When aircrafts took to the Madras skies on metal wings
D’Angelis’ maiden flight in 1910 set in motion the aviation history of Madras. From a record-making 27-hour flight from London to Madras in a de-Havilland Dove and a night land that left the pilots “trembling like a leaf” to an air taxi that flew all the way to Burma and Alagappa Chettiar’s Jupiter Airways, the skies above Madras have surely never seen a dull moment
Madras witnessed its first aircraft flight in 1910 by D’Angelis, who had a hangar in Pallavaram. Subramania Bharathi, a renowned Tamil poet, documented the engine assembly process by Tamil workers at Simpsons’ factory. Jules Tyck conducted demonstration flights at Island Grounds in 1911, taking passengers over George Town and Mount Road. In 1914, J.W. Madeley flew over the Red Hills reservoir to evaluate the aircraft.
The Madras Flying Club (MFC) was founded in 1930 by William Maurice Browning, with support from Sir Gerald Hodgson of Parry. Hodgson made headlines by flying from Madras to Cuddalore without warning, causing alarm among residents. Several Indians, including Rm. Avudaiyappa Chettiar, S.A.A. Annamalai Chettiar, and Solaiyappa Chettiar, learned to fly through the MFC.
Notably, Capt. V. Sundaram became the first Indian to earn a pilot's license, and his wife Usha was India's first female pilot, setting a record for a 27-hour flight from London to Madras in a de-Havilland Dove.
A personal favorite tale from the era is that of S. Muthiah and his Parry colleagues, Steve Maritz and M.J. Edwards. In the 1930s, they attempted a round trip from Cuddalore to Madras, navigating by instinct in the dark and finally landing at Meenambakkam after a series of unconventional landing attempts. In the 1930s, an Air Taxi Service emerged in Madras, offering air travel to destinations across India and Burma.
The service operated from offices in Narayan Baugh, Cathedral Post, and included three aircraft capable of accommodating one, two, or three passengers.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
