List of Australian aviation firsts

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

## Contents

* 1 International
* 2 National
* 3 Regional
* 4 Images
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 Further reading
* 8 External links

## International

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)

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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 Massey-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

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)

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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[20] | Ashfield, New South Wales | "Gem" Balloon | J.T. Williams
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

Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destinationJoseph Joel Hammond flying his Bristol Boxkite at Ascot Racecourse (Mascot, NSW) April 1911. Year | Date | State | Event | Location | Machine | Aviator(s)

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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

* E.A Crome collection of photographs on aviation at National Library of Australia[41]
* Horrie Miller aviation photograph collection at National Library of Australia[42]
* Sam Hood collection of photographs (including aviation) at Mitchell Library of State Library of New South Wales[43][44]

## See also

* Category:Australian aviators
* List of circumnavigations
* List of firsts in aviation
* Oswald Watt Gold Medal

## References

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. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald, "Route of the World Flight of Kingsford Smith", "Sydney Morning Herald", 1930-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
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", "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. ↑ The Canberra Times, "Flight 'was something special' . . . on reflection", The Canberra Times, 1989-11-22. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
16. ↑ NASA, "Andrew S. W. Thomas (Ph.D.)", NASA, 2014-03. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
17. ↑ Arlington, Kim, "'Magic': Ryan Campbell, 19, flies to a new world record", "Sydney Morning Herald", 2013-09-07. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
18. ↑ Webb, Carolyn, "Melbourne to celebrate historic flight", theage.com.au, 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
19. ↑ Mines, Frank, "Draft History Of Parachuting In Australia", Australian Parachute Federation. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
20. ↑ Mines, Frank, "Draft History Of Parachuting In Australia", Australian Parachute Federation. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
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) (January 1, 2002). "Houdini's Australian dream: one for the record books". Monash University. http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/wittber_bio.html. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Prisk, Max (May 10, 2008). "Houdini's Australian dream: one for the record books". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/houdinis-australian-dream-one-for-the-record-books/2008/05/09/1210131263951.html. Retrieved November 9, 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

* 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

* Trove at National Library of Australia

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