17
Dec 1903 | The
Wright brothers make the first sustained, controlled flight in a powered heavier
than air flying machine at Kitty Hawk, USA. |
18
Mar 1910 | Harry
Houdini makes the first recognised flight in a heavier than air craft in Australia
at Diggers Rest, Vic. |
16
Jul 1910 | John
Duigan makes the first flight of an Australian designed and built aircraft at
Mia Mia, Vic. |
10
May 1915 | Aerial
Navigation Regulations require the registration of all civil aircraft with the
military authorities. |
19
Mar 1919 | The
Commonwealth Government announces a prize of 10,000 pounds for the first Australian
airmen to fly from England to Australia - won, after a trip of 27 days 20 hours,
on 10 Dec by Ross and Keith Smith,
accompanied by mechanics Bennett and Shiers. Their Vickers Vimy G-EAOU is preserved
at Adelaide Airport. |
16
Nov 1920 | Q.A.N.T.A.S.
Ltd. is registered in Brisbane to operate air services in outback Queensland.
Today Qantas is the second oldest airline in the world (after KLM) still operating
under its original name. |
28
March 1921 |
The
Civil Aviation Branch (CAB) of
the Department of Defence is formed to regulate civil aviation in
Australia. |
5
Dec 1921 | Western
Australian Airways commences the first scheduled air service in Australia,
between Geraldton and Derby, WA. The service is supported by subsidies provided
through the CAB. |
June
1924 |
Controller
of Civil Aviation Lt
Col Brinsmead, with Capt E.J. Jones and R.H. Buchanan, makes
the first circumnavigation
of Australia by landplane while surveying air routes. |
1926 | The
Commonwealth Government, through the CAB, commences subsidising civil flying training
to provide a pool of pilots for defence purposes in time of need. |
Jun-Oct
1926 | Alan
Cobham makes the first
return flight England-Australia-England. |
May-Jun
1928 |
Charles
Kingsford Smith and Charles
Ulm, with Harry Lyon and James Warner, make the first
flight across the Pacific from the USA to Australia. Their aircraft,
the Fokker VIIb-3m Southern Cross is preserved at Brisbane Airport. |
Oct
1934 |
The
Centenary Air Race from London to Melbourne is won by C.W.A. Scott
and Tom Campbell Black in DH88 Comet racer G-ACSS with a time en
route of 71 hours 1 minute. |
10
Dec 1934 | Australias
first scheduled international
air service linking Brisbane with London commences, the Brisbane-Singapore
sector operated by Qantas Empire Airways (QEA). The whole trip takes eleven days. |
May
1936 | The
first all-metal Douglas DC-2 is imported into Australia for use by Holymans Airways
on their Melbourne-Sydney and Tasmania routes. |
Oct
1937 | All
airliners are required to carry radio. A supporting chain of ground stations is
established, including Direction-Finding equipment. |
Aug
1938 | Commencement
of the Empire Flying Boat service
linking Australia and England. Trip time is reduced to 9 ½ days. |
Oct
1938 |
ANA
DC-2 Kyeema overshoots Essendon airport in cloud and crashes into
Mt Dandenong, Vic. The Civil Aviation Board is spurred into commissioning
the chain of 33 MHz Lorenz
radio navigation beacons installed in 1937, becoming the first such
chain used for en route navigation in the world. The CAB becomes
the Department of Civil Aviation. Flight Checking Officers are employed
to scrutinise flight plans and keep track of airliners in flight
- the forerunners of Air Traffic Control. |
Jun
1943 | QEA
commences a wartime emergency service linking Perth with Ceylon (Sri Lanka) using
Catalina flying boats. This remains the world's longest duration scheduled airline
service, with the longest crossing taking 32 hours 9 minutes (non-stop!). |
Dec
1947 | QEA
introduces the Lockheed Constellation
and commences the first regular service operated all the way to England by Australians.
|
1955 | A
network of Distance Measuring Equipment (DME)
radio beacons developed in Australia is commissioned - the first such network
in the world. |
29
July 1959 | Qantas
commences its first scheduled jet service, from Australia to the USA using the
Boeing 707. |
1964
| The
first production T-Visual Approach Slope Indicator
System (T-VASIS) unit is commissioned at Hobart airport, Tas. The Australian
T-VASIS is acknowledged as the best visual approach slope guidance system in the
world. |
2
Nov 1964 | Domestic
jet airline services commence with TAA and Ansett-ANA using Boeing 727s. |
17
Sep 1971 | Qantas
commences scheduled services with its first Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet,
the aircrafts size necessitating major airport upgrades. |
28
March 1996 | The
celebration of 75 years of civil
aviation administration in Australia. |
1998
|
Transition
commences into The Advanced Australian Air Traffic System (TAAATS)
computerised air traffic control system. Satellite datalink communications
are available between air traffic control and suitably equipped
airliners. |
17
Dec 2003 | The
Centenary of Powered Flight |