From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
List of firsts for aviation in Australia or for Australian aviators.
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
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
Joseph Joel Hammond flying his Bristol Boxkite at Ascot Racecourse (Mascot, NSW) April 1911.
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