Esmond Allen Gibson, Date of Birth, Date of Death

Esmond Allen Gibson

Civil engineer, aviation administrator

Date of Birth: 07-Aug-1896

Date of Death: 17-Mar-1981

Profession: engineer, civil engineer

Nationality: New Zealand

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Esmond Allen Gibson, CBE (7 August 1896–17 March 1981) was a New Zealand civil engineer and aviation administrator.
He was born in Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand on 7 August 1896. Always known as ‘Gibby’, he obtained his commercial pilots licence in 1934 and joined the NZ Territorial Air Force in 1937 and commanded 2 Squadron until he transferred to the Director of Works, HQ RNZAF from 4 September 1939 attaining the rank of Wing Commander.
He was responsible for the development of airfields in New Zealand and a number of Pacific Islands.
On his retirement from the RNZAF in 1947, he was appointed the first Director of Civil of Aviation in NZ and among other things actively supported the development of aerial topdressing in New Zealand until he retired in 1957.
The EA Gibson Award was set-up in his memory by the NZ Division of the RAeS to acknowledge substantial technical achievement in the field of agricultural aviation.