1979 in aviation

January
January 12 - Pilatus Aircraft acquires Britten-Norman

February
February 26 - Production of the A-4 Skyhawk ends after 26 years, with the delivery of the 2,690th and final aircraft to the United States Marine Corps.

March
March 10 - The US Air Force sends E-3 Sentry aircraft to monitor the civil war in Yemen

March 25 - Qantas retires its last Boeing 707 and becomes the world's first airline with a fleet of exclusively Boeing 747s

May
May 16 - a New York Airways Sikorsky S-61 tips over while taking on passengers at the Pan Am Building in New York City, killing four. The heliport is permanently closed afterward.

May 25 - an American Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashes at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago during take-off, killing all 269. DC-10s are grounded across the US.

June
June 12 - Bryan Allen flies the Gossamer Albatross across the English Channel using pedal power.

June 27 - Israeli Air Force F-15 Eagles shoot down four Syrian Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s

July
July 23 - the British government announces plans to privatise British Airways and publicly sell British Aerospace shares.

August
August 14 - Steve Hinton sets a new piston-engined airspeed record in a specially-modified P-51 Mustang named the Red Baron. He reaches 499 mph (803 km/h) over Nevada.

August 17 - Two Soviet Aeroflot jetliners collide in mid-air over Ukraine, killing 156

October
October 30 - Sir Barnes Wallis dies, aged 82.

November
November 29 - an Air New Zealand DC-10 crashes on the Mt Erebus volcano, killing all aboard.

December
December 25 - Antonov An-12s and An-22s airlift the first Soviet troops into Afghanistan. 5,000 arrive in the first 24 hours.

First flights

February
February 28 - PAC Cresco

March
March 9 - Dassault Mirage 4000
March 22 - CP-140 Aurora

April
April 10 - Westland WG.30 G-BGHF
April 19 - Learjet 55

May
May 15 - Dassault Mirage 50
May 18 - Piper PA-42 Cheyenne

June
June 12 - Rutan Long-EZ prototype, N79RA

July
July 24 - Bell XV-15

October
October 27 - Panavia Tornado ADV

November
November 30 - Piper Malibu

December
December 12 - SH-60 Seahawk 161169
December 14 - Edgley Optica G-BGMW
December 21 - NASA AD-1
December 22 - Aérospatiale Epsilon

Entered service

January
January 6 - F-16 Fighting Falcon with the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing USAF.