Biplane Flight, Beginning Of India’s Aviation, 1912 Print
A rare image of a biplane flight at Peshawar that marked India’s onset of aviation. This print is a page from The Times Of India supplement of April 17, 1912. The picture shows the biplane descending at Peshawar (undivided India). An amateur photographer took the photo. However, it is noteworthy that British India was one of the hubs of early aviation demonstrations.
Airplanes and flights were an altogether new field of transportation in the early 1900s. Officially, the first flight took off in 1903 piloted by one of the Wright brothers. The first airmail flight in the world took place in Allahabad in 1911. But there seems to be some ambiguity regarding the first noncommercial flight in India. But the most plausible case is that of Giacomo D’Angelis.
An Italian who ran a flourishing hotel business, Hotel D’Angelis at Mount Road, in Madras at the time. Giacomo D’Angelis, was also a hobbyist and adventurer, he got a biplane fabricated of his own design. Simpson’s, a motor vehicles manufacturer helped in fabricating the flying machine. He flew the aircraft on March 26, 1910.
Taking off from Island Grounds, near Fort St George in Madras (Chennai). This is believed to be the first noncommercial flight in India. There are claims of the first Biplane flight in India taking place in Calcutta, Allahabad, Peshawar, Karachi, etc. However, these flight took place from December 1910 onwards and not before, like the “D’Angelis flight” which took off on March 26, 1910. Nonetheless, all these indicates the beginning of India’s aviation.
Read more Madras aviation – in peace & war., and 100 Years Ago :: Flying in India.
Did you know – the largest crowd that assembled to watch a flying display before WWI was a crowd of almost 750,000 who watched Henri Jullerot fly a Bristol military biplane in Calcutta on Jan. 6, 1911.
From the collection – M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal Untitled 1964 (#18)., Chowpatty Seaface From Malabar Hill – Old Photo 1960., Esplanade Road & Tram Mumbai, Old Postcard 1905., Vintage Book 1881 – Everyday Life In India.
