Dalkeith Llewellyn HilderPrint Page 
The memorial, a tribute from the Newcastle Flying Club, commemorates the contribution of Dalkeith Hilder to the formation of the airport.
In 1959 at Pelican, between Belmont South and Swansea, Dalkeith Hilder built a Lake Macquarie airport after draining the land. The first aeroplane to land was a Tiger Moth.
The lakeside commuter airport was to begin charter flights within four years but it took five more years of wrangling before authorities would allow a scheduled air service between Pelican and Sydney.
Four more years would pass before the licence was granted to operate the first passenger flight, on June 1, 1971. By 1977, popular Aeropelican was carrying 70,000 passengers a year on Belmont-Sydney and return flights. People were saying that Hilder's air service was the most successful commuter airline in Australia.
Dalkeith Hilder died in 1976 aged 64.
Location
| Address: | Pacific Highway , Lake Macquarie Airport, Belmont South, 2280 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.066389 Long: 151.650833 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Aviation |
