World
Aviation in 1970
21
January
The first scheduled service of the wide-bodied Boeing 747
flies from New York to London, heralding a new era of mass
international air travel.
11 February
Japan launches it's first domestic satellite, becoming he
fourth nation to do so using it's own nationally built
rocket.
11-17 April
Apollo 13 suffers an oxygen tank explosion during the outward
flight of an attempt to land on the Moon. The resulting
emergency is resolved through brilliant improvisation and
returns Astronauts James Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Haise
to Earth.
24 April
China launches its first satellite into Earth orbit, using
its own nationally built rocket.
25 May
The United States Government announces that its nuclear
missiles are to be equipped with multiple warheads, called
Multiple Individual Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs).
22 August
Two Sikorsky HH53C helicopters complete a non-stop
transpacific flight of 14,484 kilometres (9,000 miles) using
in-flight refuelling.
6 September
Three airliners, a British Overseas Aircraft Corporation
(BOAC) VC10, a TWA Boeing 707 and a Swissair DC8 are hijacked
by Palestinian Terrorists and flown to Dawson's Field in
Jordan. A fourth aircraft, a Pan-Am Boeing 747 is flown to
Cairo.
12 September
The three airliners hijacked on the 6 September are blown up
by Palestinian Terrorists after they release most of the 255
passengers. The Pan American World Airways (Pan-Am) 747 is
blown up after all aboard have been freed. These incidents
highlight the vulnerability of international air travel as a
terrorist target.
17 November
A lunar vehicle, the Russian Lunokhod I, lands on Sea of
Rains.
15 December
Soviet probe Venera 7 becomes the first Spacecraft to land on
Venus.
31 December
Colonel Jeanne M. Holm becomes the first female Brigadier
General in the United States Air Force (USAF). |