List of Australian aviation firsts

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List of firsts for aviation in Australia or for Australian aviators.

International[edit]

Frank McNamara (left), Kantara, Suez Canal, Egypt c. May 1917
Arrival of Sir Ross Smith's Vickers Vimy at Mascot, Sydney, NSW. 1920-02-14.
Bert Hinkler returning to Brisbane after his solo flight London to Brisbane, February 1928
Charles Kingsford-Smith with his Mother and Father, 1928.
Year Date Event Location Plane Aviator(s)
1917 1917-03-20 Victoria Cross for Australian Aviator[1] Gaza B.E.2c Frank McNamara (VC)
1919 1919-12-10 England to Australia[2] Hounslow to Darwin Vickers Vimy Keith Smith, Ross Smith
1928 1928-02-22 England to Australia, solo[3] Croydon Airport to Darwin Avro Avian Bert Hinkler
1928 1928-06-09 North America to Australia[4] Oakland to Brisbane Fokker F.VII Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, James Warner, Harry Lyon
1928 1928-09-11 Australia to New Zealand[5] Richmond, New South Wales to Christchurch Fokker F.VII Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Harold Litchfield, Thomas H. McWilliams
1928 1928-12-20 Antarctic Continent, first flight over[6] Deception Island to Deception Island Lockheed Vega Hubert Wilkins
1930 1930-05-24 England to Australia, solo, female[7] Croydon Airport to Darwin Gipsy Moth Amy Johnson
1930 1930-07-04 Circumnavigation of Earth, via Australia[8] Oakland, California to Oakland, California, flying west Fokker F.VII Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm
1931 1931-01-07 Australia to New Zealand, solo[9] Sydney Airport to Hari Hari, Westland Avro Avian Guy Menzies
1937 1937-08-18 Australia to South Africa, solo via Asia[10] Archerfield to Cape Town Klemm Kl 32 Maude Bonney
1948 1948-11-20 Australia to South Africa, via Indian Ocean[11] Sydney Airport to Palmietfontein Airport Avro Lancastrian L.R. Ambrose
1951 1951-03-27 Australia to South America[12] Rose Bay, New South Wales to Valparaíso Catalina Patrick Gordon Taylor
1983 1983-07-22 Circumnavigation of Earth by helicopter, solo[13] Fort Worth, Texas to Fort Worth, Texas, flying east Bell 206B Jetranger III Dick Smith
1989 1989-08-17 England to Australia, non-stop[14] London Heathrow Airport to Sydney Airport Boeing 747-438 David Massy-Greene; George Lindeman
1989 1989-11-11 Circumnavigation of Earth, solo, female[15] Sydney to Sydney, flying east Piper Saratoga Gaby Kennard
1996 1996-05-19 Space flight[16] Kennedy Space Center to Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-77 Space Shuttle Endeavour Andrew Thomas
2013 2013-09-07 Circumnavigation of Earth, solo, teenager[17] Wollongong to Wollongong, flying east Cirrus SR22 Ryan Campbell

National[edit]

