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New Zealanders have always had a passion for aviation. Many people believe that Richard Pearse, a Timaru farmer, was the first person in the world to make a powered flight in a heavier-than-air aeroplane. He reputedly flew his home-built aircraft on 31 March 1903, about nine months before the Wright brothers. However the documentary evidence to support this claim remains open to interpretation.
Jean Batten was another famous Kiwi aviator, known sometimes as the ‘Garbo of the Skies’. In 1934 she flew from England to Australia in just under 15 days, breaking Amy Johnson’s record by six days. Two years later she made the first direct flight between England and New Zealand, followed closely by the fastest ever trans-Tasman flight.
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