Gaby Kennard

Last updated

Gaby Kennard (born 1944, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) was the first Australian woman to circumnavigate the globe by airplane. When she was 18 she found out that her natural father, who was an American pilot during World War II, was killed in New Guinea from a plane crash shortly after she was conceived. [1]

She completed her commercial pilot's licence in 1984 and her multi-engine instrument rating in 1987. [1]

In 1989, she began her journey, following Amelia Earhart's route as much as possible. The trip took 99 days and covered 29,000 nautical miles (54,000 km). In recognition of this achievement, she received the Harmon Trophy. The trip made Kennard a celebrity and she used this status to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.

She is married to Neville Kennard and has a daughter and son.

In 2008 Kennard was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. [1]

Qantas has recently announced that they will be naming one of their Airbus A380s after Gaby Kennard in recognition of her contribution to the aviation industry and particularly of her achievement. [2]

Related Research Articles

Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the second oldest airline still in operation, having been founded in November 1920; it began international passenger flights in May 1935. Qantas is an acronym of the airline's original name, Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, as it originally served Queensland and the Northern Territory, and is popularly nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo". Qantas is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Travolta</span> American actor (born 1954)

John Joseph Travolta is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes Carrie (1976), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978), and Urban Cowboy (1980). His acting career declined throughout the 1980s, but he enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s with his role in Pulp Fiction (1994), and went on to star in films including Get Shorty (1995), Broken Arrow (1996), Phenomenon (1996), Face/Off (1997), A Civil Action (1998), Primary Colors (1998), Hairspray (2007), and Bolt (2008).

Margaret Anne JacksonFCA is an Australian corporate executive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longreach Airport</span> Airport in Queensland, Australia

Longreach Airport is situated in Longreach, Queensland, Australia. The airport is 1.5 nautical miles northeast of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Batten</span> New Zealand aviator (1909–1982)

Jane Gardner Batten, commonly known as Jean Batten, was a New Zealand aviator, making a number of record-breaking solo flights across the world. She is notable for completing the first solo flight from England to New Zealand in 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Fysh</span> Australian aviator and businessman (1895–1974)

Sir Wilmot Hudson Fysh, KBE, DFC was an Australian aviator and businessman. A founder of the Australian airline company Qantas, Fysh was born in Launceston, Tasmania. Serving in the Battle of Gallipoli and Palestine Campaign as a lieutenant of the Australian Light Horse Brigade, Fysh later became an observer and gunner to Paul McGinness in the AFC. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross during the aftermath of the war for his services to aerial warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Bird Walton</span>

Nancy Bird Walton, was a pioneering Australian aviator, known as "The Angel of the Outback", and the founder and patron of the Australian Women Pilots' Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Nixon</span> Australian police commissioner

Christine Nixon is an Australian former police officer who was the chief commissioner of Victoria Police from 23 April 2001 to 27 February 2009, being the first female chief commissioner in any Australian state police force. After leaving Victoria Police, she was appointed as chair of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority in February 2009 until she stood down from the position in July 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin International Airport</span> International airport serving Darwin, Australia

Darwin International Airport is the busiest airport serving the Northern Territory and the tenth busiest airport in Australia. It is the only airport serving Darwin.

Jetconnect Ltd. was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas that has its head office in Auckland, New Zealand. Originally established in July 2002 as a New Zealand–based airline, the company has since stopped operating as an airline but continues to employ pilots and cabin crew based at Auckland and Wellington airports. Crew employed by Jetconnect operate Qantas flights on trans-tasman services between Australia and New Zealand, with cabin crew also operating on Qantas long-haul flights alongside Australian-based crew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaby Willis</span> Soap opera character

Gaby Willis is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Rachel Blakely. The show's casting director spotted Blakely on the cover of a magazine and asked her to audition for the role of Gaby. Blakely received the part and she was introduced to the show during a period of roller-coaster ratings. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 12 August 1991. Gaby was introduced as the eldest daughter of Doug and Pam Willis. She comes to Erinsborough, after taking a business course in Japan. Gaby is characterised as beautiful, intelligent and the apple of her father's eye. She also has a temper, leading Blakely to call her fiery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naming of Qantas aircraft</span>

