One hundred years ago this week Sydney's The World's News rejoiced "BRITISH PILOT BEATS THE WORLD'S RECORD."
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Yes, this magnificent man in his flying machine was British but he was, too, an Australian.
"MR HARRY HAWKER has beaten the world's aeroplane height record, flying at Brooklands recently in a Sopwith fighting biplane fitted with 110-h.p. Clerget motor, he reached an altitude of 7200 metres, or about 24,000 feet (4½ miles), according to the barograph chart now in the hands of the Royal Aero Club for confirmation.
"The flight was carried out under the supervision of an official of the club. Mr Hawker thus beat the British height record made by himself last June when he rose 18,893 feet, the official world's record of 20,757 feet accomplished by the late G. Legagneux, and the later official French record of 22,171 feet made by E. Audemars, a Swiss aviator, on September 8, 1915.
A German airman, Heinrich Oeler, was stated to have attained a height of 25,000 feet on July 14, 1914, but this flight has not been officially recognised."
Hawker, born at Moorabbin, was just 27 when he achieved this newsworthy feat. By then he was Sopwith's chief test pilot. Accomplished and intrepid he'd already become the first pilot to perform an intentional spin and recovery. Spins had previously killed several pilots so that his daring discovery of a way to undo the spin and to level out was a major aviation breakthrough.
