Person    | Female  Born 17/2/1864  Died 21/9/1943

Hilda Hewlett

Categories: Aviation, Industry

Countries: New Zealand

Aviator and aircraft manufacturer. Born Hilda Beatrice Herbert in Vauxhall. The first British woman to earn a pilot's licence, in 1911. Together with her business partner, Gustav Blondeau, she founded the first flying school in the United Kingdom, and ran a successful aircraft manufacturing business which produced more than 800 aeroplanes and employed up to 700 people. After the factory closed down in 1926 she emigrated to New Zealand, where she died in Tauranga, North Island. All this information comes from the excellent sheelanagigcomedienne.

2017: Difficult to believe that the Wikipedia photo (captioned as her pilot's licence photo) depicts the same woman, or any woman from 1911, but if it does, the wig (or hat) deserves comment.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Hilda Hewlett

Commemorated ati

Hilda Hewlett

The plaque is located on the site of her first factory which was called the O...

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Other Subjects

Croydon airport

Croydon airport

Croydon was London's first international airport. The terminal building, 1928 - 1959, was one of the first purpose-built terminal buildings in the world. The air traffic control tower is the first ...

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3 memorials
Royal Naval Air Service

Royal Naval Air Service

We can't find a date for when this was first formed; it seems to have come into existence gradually.  The use of aircraft for military and naval purposes was first discussed officially in 1908.  Tw...

Group, Armed Forces, Aviation

2 memorials
Frederick Handley Page

Frederick Handley Page

Aircraft designer and manufacturer. His company manufactured the Halifax bombers used in WW2.

Person, Aviation, Engineering, Transport

1 memorial
Brymon Airways

Brymon Airways

Former airline co-founded by journalist Bill Bryce and racing driver Chris Amon. Based in Plymouth, it was the first British airline to use the De Havilland Canada Dash 7 short take-off and landing...

Group, Aviation

1 memorial
Historic Croydon Airport Trust

Historic Croydon Airport Trust

From their website: The Historic Croydon Airport Trust was founded in 1978 as the Croydon Airport Society. It set out to conserve the history and heritage of London Croydon Airport, Britain’s first...

Group, Aviation, Community / Clubs, History

2 memorials