH-21 Shawnees are dispatched to Vietnam, the first US military aircraft to be deployed there

January 9 - the de Havilland DH121 Trident makes its maiden flight from Hatfield (Hertfordshire UK).

January 10-11 - a B-52 Stratofortress is flown from Okinawa to Madrid, establishing a new distance record of 12,532 miles (20,168 km)

January 24 - two US Navy F-4 Phantoms are seconded to the US Air Force as the air force plans to adopt the type.

February
February 20 - John Glenn becomes the first US astronaut to orbit the earth in Mercury Atlas 6

April
April 9 - the United States Marine Corps' involvement in the Vietnam War begins when HMM-362 arrived at Soc Trang south of Saigon (South Vietnam)[1].

April 26 - Lou Schalk pilots the 1st unofficial flight of the A-12 Article 121

April 30 - Lou Schalk pilots the 1st official flight of the A-12 Article 121

June
June 3 - An Air France Boeing 707 jet crashed shortly after take-off from Paris, killing 130.

June 19 - Four Luftwaffe F-104 Starfighters collided and crashed, killing all 4 pilots.

July
July 7 - a Soviet Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-152 sets a new airspeed record of 2,681 km/h (1,666 mph)

July 17 - Maj Robert M. White (USAF), pilots the North American X-15 to a record altitude of 314 750 feet (59 miles, 96 km).

July 25 - the US Army forms its first armed helicopter company, using UH-1 Hueys

September
September 18 - United States Armed Forces are directed by the United States Department of Defense to use a unified designation system for aircraft. ( refer the 1962 United States Tri-Service Aircraft Designation System for more information ).

October
October 14 - a US Air Force Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance flight over Cuba reveals the presence of launchpads for Medium Range Ballistic Missiles, triggering the Cuban Missile Crisis

October 24 - aircraft carriers USS Enterprise, USS Independence, USS Essex, and USS Randolph take part in blockading Cuba.

October 26 - the last B-52 off the production line is delivered to the US Air Force

October 27 - a USAF U-2 is shot down over Cuba

December
December 8 - British troops are airlifted to Borneo to quell uprisings in the region

First flights

January
January 9 - Hawker Siddeley Trident

April
April 14 - Bristol Type 188

June
Jovair J-2

June 29 - Vickers VC10 G-ARTA

August
August 10 - Bell 533
August 13 - Hawker Siddeley HS.125 G-ARYA

September
September 19 - Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy

October
October 12 - Dassault Balzac (tethered flight)
October 28 - Westland Wasp

December
December 7 - Aérospatiale Super Frelon
December 22 - Lockheed A-12
December 24 - Aérospatiale N 262

Entered service

March
March 18 - Convair CV-990 with American Airlines

June
McDonnell F4H-1 with US Marine Corps VMF(AW)-314

July
July 1 - Boeing Vertol 107 with New York Airways