Bert Hinkler
Herbert John Louis Hinkler AFC, DSM (8 December 1892 – 7 January 1933), better known as Bert Hinkler, was a pioneer Australian aviator dubbed ‘Australian Lone Eagle’ and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person to fly solo from England to Australia and was the first person to fly solo across the Southern Atlantic Ocean. He married in 1932 at the age of 39 and died less than a year later after crashing into remote countryside near Florence, Italy during a solo flight record attempt.
Read more on page 252 of the February Edition of African Pilot Magazine.