New-York tribune., 1919-05-26
Hd,Uker Noted for
Daring and Luck
Disregorded All Prece-
dents, but Al,uays Won
Out by His Initiative

Harry G. Hawker Is an Australian,
twenty-seven years old. He has been
connected with some phase of aviation
since his boyhood. While still in his
teens he became an airplane mechanic
but his ingenuity and initiative recon-
mended him as f1ier and he was soon
taken in hand by the leading aviators.
His early training in the actual
handling of flying machines came
largely from Tom Sopwith, a famous
British fier, who has since become an
airplane manufacturer Even in the
early stages of his training, Hawker
showed almost incredible daring and
frequently saved himself from injury
by taking desperate chances.
The young Australians reputation
for courage was made even before his
fame spread beyond tho British Isles.
Once ne had astered the rules of the
game and the handling of his frail
craft, no instructions were binding.
Hairbreadth escapes on more than
one occasion gave him a record among
flying men of having unfailing "luck."
But these escapes were always due to
definite thought no matter how hastily
he had been compelled to act His
confidence in himself grew, and of late
years he almost always has been sue
cessfpl in his various attempts.
His belief in his own plan has ruled
every flight. Aviators have come to
know him as man who made his own
rules, who defied the opinions of others,
and who apparently took all sorts Of
chances.
This reputation for daring fate
brought him extremely hazardous work
during the war, although it prevented
ms getting to the fighting front and
testing his mastery of the air against
the Germans
HIS work under the British FLYING
Corps was to test out new planes be-
Tore other fiers used them. He was
the first man to take an untried plane
into the air, and he put it through all
the halr-raslng "stunts" that might be
demanded Of it later in an emergency
Every strut, bolt and wire of newly
manufactured aircraft was subjected
to the full strain of fight under all
conditions while Hawker sat in the
fuselage.
Famous Feats Performed
The Australians fame has grown
with the development of aviation. His
name flashed around the world first in
l9l2, when IN competition with the
leading British aviators he stayed in
the air for eight hours and twenty
three minutes, winning the British
Mchelln prize for continuous fight.
HIS greatest fame came to him in
1913, when he achieved the longest and
most difficult hydroplane fight that had
been attempted up to that time. The |
effort was made in competition for
The Daily Mail" prize of $4,000 for a
flight around the British Isles. When |
ne had completed 1,043 miles Of the
necessary total Of 1,54o one of the
wings of his machine crumpled and he
fell into the sea close to the Irish
coast north of Dublin. His fight was
considered so remarkable that "The
Daily Nail" gave him q consolation
prize OF $4,000 and group of British
aviators presented him with medal.
In 1916 he won a prize for setting
new worlds record for altitude, attain
ing height of 28,5OO feet He has won
several prizes for long-distance flights, |
and was as well known on the Cont
nent as he was at home.