Harry George Hawker, MBE, AFC (22 January 1889 – 12 July 1921) was an Australian aviation pioneer. He worked as the chief test pilot for Sopwith and helped design many of their aircraft. After World War I, he co-founded Hawker Aircraft, the company that later produced many successful military aircraft. He died on 12 July 1921 when the aircraft he was scheduled to fly in the Aerial Derby crashed in a park in Burnt Oak, Edgware, near Hendon Aerodrome.

Early life

Hawker was born on 22 January 1889 in Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia. He was the second son of George Hawker, a blacksmith, and Mary Ann Gilliard Anderson. He studied at Moorabbin Primary School. At age 11, he worked at a garage in Melbourne called Hall & Warden, helping build engines for five shillings each week. Later, he worked at Tarrant Motor & Engineering Co, where he helped make Tarrant cars and became a qualified mechanic. In 1907, he moved to Caramut, Western Victoria, to work as a chauffeur and mechanic for Ernest De Little. In 1910, he traveled to Diggers Rest, northwest of Melbourne, to watch the first public demonstrations of powered flight in Australia. After seeing these events, he decided to go to England to learn about aviation. He arrived in England in May 1911.

On 14 November 1917, Hawker married Muriel Alice Peaty at St Peter's Church in Ealing.

Aviation career

In England, Harry Hawker got a job with the Commer Car Company. He moved to the Mercedes company in January 1912 and later to Austro Daimler. During this time, he often visited Brooklands, which was the main place for British aviation. In June 1912, he began working as a mechanic for the Sopwith Aviation Company.

He convinced Sopwith to teach him how to fly and completed his first solo flight after only three lessons. He received his Royal Aero Club pilot's license, number 297, in September 1912. On October 24, he won the Michelin Cup for flight endurance, flying for 8 hours and 23 minutes.

He may have been the first person to intentionally spin an airplane and recover from it. He demonstrated a method to return to level flight from this unusual position in 1914. This was an important improvement in aviation safety because spins had caused several pilot deaths.

After becoming a well-known pilot, he became the chief test pilot for Tom Sopwith. At Sopwiths in 1916, he had a small aircraft, the Sopwith Bee, for personal use. He often competed in motor car and motorcycle races at Brooklands before and after World War I. He set several altitude records in June 1913 and won a £1,000 prize in the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Waterplane Race on August 25, 1913.

In 1914, Harry Hawker returned to Australia to demonstrate the Sopwith Tabloid, which he helped design. A crowd once nearly damaged the plane, and he further damaged it during stunt flying. After returning to England, he continued designing and testing aircraft with Sopwith during World War I.

After the war, Hawker and navigator Kenneth Mackenzie Grieve tried to win the Daily Mail £10,000 prize for the first flight across the Atlantic in 72 hours. On May 18, 1919, they left from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, in the Sopwith Atlantic biplane. After 14.5 hours of flight, the engine overheated, forcing them to change course to intercept shipping lanes. They found a passing freighter, the Danish Mary, but the ship had no working radio. Six days later, when the steamer reached Butt of Lewis, Scotland, news of their safety was received. Hawker and Grieve received a £5,000 consolation prize from the Daily Mail. Hawker later named his second daughter Mary after the ship that rescued them.

The Sopwith Atlantic was found floating and recovered by the US ship Lake Charleville. The wheels from the undercarriage, thrown away shortly after takeoff, were later found by local fishermen and donated to the Rooms Provincial Museum in St. John's. One wheel is now displayed at the Admiralty House Communications Museum in Mount Pearl.

In September 1920, Sopwith Aviation was shut down because the government might investigate wartime aircraft production contracts and impose heavy taxes. Harry Hawker, Tom Sopwith, Fred Sigrist, and Bill Eyre formed a new company, each contributing £5,000. To avoid claims about the old company's wartime contracts, they named it H.G. Hawker Engineering. (It was later renamed Hawker Aircraft in 1933.)

Death

On July 12, 1921, Hawker died when his Nieuport Goshawk aircraft crashed while he was flying away from Hendon Aerodrome during practice for the Aerial Derby. A medical examination suggested that Hawker had suffered a severe bleeding and had attempted to return to the ground. Possible factors that may have contributed to his death included a fire in the aircraft and a disease affecting the spine, known as spinal tuberculosis.

The king sent a message expressing sympathy, stating, "The nation has lost one of its most respected airmen."

Hawker is buried at St. Paul's Church in Hook, Chessington, Surrey. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Muriel, and two daughters.

Honours

In 1978, he was given a postage stamp showing his picture, made by Australia Post. Also, 500 special First Day Covers were printed, and many were bought by families of children at Moorabbin School.

In 1989, Moorabbin Airport in Mentone, Australia, was renamed "Moorabbin (Harry Hawker) Airport."

In 2007, Kingston University London added an extension to their Roehampton Vale Campus and called it the "Hawker Wing."

Moorabbin Primary School named one of its school buildings "Hawker House" to honor him.