List of Bass Strait crossings by air
This is a list of notable first crossings of Bass Strait by air.
First crossings
[edit]| Date | Crossing | Participant(s) | Aircraft | Departure point Arrival point |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 December 1919 | First aeroplane | Arthur Leonard Long | Boulton Paul P.9 biplane | Stanley, Tasmania Torquay, Victoria |
Long carried 50 letters, making that the first airmail sent across Bass Strait.[1] |
| 28 April 1928 | First woman | Jessie Miller | Avro Avian | Essendon, Victoria Launceston, Tasmania |
As passenger. Aircraft was piloted by Capt W.N. Lancaster. They had previously completed a six-month long journey in the Avian, travelling from Croydon, England to Australia.[2] |
| 4 January 1936 | First autogyro | C. Gatenby and Capt J.M. Burgess[3] | Cierva C.30A | Victoria Smithton, Tasmania | |
| 02 December 1949 | First jet | Plt Off Brian Goy | RAAF de Havilland Vampire | Victoria Tasmania |
[4] |
| 10 January 1958 | First helicopter | Capt Max Holyman and Les Taylor (engineer) | Bristol Sycamore | Melbourne, Victoria Launceston, Tasmania |
Non-stop crossing. Previous helicopter crossings required refueling stops.[5] |
| 1 May 1981 | First balloon | Phil White, Gary Geier and Arnold Himson | hydrogen balloon | Winchelsea, Victoria Smithton, Tasmania |
Collided with high-voltage powerlines when landing.[6][7] |
References
[edit]- ^ Parnell & Boughton 1988, p. 38.
- ^ Parnell & Boughton 1988, p. 69–70.
- ^ Parnell & Boughton 1988, p. 128.
- ^ "Jet Fighter's Speed Thrills Crowd". The Mercury. Hobart, TAS. 3 December 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ "Helicopter non-stop across Bass Strait". The Canberra Times. Canberra, ACT. 10 January 1958. p. 13. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "Australia: Balloonist making first-ever flight across turbulent Bas Straits to Tasmania, crash-land after hitting power lines". British Pathé. 1981. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "Balloonists likely to be billed". The Canberra Times. Canberra, ACT. 3 May 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
Works Cited
[edit]- Parnell, Neville; Boughton, Trevor (1988). Flypast: A Record of Aviation in Australia. Australian Government Pub. Service. ISBN 9780644079181. Retrieved 17 January 2025.