John Robertson Duigan at the Controls of his Biplane, Bendigo Racecourse, Victoria, 3 May 1911
William Ewart Hart in his Bristol Boxkite Biplane. 1912.
Maurice Guillaux and his Bleriot XI monoplane after the first mail and cargo flight Melbourne-Sydney. 1914-07-18
Year Date Event Location Machine Aviator(s)
1858 1858-02-01 Balloon flight[18] Richmond, Victoria "Australasian" Balloon Joseph Dean
1879 1879-04-14 Parachute descent (of balloon and pilot)[19] Melbourne "Aurora" Balloon Henri L'Estrange
1888 1888-12-08 Parachute descent[19] Ashfield, New South Wales "Gem" Balloon J.T. Williams
1890 1890-02-08 Parachute descent by a woman[20] Newcastle, New South Wales "Australia" Balloon Valerie Freitas (as "Valerie Van Tassell")
1894 1894-11-12 Unpowered flight using heavier-than-air device (kites)[21] Stanwell Park, New South Wales Four box kites Lawrence Hargrave
1909 1909-12-05 Flight of heavier-than-air machine (glider)[22] Narrabeen, New South Wales Taylor Biplane Glider George Augustine Taylor
1909 1909-12-09 Powered flight of heavier-than-air machine[23] Sydney Wright Model A Colin Defries
1910 1910-07-16 Flight of Australian-built plane[24] Mia Mia, Victoria Duigan pusher biplane John Duigan
1911 1911-12-05 First airman to qualify as pilot in Australia (Licence No. 1)[25] Sydney Bristol Boxkite William Ewart Hart
1912 1912-08-06 Military pilot[26] England Deperdussin monoplane Henry Petre
1914 1914-03-01 Military flight[27] Point Cook Bristol Boxkite Eric Harrison
1914 1914-05-11 Seaplane flight[28] Sydney Maurice Farman "hydro-aeroplane" Maurice Guillaux
1914 1914-07-18 Air mail[29] Melbourne to Sydney Blériot XI Maurice Guillaux
1919 1919-08-06 Air mail over-water flight (in Southern Hemisphere)[30] Adelaide to Minlaton Avro 504 Harry Butler
1919 1919-11-16 Crossing of continent[31] Melbourne to Port Darwin B.E.2e Henry Wrigley and Arthur Murphy
1919 1919-12-16 Bass Strait[32] Stanley, Tasmania to Torquay, Victoria Boulton Paul P.9 Arthur L. Long
1924 1924-05-19 Circumnavigation of continent[33] Point Cook, Victoria to St Kilda, Victoria, anti-clockwise Fairey III floatplane Ivor McIntyre, Stanley Goble
1928 1928-05-17 Royal Flying Doctor Service[34] Cloncurry, Queensland to Julia Creek, Queensland de Havilland DH.50 Arthur Affleck
1934 1934-10-01 Autogyro flight[35] Essendon Aerodrome Cierva Douglas Robertson
1937 1937-11-21 Parachute descent by female[36] Essendon Airco DH.4 Jean Burns

Regional[edit]

Joseph Joel Hammond flying his Bristol Boxkite at Ascot Racecourse (Mascot, NSW) April 1911.
Year Date State Event Location Machine Aviator(s)
1910 1910-03-12/3 SA First flight in South Australia[37] Bolivar, South Australia Bleriot monoplane Carl William 'Bill' Wittber
1910 1910-03-17 SA First controlled flight in South Australia[38] Bolivar, South Australia Bleriot monoplane Fred Custance
1910 1910-03-18 Vic Flight at Diggers Rest[38] Diggers Rest, Victoria Voisin biplane Harry Houdini
1911 1911-04-18 NSW Flight at Sydney Airport (site)[39] Sydney Airport Bristol Boxkite Joseph Joel Hammond
1931 1931-04-01 NSW Flight at Lord Howe Island[40] Lord Howe Island Gypsy Moth seaplane Francis Chichester

