Spring Plains in Mia Mia has been recognised as a site of great significance to the Australian and global aerospace historical record.
On Monday September 21, the Duigan brothers’ memorial at Mia Mia was presented with a plaque by members of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. It is one of three sites in Australia to receive this status.
Among people present on the day were Cees Bil, a professor of aerospace at RMIT who drove the process for the site to be acknowledged, Jim Sherman, senior director of aeronautics with the AIAA who travelled from America for the dedication, and Nick Duigan, grandson of Reginald Duigan.
“Of the 60 plus sites that AIAA has dedicated, three of them are here in Australia which is pretty significant,” Mr Sherman said.
“It is the first site that is aviation related.”
Spring Plains is the site of the Duigan brothers’ first powered flight by an Australian designed, built and flown aircraft.
Working from their family property, Spring Plains, Reginald and John designed and constructed a biplane largely from their own engineering skills and determination. On 16 July 1910, John successfully flew the aircraft, marking the first powered flight in an Australian-designed and built aeroplane.
“They put together an aeroplane that flew and was controllable only six years after the wright brothers, which I think is remarkable in that short period time,” Prof Bil said.
Australia now has three sites that have been documented by the AIAA as significant, these sites being the newly named Spring Plains, Woomera and Honeysuckle Creek.
