Sydney Airport has celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first flight made from the site of what would become Sydney Airport.
In April 1911, Captain Joseph Joel Hammond, a New Zealander, flew a Bristol box-kite biplane on a flight that lasted less than 10 minutes. In 1911 the area was Ascot Racecourse, but today it forms part of Sydney Airport’s east-west runway.
To commemorate the Centenary of that historic event last week, Sydney Airport Corporation Limited (SACL) unveiled a plaque which includes a graphic depiction of the flight.
The ceremony included the New Zealand Consul General, Martin Welsh (second from left in the photo), and SACL CEO Russell Balding (left in photo), as well as a large contingent of airport staff who were bussed to the site.
Balding said that Captain Hammond’s achievement 100 years ago was an important milestone in the history of Sydney Airport.
“Captain Hammond was one of the early pioneers of aviation,” he said. “His flights attracted great public interest with thousands of Sydneysiders buying tickets to witness the spectacle of a man flying.
“His biplane weighed about 500 kilograms and the first flight attained a height of only 40 metres and travelled around 10 kilometres.
“The first passenger to fly from the site was Captain Hammond’s wife, Ethelwyn. Today more than 35 million passengers fly to and from Sydney Airport each year.”
Captain Hammond flew in the Great War, became a test pilot and died on active duty in the US when an aircraft he was flying on a war bonds promotional tour in 1918 crashed into a tree. He was buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Balding said that nearby residents rushed out of doors at the unfamiliar sound of the aircraft’s engine when the flight took place just after 1700 on April 18 1911. He declared this to be the very first instance of a noise complaint at Sydney Airport.
