1939 in aviation

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in aviation |- |align=center|1934 |- |align=center|1935 |- |align=center|1936 |- |align=center|1937 |- |align=center|1938 |- |align=center style="background:#87CEEB"|1939 |- |align=center|1940 |- |align=center|1941 |- |align=center|1942 |- |align=center|1943 |- |align=center|1944 |}

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1939:

Table of contents

1 Events 2 First flights 3 Entered service

Events

• Heinkel He 176 and He 178: first functional jetplanes, powered by liquid-fulled rocket and by turbojet respectively. Both private ventures by Ernst Heinkel and test-flown by Erich Warsitz. The rocket used was developed by Hellmuth Walter and the turbojet by Hans von Ohain.

• Pan American World Airways begins scheduled flights from New York, New York to Southampton, England.

• October 8 - First RAF victory of World War II when a Lockheed Hudson shoots down a German aircraft over Jutland.

First flights

• March
  • 31 - Miles Master production aircraft N 7408
• May
  • 14 - Short Stirling
• July
  • 17 - Bristol Beaufighter prototype R 2052
  • 25 - Avro Manchester
• August
  • 13 - Vickers Warwick
• September
  • 24 - Handley Page Halifax H.P.57 prototype L 7244

Entered service

• February
  • Lockheed Hudson with No. 224 Squadron RAF
• August
  • Miles Master
• October
  • Bristol Beaufort with No. 22 Squadron RAF (Coastal Command)
• December
  • Boulton Paul Defiant with No. 264 Squadron RAF