Images[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Garrisson, A.D., "McNamara, Frank Hubert (Francis) (1894–1961)", " Australian Dictionary of Biography", 1986. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  2. ^ Burness, Peter, " The 1919 Air Race", "Australian War Memorial", 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  3. ^ Muller, Natalie, "The first solo flight from England to Australia was completed on this day by Australian aviator Bert Hinkler", "australiangeographic.com.au", 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  4. ^ Jones, Michael, "Conquering Distance: Kingsford Smith and the first trans-Pacific flight", "National Museum of Australia", 2008-06. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  5. ^ NZ Ministry for Culture and Heritage, "1928 First trans-Tasman flight", "NZ Ministry for Culture and Heritage", 2012-12-20. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  6. ^ Australian Aviation Hall of Fame, "Sir George Hubert Wilkins", Australian Aviation Hall of Fame . Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  7. ^ Hsiao, Patrick, "On this day: Darwin applauds record flight", "Australian Geographic", 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  8. ^ "Route of the World Flight of Kingsford Smith". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 July 1930. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  9. ^ NZ Ministry for Culture and Heritage, "Completion of first trans-Tasman solo flight", "NZ Ministry for Culture and Heritage", 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  10. ^ The West Australian, "Solo to Cape Town. Mrs. Bonney's Record.", The West Australian , 1937-09-16. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  11. ^ The History Journal, "Across the Southern Ocean" Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, "The History Journal". Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  12. ^ Pitkin, Melanie, "The Frigate Bird II and her Captain Revealed", Powerhouse Museum, 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  13. ^ Baker, Rebecca, "On this day: Dick Smith's around-the-world solo flight", australiangeographic.com.au, 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  14. ^ The Airways Museum & Civil Aviation Historical Society, "First Non-stop England-Australia Unrefuelled Flight - 1989", The Airways Museum & Civil Aviation Historical Society. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  15. ^ "Flight 'was something special' . . . on reflection". The Canberra Times. 22 November 1989. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  16. ^ NASA, "Andrew S. W. Thomas (Ph.D.)", NASA, 2014-03. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  17. ^ Arlington, Kim (7 September 2013). "'Magic': Ryan Campbell, 19, flies to a new world record". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  18. ^ Webb, Carolyn, "Melbourne to celebrate historic flight", theage.com.au, 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  19. ^ a b Mines, Frank, "Draft History Of Parachuting In Australia" Archived 10 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Australian Parachute Federation. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  20. ^ "Sky Rider". 31 March 2021. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  21. ^ Australian Aviation Hall of Fame, " Lawrence Hargrave", Australian Aviation Hall of Fame . Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  22. ^ National Museum of Australia, "Taylor's biplane glider replica", "National Museum of Australia". Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  23. ^ Monash University CTIE, "Colin Defries", Monash University CTIE . Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  24. ^ Museum Victoria, "Aeroplane - Duigan Biplane, Mia Mia, Victoria, 1910", Museum Victoria. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  25. ^ Issacs, Keith, "Hart, William Ewart (Bill) (1885–1943)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1983. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
  26. ^ Garrisson, A.D., "Petre, Henry Aloysius (1884–1962)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1988. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  27. ^ Military History and Heritage Victoria, "RAAF Museum", Military History and Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  28. ^ Patterson, Robbie, "French pilot Maurice Guillaux made aviation history with first seaplane flight over Sydney ", dailytelegraph.com.au, 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  29. ^ Creedy, Steve, "Weather eye for airmail centenary flight", theaustralian.com.au , 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  30. ^ MacGillivray, Leith G., "Butler, Henry John (1889–1924)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1979. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  31. ^ Stephens, Alan, "Wrigley, Henry Neilson (1892–1987)", "Australian Dictionary of Biography", 2012. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  32. ^ The Sun-Herald, "First Man To Fly Bass Strait Dies", The Sun-Herald, 1954-11-07. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  33. ^ Milln, Mike, "Flight Lieutenant Ivor Ewing McIntyre CBE AFC", "South Australian Aviation Museum", 2012-11. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  34. ^ AusPostalHistory.com, "50 Years Royal Flying Doctor Service 17th May 1928 to 17th May 1978", "AusPostalHistory.com". Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  35. ^ The Argus (Melbourne), "First Test Flights of Autogiro", The Argus (Melbourne ), 1934-10-02. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  36. ^ The Argus, "Parachute Jump, First Woman in Australia", The Argus, 1937-11-22. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  37. ^ Wittber, Carl (Bill) (1 January 2002). "Houdini's Australian dream: one for the record books". Monash University. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  38. ^ a b Prisk, Max (10 May 2008). "Houdini's Australian dream: one for the record books". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  39. ^ Hayes, Isabel, "100 years of Sydney Airport flying", "Sydney Morning Herald", 2011-04-17. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  40. ^ Hughes, Peter, "Lord Howe Island, Australia: an island entire of itself", "Telegraph Media Group", 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  41. ^ Crome, Ernest Alfred, "E.A Crome collection of photographs on aviation", "National Library of Australia", 1987. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  42. ^ Miller, Horace Clive, " Horrie Miller aviation photograph collection, 1906 to 1984", "National Library of Australia", 1984. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  43. ^ Hood, Sam, "Hood Collection part II : [Aviation]", "State Library of New South Wales", 1998-12. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
  44. ^ Hood, Sam, "Sam Hood : photographic collection, 1916-ca.1955", "State Library of New South Wales", 1998-12. Retrieved 2014-07-27.

Further reading[edit]

  • Brogden, Stanley (1960), "History of Australian Aviation", The Hawthorn Press.
  • Copley, Gregory R. (1976), "Australians in the Air" foreword by Sir Norman Brearley, Rigby. ISBN 0727001396
  • Gibson, Ron J. (1971), "Australia and Australians in Civil Aviation, An Index to Events, Volume 1 1823 - 1920" ISBN 0642981256
  • Lee, Adam (2008), "Australian Aviation, A Pictorial History", Axiom Publishing. ISBN 9781864765106

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Australian_aviation_firsts&oldid=1218075093"