Imagine standing at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds in 1912 and suddenly seeing an aeroplane soaring above the Main Oval!

On Saturday, 6 July 1912, Brisbane witnessed its first aeroplane flight when American aviator Arthur Burr “Wizard” Stone brought his Bleriot monoplane to the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds.

And it wasn't exactly a small audience… around 8,000 spectators gathered around the Main Oval to witness this extraordinary event.

Powered aviation was still incredibly new. The Wright brothers had achieved their first successful powered flight just nine years earlier, in 1903.

Stone's flying machine was remarkable for its day. The Bleriot had a 28-foot (8.5 m) wingspan, was about 25 feet (7.6 m) long, and was fitted with a 50-horsepower, seven-cylinder engine. Spectators could even pay an extra shilling to inspect the aircraft before the flight!

Then, at around 4pm, the moment everyone had been waiting for…

Up she went!

Stone climbed to about 200 feet, then circled the Exhibition Grounds three times, gaining altitude with each circuit until he reached around 400 feet. After about ten minutes in the air, it was time to come back down.

And that's when things became rather more exciting!

Stone began his landing in a very steep descent. The aircraft struck the ground heavily, one of its four wheels came off, and the Bleriot somersaulted and crashed, smashing in half.

Remarkably, Stone survived the crash with only minor injuries and bruising.

Afterwards, Stone reportedly considered the Exhibition Oval unsuitable for flying, describing it as “practically a well” - difficult to rise from and even more hazardous to descend into.

But there's another fascinating connection to this story…

During Stone's 1912 Australian tour, he met a young Bert Hinkler in Hinkler's hometown of Bundaberg. Hinkler subsequently became Stone's mechanic, accompanying him on his tour through southern Australia and New Zealand and gaining valuable hands-on experience with the troublesome Bleriot.

That experience would prove incredibly valuable for the young Queenslander, who would go on to become one of Australia's greatest aviation pioneers.

So next time you're at the Brisbane Showgrounds, look across the Main Oval and imagine 8,000 Brisbanites in 1912, staring skyward as an aeroplane took to the Brisbane skies for the very first time!

From agricultural exhibitions and machinery to pioneering aviation, the Brisbane Showgrounds have witnessed some truly remarkable moments in Queensland history.

Images: With thanks to the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland - Public Domain.

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Imagine standing at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds in 1912 and suddenly seeing an aeroplane soaring above the Main Oval!

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