Story: Aviation

Blériot monoplane

Blériot monoplane

In 1914 the British Imperial Air Fleet committee presented a Blériot monoplane to the New Zealand government, as part of a plan to encourage aviation in the countries of the British empire. The previous year Joseph Hammond had been appointed official government pilot, and in January 1914 he made a number of flights over Auckland in the Blériot; this photograph shows the plane during one of these flights. Hammond’s employment was terminated when on his last flight he took as a passenger a member of the touring Royal Pantomime Company, Miss Esme McLalland, instead of one of the assembled officials and media representatives.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: C-10818
Photograph by W. Beattie

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Peter Aimer, 'Aviation - The beginnings of aviation', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/6564/bleriot-monoplane (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Peter Aimer, published 12 Jun 2006