The naming of Qantas aircraft has followed various themes since 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qantas Flight 30</span> 2008 aviation incident

Qantas Flight 30, on 25 July 2008, a Boeing 747-438 operated by Qantas, construction number 25067, registration VH-OJK, was a scheduled flight from London Heathrow to Melbourne with a stopover in Hong Kong. The flight was interrupted on the Hong Kong leg by an exploding oxygen tank that ruptured the fuselage just forward of the starboard wing root. 53-year-old Captain John Bartels and his co-pilots, Bernd Werninghaus and Paul Tabac, made an emergency descent to a breathable altitude of about 10,000 feet and diverted to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Metro Manila, Philippines. There were no injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qantas Flight 72</span> 2008 aircraft incident

Qantas Flight 72 (QF72) was a scheduled flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Perth Airport by an Airbus A330. On 7 October 2008, the flight made an emergency landing at Learmonth Airport near the town of Exmouth, Western Australia, following an inflight accident that included a pair of sudden, uncommanded pitch-down manoeuvres that caused severe injuries—including fractures, lacerations and spinal injuries—to several of the passengers and crew. At Learmonth, the plane was met by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia and CareFlight. Fourteen people were airlifted to Perth for hospitalisation, with 39 others also attending hospital. In all, one crew member and 11 passengers suffered serious injuries, while eight crew and 99 passengers suffered minor injuries. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation found a fault with one of the aircraft's three air data inertial reference units (ADIRUs) and a previously unknown software design limitation of the Airbus A330's fly-by-wire flight control primary computer (FCPC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lester Brain</span> Australian aviation pioneer

Lester Joseph Brain, AO, AFC was a pioneer Australian aviator and airline executive. Born in New South Wales, he trained with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) before joining Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (Qantas) as a pilot in 1924. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1929, after locating the lost aircraft Kookaburra in northern Australia. Having risen to Chief Pilot at Qantas by 1930, he was appointed Flying Operations Manager in 1938. As a member of the RAAF reserve, Brain coordinated his airline's support for the Australian military during World War II. He earned a King's Commendation for his rescue efforts during an air raid on Broome, Western Australia, in 1942, and was promoted to wing commander in 1944.

Qantas is Australia's largest airline. Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland, on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited by Paul McGinness, Sir Hudson Fysh and Sir Fergus McMaster, the latter of whom was chairman. Arthur Baird was employed as a chief aircraft engineer. McGinness left QANTAS for other interests, and Hudson Fysh remained with the company as General Manager & Managing Director. He retired as Sir Hudson Fysh KBE DFC, Chairman of QANTAS in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agnes Milowka</span> Australian cave diver

Agnes Milowka was an Australian technical diver, underwater photographer, author, maritime archaeologist and cave explorer. She gained international recognition for penetrating deeper than previous explorers into cave systems across Australia and Florida, and as a public speaker and author on the subjects of diving and maritime archaeology. She died aged 29 while diving in a confined space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Qantas industrial disputes</span> Disputes between the Australian airline Qantas and trade unions

The 2011 Qantas industrial disputes were a series of disputes between the Australian airline Qantas and a number of trade unions during much of 2011 and the start of 2012. The disputes commenced in late 2010, when Qantas and unions commenced bargaining for new enterprise agreements. The bargaining became more heated when the airline announced its intentions to launch a new airline in Asia. During the bargaining, engineers, pilots and baggage handlers carried out a number of protected industrial actions, culminating in the decision by Qantas, on 29 October 2011, to lock out those employees. After an application by the Federal Minister for Workplace Relations, Fair Work Australia terminated the industrial action with effect from 2 am on 31 October 2011.

Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race is held on Australia Day in The Rocks, Sydney and is marquee event on the international wheelchair racing calendar, attracting prominent international and Australian athletes.

Early Australian female aviators were generally active since 1927 when it became possible for an Australian woman to hold a pilot's licence and fly within Australia. Women had participated in gliding, or taken a licence overseas, but they had not been permitted to fly a plane under licence within Australia. The first Aero Club in Australia was established in 1915.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jen Cork (28 May 2019). "Gabrielle 'Gaby' Kennard OAM". The Australian Museum.
  2. "Gaby Kennard". Qantas. 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

Pilotweb