Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 121, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 May 1919 — WHO HARRY HAWKER IS [ARTICLE]

WHO HARRY HAWKER IS

Like the now famous Wright ; brothers, pioneers in aviation, Harry | G- Hawker was a poor mechanic until >he became interested in aviation. He ! is thirtyone years old and an Australian by birth. . In 1913 he attempted to win the London Daily Mail’s $25,000 prize I for an all-around England flight. He I jumped off at Southampton, but the fiext day was forced to quit because he had neither goggles or ear pads 'to resist the terrific wind pressure. I A fortnight later he made the trial I again, making 1,043 miles of the 11540 mile course in three days. The seventy-two hour limit had expired, however, but he was awarded $5,000 as a consolation prize. 'Hawker made a non-stop record flight in November, 1913. Later he made an altitude record of 24,048 i feet He was test pilot for the Sopwith comjpany during the war. Six weeks ago he arrived at St. Johns, N. F., with a specially built Sopwith biplane, equipped with a 375 horsepower Rolls-Royce motor for the cross-Atlantic flight. With him was Lieut. Commander Mackenzie Grieve, an experienced pilot who was Hawker’s navigator on the trip across the Atlantic. Adverse weather conditions halted the two men several ! times after they had made ready to start across the Atlantic-