Hinkler biography

Australian aviator (1892–1933)

Herbert John Louis HinklerAFC, DSM (8 December 1892 – 7 January 1933), better known as Bert Hinkler, was a pioneer Australian aviator (dubbed "Australian Lone Eagle"^[1]) and inventor.

He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person to fly solo from England to Australia, completed on 22 February 1928,^[2] and the first person to fly solo across the Southern Atlantic Ocean.

Bert hinkler family tree

He married in 1932 at the age of 39, and died less than a year later after crashing into remote countryside near Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy during a solo flight record attempt.

Early life

Hinkler was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, the son of John William Hinkler, a Prussian-born stockman, and his wife Frances Atkins (née Bonney) Hinkler.^[3][4] In his childhood, Hinkler would observe ibis flying near a lake at his school.

After gaining an understanding on the principles of flight, he constructed two