The first Australian made aeroplane to fly, the Duigan Aeroplane, was designed and constructed by John Robertson Duigan with the assistance of his younger brother, Reginald Charles Duigan. After many trials, the first flight was achieved by John on 16th July, 1910 on their parents’ property Spring Plains, in central Victoria, Australia.

John Duigan left Brighton Grammar in 1900 and went to Finsbury Technical School in London. He was there for four years and took diplomas in both electrical and motor engineering and then had about three years’ experience testing his skills with several firms, including Weymouths and Siemens. He returned to Australia in early 1908 having had no contact with aviation while training in England and showed no special interest in it on his return.

Back home on his father’s property, he was not greatly interested in farm work. For something to do, John experimented with several versions of box kites and gliders. From a friend and fellow student in England, John received a picture featuring Wilbur Wright’s aeroplane and a letter detailing Wright’s flying in France during that year.

These inspired him to undertake an interesting project by putting his mechanical and engineering skills to good use to design a powered aircraft at home. Several prototypes were built on the Mia Mia property. Each aircraft would fly a short distance but modifications were required especially in the new fields of balance, control and power as the Duigan brothers wrestled with the concept of lift and drag. However, on 16th July of 1910, John Duigan sat proudly at the controls of the craft known as the Duigan Aeroplane which he designed and built over eighteen months. It was ready to fly.