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50th Anniversary of First World Flight from New York Print Page 
The plaque commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the first world flight in 1931 from New York by United States pilot Wiley Post and honours Harold Gatty of Tasmania who was the navigator.
In 1930 the record for flying around the world was not held by a fixed-wing aircraft, but by the Graf Zeppelin, piloted by Hugo Eckener in 1929 with a time of 21 days. On June 23, 1931, Post and his navigator, Harold Gatty, left Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York in the Winnie Mae with a flight plan that would take them around the world. They arrived back on July 1, after traveling 24,903 kilometres in the record time of 8 days and 15 hours and 51 minutes.
Location
| Address: | 73 Charles Street, Launceston Court, Launceston, 7250 |
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| State: | TAS |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -41.435961 Long: 147.135538 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
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| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 23-June-1931 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 23-June-1981 |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 1981 |
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To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first world flight from New York by US pilot Wiley Post with Harold Gatty of Tasmania as navigator.
June 23rd to July 1st, 1931
And to honour Harold Gatty born at Campbell Town, Tasmania, January 1903, and died at Suva, Fiji, August 1957. He was the pioneer of the Pacific Air Route Pan American Airways, 1941, and founded the Fijian Airways.
He was given special permission to serve in the US Army Air Service during the Second World War and was decorated by Act of Congress, United States of America with the Distinguished Service Cross.
Presented in tribute by the Australian - American Association, 1981
