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WITTBER, Carl Wilhelm (Bill) PRG 283/4-11 Special Lists ______
TIMELINE
[Prepared as part of the State Library’s aviation exhibition ‘Wings in the South’ 1996.]
1879 • Bill Wittber born Salisbury SA • Victor Tatin (France) flies model aeroplane powered by a compressed air motor
1888 • Hubert Wilkins born Mount Bryan East, SA
1889 • Harry Butler born Minlaton , SA
1890 • Clement Ader (France) makes first powered ‘hop’ in a steam-powered monoplane • Keith Smith born Adelaide, SA
1892 • Ross Smith born Adelaide, SA
1903 • Amy Johnson born Hull, UK • Carl Jatho (Germany) ‘hops’ aeroplane for a distance of 18m (59ft) • Orville Wright successfully flies plane 36.5m (120 ft)
1906 • Freda Thompson born South Yarra, Victoria • Successful hops by Jacob Ellehammer (Denmark) and Alberto Santos-Dumont (Brazil).
1907 • Louis Bleriot (France) makes several sustained flights • Henry Farman sets distance record of 771m (2,530ft)
1909 • First aerial movie film is made (Italy) • Bleriot flies across the English Channel • Farman sets distance record of 180km (111.847 miles) • Colin Defries makes first aeroplane flight in Australia (unsuccessful)
1910 • First plane arrives in South Australia • Wittber manages a controlled, unplanned flight in the Bleriot • Fred Custance (South Australia) manages a short flight in the Bleriot but crashes on the next flight • Henry Houdini makes three successful flights in Victoria
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1911 • Wittber designs plane
1912 • Wittber builds plane
1913 • Jimmy Melrose born Burnside SA
1915 • Butler assists Wittber with flight trials at Smithfield • Government bans all civilian flying and Wittber destroys plane in disgust
1916 • Butler leaves for UK to join the Royal Flying Corps • Ross Smith joins the Australian Flying Corps
1917 • Keith Smith joins Royal Flying Corps • Roy Gropler born Norwood, SA
1918 • General Borton, Ross Smith, Shiers and Bennett make first flight over India
1919 • Butler returns to SA with two aeroplanes • Butler flies the first airmail across Spencer Gulf to Minlaton • Smith Brothers, with Bennett and Shiers, win the England to Australia competition
1920 • Smith Brothers continue flight arriving in Adelaide on 23 March • QANTAS registered as a business
1921 • Ross Smith and Bennett die in test flight
1922 • Butler crashes Avro bi-plane • QANTAS starts first scheduled flights
1924 • Butler dies from injuries
1927 • Charles Lindbergh makes the first non-stop, solo crossing of the Atlantic
1928 • Bert Hinkler makes first solo flight from England to Australia • Australian Flying Doctor Service inaugurated • Charles Kingsford-Smith & Charles Ulm complete the first trans-Pacific flight • First aerial explorations of Antarctic by Wilkins and Carl Ben Eilson
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1930 • Amy Johnson first woman to fly solo from England to Australia
1932 • Amelia Earhart first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic
1931 • Freda Thompson competes in SA aerial pageant
1934 • Melrose youngest competitor in MacRobertson London-Melbourne Air Race • Freda Thompson flies solo from England to Australia
1935 • Gropler leaves London on his solo flight to Australia
1936 • Gropler arrives in Australia • Melrose & passenger killed on first charter flight
1938 • Gropler dies in air crash at Parafield
1941 • Amy Johnson dies in air crash while on active service
1955 • Sir Keith Smith dies aged 64
1958 • Sir Hubert Wilkins dies aged 70
1970 • Bill Wittber dies aged 90
1976 • Clive Canning flies from Australia to England in a homebuilt aircraft
1983 • Dick Smith completes first solo around the world helicopter flight
1987 • Dick Smith completes first helicopter flight to the North Pole
1988 • Dick Smith makes the first round the world trip by both poles
1993 • Dick Smith makes first crossing of Australia
1995 • Jon Johanssen completes first round-the-world-trip in an ultra-light
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1996 • Andrew Thomas first South Australian in space ______
