GS-USM-05; Pioneers of aviation: Orville and Wilbur Wright; Lawrence Hargrave and the Wright Flyer aircraft; Montage of images of Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, Lawrence Hargrave, and the Wright Flyer aircraft.
The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, made the first successful flight in a powered aircraft at Kill Devil Hill, Kittyhawk, North Carolina on 17 December 1903. Wilbur died in 1912 of typhoid. Orville lived on, much decorated and recipient of many awards, until his death in 1948.
Lawrence Hargrave was an Australian pioneer in the field of aeronautics. Working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries he conducted experiments with flying models and kites in Sydney and at Stanwell Park on the NSW coast south of Sydney. He made a significant contribution to early aircraft aerodynamics and design. He died in 1915.
The Wright Flyer was the first successful powered aircraft built by the Wright brothers, following a series of experiments with unpowered gliders. It was powered by an internal combustion engine of their own design and construction. The first flight lasted for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet (36.6 metres).
One of the many slides purchased from retailers or specifically made for illustrated lectures given by Isaac Selby between c. 1930 and c. 1955 to raise money for the Old Pioneers Memorial Fund.
This image is provided for research purposes and must not be reproduced without prior permission.For a high resolution copy of this image, contact Royal Historical Society of Victoria; Glass slide; Images collection
GS-USM-06; De Havilland DH 83 Fox Moth at Wordie Ice Shelf, Antarctica; De Havilland DH 83 Fox Moth, used in Antarctica between 1934 and 1937.
The aircraft was first registered in Britain as G-ACRU in May 1934 and taken to Antarctica by the British Graham Land Expedition. It flew with the Expedition as a seaplane and a skiplane for three years.
In 1937 the aircraft was removed form the British register and sold in Australia, appearing on the Australian register in November of that year.
It crashed at Black Cat ridge in New Guinea in November 1939.
This image is provided for research purposes and must not be reproduced without prior permission.For a high resolution copy of this image, contact Royal Historical Society of Victoria; c. 1935; Glass slide; Images collection