British Civil Aviation in 1930

30 March
The Royal Aero Club issues the first pilot's licence for a glider (sailplane), to C.H. Lowe-Wilde.

April
Lady Bailey is recorded as the United Kingdom's first woman glider (sailplane) pilot following a flight in Buckinghamshire.

10-19 April
C.D. Barnard, the Duchess of Bedford and R. Little fly from London to Cape Town in South Africa and back in Fokker aircraft.

5-24 May
Miss Amy Johnson completes the first solo flight by a woman from Britain to Australia. She uses a de Havilland Moth to fly from Croydon to Darwin and is awarded a prize of £10,000 by the Daily Mail.

29 July - 1 August, 13-16 August
Airship R100 flies from Britain to Canada and then back again, with a crew of 44 people.

5 October
On a flight from Cardington in Bedfordshire to Egypt and India, airship R101 hits a hill near Beauvais in France, crashes and catches fire. With 47 fatalities from the 54 occupants, the accident effectively ends British airship development.