William Ewart Hart, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetWilliam Ewart Hart
Australian aviator
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia
About William Ewart Hart
- William Ewart Hart (20 April 1885 – 29 July 1943) was an Australian aviator and dentist.
- He was the first qualified pilot in Australia.
- His aviator's licence, No.
- 1, was issued on 5 December 1911 by the Aerial League of Australia. Hart was born and educated in Parramatta.
- Aged 16 he was apprenticed to a local dentist, Mr Maxwell.
- He was registered as a dentist on 26 June 1906.
- After registration he practiced as a dentist in Wyalong, where he rode the first motorcycle and drove the first car in town.
- He went on to practice in Newcastle. In September 1911 Hart met Joseph Hammond who was touring Australia as a demonstration pilot for the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company.
- He bought (for £1,333) a Bristol Boxkite from Hammond, received some instruction from Hammond's mechanic, McDonald.
- A gale blew the plane, which was parked at Belmore Park, Penrith, over, and it was wrecked.
- Hart, with the help of friends and the mechanic, built a new aircraft, using some salvaged parts.
- He first flew the machine, solo, on 3 November.
- The next day he flew from Penrith to Parramatta with his younger brother Jack as passenger, completing the first cross-country flight in New South Wales.
- In 1963, a monument was erected in Parramatta Park where he had landed.
Read more at Wikipedia