World
Aviation in 1990
11 January
The three-engined MD11 airliner is rolled out at the
McDonnell Douglas Long Beach factory.
22 May
The final flight of the Lockheed F104 Starfighter in
Luftwaffe service, before the aircraft is withdrawn from
service.
29 June
The Canadian aerospace company Bombardier takes over the
manufacture of the Learjet from Integrated Resources of the
USA.
23 August
The first of two new Air Force Ones, VIP variants of the
Boeing 747-200, for the use of the United States President
and his staff, are delivered.
27 September
United Airlines becomes the first commercial operator to
use satcoms (satellite data communications) on a flight
between San Francisco and Hong Kong.
2 October
A highjacked Boeing 737 collides with two airliners on the
ground at White Cloud Airport in Canton, killing 127
passengers.
10 October
France's Aérospatiale opens its 130 acre 'Clément Ader'
factory in Toulouse for the manufacture of the Airbus.
31 October
Deregulation of Australian airlines allows operators to
choose their own routes and set passenger fares.
4-10 December
The first paying passenger in space, Japanese television
journalist Toyohiro Akiyama, for whom TBS Television paid
$37 million to accompany Soviet crew of Soyuz TM II
spacecraft.
7 December
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-200 takes-off in thick fog at
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, to make the lowest
visibility take-off of a scheduled commercial jet airliner
in United States aviation history.
12 December
The Boeing Vertol/Bell Helicopter Textron V22 Osprey
tilt-rotor technology aircraft completes its sea trials
with the United States Navy (USN).
31 December
The build-up of Coalition airpower in Saudi Arabia
continues in preparation for strikes against Iraq following
the invasion of Kuwait. |