Aviator Gallery

Richthofen and members of the Jagdstaffel

Captain Baron von Richthofen, German flying ace, responsible for bringing down 80 Allied planes during World War One, pictured here with members of Jagdstaffel 5 around a Fokker plane after his 62nd victory on November 23rd 1917. Richthofen, known as the Red Baron, or Red Knight was eventually killed in action in 1918.

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

First airmail letter delivered, Windsor Castle

The first airmail letter ever to be delivered is handed to the Postmaster of Windsor, to whom it is addressed, on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle. The aviator Gustav Hamel, who flew from Hendon to Windsor on the very first airmail flight, is standing bareheaded just behind the postman and his bicycle. The Mayor of Windsor, Sir Frederick Dyson, stands smiling in a top hat. The first aerial mail service took place on 9 September 1911 from Hendon Aerodrome to Windsor and back again, and Hamel was the first pilot to arrive. King George V gave permission for the aeroplanes to land in the grounds of Windsor Castle. During September 1911 the Grahame-White company operated an experimental air mail service for two weeks between Hendon and Windsor. As well commemorating the coronation of King George V, and raising money for charity, the event publicised the possibilities of the aeroplane as a means of transport.

© Mary Evans Picture Library

Percival P3 Gull Six, G-ADPR, Jean, used by Jean Batten

Percival P3 Gull Six, G-ADPR, Jean, used by Jean Gardner Batten, CBE, OSC (19091982), - a New Zealand aviatrix - on two record-breaking flights in the 1930s. Date: circa 1937

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