Series 4 : Photographs re S.A. Aviation
1. The Farman type plane being constructed in Wittber’s shed at Rose Park.
2. Rear view of the finished Farman type plane in the shed at Rose Park.
3. Front view of the finished Farman type plane in the shed at Rose Park.
4. Front view of the bi-plane at Smithfield fitted with the 55hp engine.
5. Another view of the bi-plane at Smithfield fitted with the 55hp engine.
6. Harry Butler bringing Wittber’s plane into land, 1915.
7. View of the Wittber engine fitted to the bi-plane at Smithfield 1915 (plus negative print).
8. View of the Wittber engine without propellor fitted (plus negative print).
9. As above (no negative).
10. Photo taken by Wittber from Harry Butler’s bi-plane c.1920.
11. Another view from Butler’s plane c.1920.
12. Another view from Butler’s plane c.1920.
13. Another view from Butler’s plane c.1920.
14. Plane built by C.K. Cosh at Maylands, fitted with the ‘Le Rhone’ engine, 1930.
15. Another view of the Cosh plane at Maylands 1930.
16. Bill Wittber at American River, Kangaroo Island during the reconstruction and rebuilding of his 6 cylinder radial engine 55hp 1960.
16A. Another view of Wittber with his restored engine.
17. Wittber’s engine stripped for reconstruction c.1960.
18. View of Wittber’s engine during the reconstruction.
19. Reconstructed Wittber engine on display at the School of Mines Museum n.d.
20. Another view of the Wittber engine at the School of Mines Museum n.d.
21. F.H. Jone’s Bleriot with Jones and Custance standing with it 1910.
22. Wittber and Harry Butler standing in front of Butler’s Avro 504 1919.
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23. Another view of Wittber’s plane at Dulwich.
24. Close-up of Wittber’s plane at Dulwich. ______
Series 5 : Photographs of cars, etc.
1. Cars at the start of the SAAC (South Australian Automobile Club) Reliability trials on Good Friday, 21 April 1905.
2. Wittber at the wheel of a 12HP twin cylinder Wolsely used in the first Dunlop Reliability Trial between Melbourne and Sydney, November 1905.
3. Wittber and H.R. Corpe in the 12HP twin cylinder Wolsely 1905.
4. Another view of Wittber and Corpe in the Wolsely 1905.
5. An ‘action shot’ of Wittber and Corpe in the Wolsely 1905.
6. Wittber with a party of paying tourists at Mount Lofty (n.d., c.1905). ______
Series 7 : Family Photographs
1. Bill Wittber in the uniform of a ship’s engineering officer c.1898.
2. Window of the Wittber’s business premises in Pirie Street c.1930.
3. Bill Wittber relaxing ‘in retirement’ at his American River (Kangaroo Island) home. ______
Series 11 : Correspondence
1. Correspondence with Australian Broadcasting Commission. 1960 2. Correspondence with Arthur Blackburn. 1959 3. Correspondence with Trevor Boughton. 1962-1963. (Aviation Historical Society of Australia) 4. Correspondence with Cliff Cornell. 1959. 5. Correspondence with V. Cosh, E. Cousin & Eric Lewis. 1958-1960. 6. Correspondence with Edgar Davidson. 1958. 7. Correspondence with Ken Edgar. 1961 8. Correspondence with Nelson Eustis. 1958. 9. Correspondence with E.H. (Bob) Francis. 1960. 10. Correspondence with J. Freund. 1957-1958. 11. Correspondence with W. Frisby. 1958.
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12. Correspondence with Hannan Bros. Ltd. 1958-1961. 13. Correspondence re Harry Butler Memorial. 1958. 14. Correspondence with Norman Howard. 1957-1958. 15. Correspondence with J.N.Taylor & Co. 1959, 1961. 16. Correspondence with John Dawson & Sons. 1960. 17. Correspondence with Fred Jones. 1957. 18. Correspondence with Reg Laught. 1959-1961. 19. Correspondence with Keith Litchfield. 1959. 20. Correspondence with Albert Loveday. 1959. 21. Correspondence with Bill Maddocks. 1959 22. Correspondence with Keith Meggs. 1960-1963. 23. Correspondence with Herman Menz. 1959. 24. Correspondence with Colin Orrock. 1958-1960. 25. Correspondence with Harry Raupach. 1958-1960. 26. Correspondence with Wal Shiers. 1961-1962 27. Letter to Mr Smyth. 28. Correspondence with Southcott Ltd. 1959. 29. Correspondence Phil Stedman 1960-1961. 30. Correspondence with Phem Tuohy. 1960. 31. Correspondence with Thurleys and Vitrex re Yacca Gum. 1957-1961. 32. Various other items of correspondence. 1959-1960.
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