List of firsts for aviation in Australia or for Australian aviators.
 
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)
  
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 
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 
Joseph Joel Hammond flying his Bristol Boxkite at Ascot Racecourse (Mascot, NSW) April 1911.  
Images 
See also 
References 
^   Garrisson, A.D., "McNamara, Frank Hubert (Francis) (1894–1961)" , " Australian Dictionary of Biography", 1986. Retrieved 2014-07-09. 
 
^   Burness, Peter, " The 1919 Air Race" , "Australian War Memorial", 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2014-07-07. 
 
^   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. 
 
^   Jones, Michael, "Conquering Distance: Kingsford Smith and the first trans-Pacific flight" , "National Museum of Australia", 2008-06. Retrieved 2014-07-07. 
 
^   NZ Ministry for Culture and Heritage, "1928 First trans-Tasman flight" , "NZ Ministry for Culture and Heritage", 2012-12-20. Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   Australian Aviation Hall of Fame, "Sir George Hubert Wilkins" ,  Australian Aviation Hall of Fame  . Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   Hsiao, Patrick, "On this day: Darwin applauds record flight" , "Australian Geographic", 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   "Route of the World Flight of Kingsford Smith" . Sydney Morning Herald . 8 July 1930. Retrieved 23 July  2014 . 
 
^   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. 
 
^   The West Australian, "Solo to Cape Town. Mrs. Bonney's Record." ,  The West Australian  , 1937-09-16. Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   The History Journal, "Across the Southern Ocean"  Archived  14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine , "The History Journal". Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   Pitkin, Melanie, "The Frigate Bird II and her Captain Revealed" , Powerhouse Museum , 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   Baker, Rebecca, "On this day: Dick Smith's around-the-world solo flight" , australiangeographic.com.au , 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2014-07-07. 
 
^   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. 
 
^   "Flight 'was something special' . . . on reflection" . The Canberra Times . 22 November 1989. Retrieved 9 July  2014 . 
 
^   NASA, "Andrew S. W. Thomas (Ph.D.)" , NASA , 2014-03. Retrieved 2014-07-23. 
 
^   Arlington, Kim (7 September 2013). " 'Magic': Ryan Campbell, 19, flies to a new world record" . Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 30 July  2014 .  
 
^   Webb, Carolyn, "Melbourne to celebrate historic flight" , theage.com.au , 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2014-07-07. 
 
^ 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. 
 
^   "Sky Rider" . 31 March 2021. Archived from the original  on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 17 September  2021 . 
 
^   Australian Aviation Hall of Fame, " Lawrence Hargrave" ,  Australian Aviation Hall of Fame  . Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   National Museum of Australia, "Taylor's biplane glider replica" , "National Museum of Australia". Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   Monash University CTIE, "Colin Defries" ,  Monash University CTIE  . Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   Museum Victoria, "Aeroplane - Duigan Biplane, Mia Mia, Victoria, 1910" , Museum Victoria . Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   Issacs, Keith, "Hart, William Ewart (Bill) (1885–1943)" , Australian Dictionary of Biography , 1983. Retrieved 2014-07-18. 
 
^   Garrisson, A.D., "Petre, Henry Aloysius (1884–1962)" , Australian Dictionary of Biography , 1988. Retrieved 2014-07-11. 
 
^   Military History and Heritage Victoria, "RAAF Museum" , Military History and Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 2014-07-11. 
 
^   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. 
 
^   Creedy, Steve, "Weather eye for airmail centenary flight" ,  theaustralian.com.au  , 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2014-07-07. 
 
^   MacGillivray, Leith G., "Butler, Henry John (1889–1924)" , Australian Dictionary of Biography , 1979. Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   Stephens, Alan, "Wrigley, Henry Neilson (1892–1987)" , "Australian Dictionary of Biography", 2012. Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   The Sun-Herald, "First Man To Fly Bass Strait Dies" , The Sun-Herald , 1954-11-07. Retrieved 2014-07-09. 
 
^   Milln, Mike, "Flight Lieutenant Ivor Ewing McIntyre CBE AFC" , "South Australian Aviation Museum", 2012-11. Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   AusPostalHistory.com, "50 Years Royal Flying Doctor Service 17th May 1928 to 17th May 1978" , "AusPostalHistory.com". Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   The Argus (Melbourne), "First Test Flights of Autogiro" ,  The Argus (Melbourne ) , 1934-10-02. Retrieved 2014-07-22. 
 
^   The Argus, "Parachute Jump, First Woman in Australia" , The Argus , 1937-11-22. Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
 
^   Wittber, Carl (Bill) (1 January 2002). "Houdini's Australian dream: one for the record books" . Monash University . Retrieved 19 April  2018 .  
 
^ a   b   Prisk, Max (10 May 2008). "Houdini's Australian dream: one for the record books" . Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 9 November  2015 .  
 
^   Hayes, Isabel, "100 years of Sydney Airport flying" , "Sydney Morning Herald", 2011-04-17. Retrieved 2014-07-22. 
 
^   Hughes, Peter, "Lord Howe Island, Australia: an island entire of itself" , "Telegraph Media Group", 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2014-07-22. 
 
^   Crome, Ernest Alfred, "E.A Crome collection of photographs on aviation" , "National Library of Australia", 1987. Retrieved 2014-07-22. 
 
^   Miller, Horace Clive, " Horrie Miller aviation photograph collection, 1906 to 1984" , "National Library of Australia", 1984. Retrieved 2014-07-29. 
 
^   Hood, Sam, "Hood Collection part II : [Aviation]" , "State Library of New South Wales", 1998-12. Retrieved 2014-07-27. 
 
^   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