Harry George Hawker

On January 22, 135 years ago, Harry George Hawker, a British test pilot and co-founder of the renowned Hawker Aircraft company, was born. Harry, born in 1889 in the small town of Murabbin near Melbourne, Australia, to blacksmith George Hawker, had limited education but started working at a Melbourne garage at the age of 11. In 1910, after witnessing airplane demonstrations in Australia, he decided to pursue a career in aviation in England.

Upon arriving in England in May 1911, Hawker quickly found work as an aircraft mechanic. In June 1912, he joined Sopwith Aviation as an aircraft mechanic and convinced founder Thomas Sopwith to teach him how to fly. Within days, Hawker completed his first solo flight and obtained a pilot's license in September 1912.

Before World War I, Hawker became a leading test pilot for Sopwith, instructing on iconic planes like the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, Sopwith Triplane, and Sopwith Camel, widely used during the war. After the war, he attempted to win a prize for the first transatlantic flight with navigator Kenneth Mackenzie Grieve but faced challenges, including a forced landing at sea near a Danish ship.

In the post-war era, the demand for military aircraft declined, leading to the closure of Sopwith in 1920. However, Hawker, along with partners, established Hawker Engineering, later becoming Hawker Siddeley Aircraft. Despite his pioneering contributions, Hawker tragically died in a plane crash during a training flight on July 12, 1921, with investigators suggesting unconsciousness due to unexpected severe bleeding as a possible cause.