Harold Gatty Australian navigator and aviation pioneer Date of Birth: 05.01.1903 Country: Australia

1. Early Life and Career
2. Pioneering Aviation
3. Around the World in 8 Days
4. Advanced Navigation Techniques
5. Recognition and Collaboration
6. World War II and Beyond
7. Later Years and Legacy

Early Life and Career

Harold Gatty was born on January 5, 1903 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, Australia. He developed a keen interest in navigation as a 14-year-old midshipman in the Royal Australian Naval College. After serving in the Australian merchant navy during World War I, Gatty honed his skills in celestial navigation while studying stars on night watches. He later worked in the Sydney Harbor before relocating to California in 1927.

Pioneering Aviation

In 1928, Gatty became captivated by aeronautics. The following year, he flew a Lockheed Vega from Los Angeles to New York City, setting a record for the fastest transcontinental flight in a commercial aircraft. Gatty's expertise in navigation was instrumental in preparing flight plans and charts for Anne Morrow Lindbergh's record-breaking cross-country flight in 1930.

Around the World in 8 Days

In 1931, Wiley Post invited Gatty to join him on a groundbreaking round-the-world flight. Post aimed to break the 21-day record set by the airship Graf Zeppelin. Gatty agreed, eager to showcase his navigational methods. Their adventure began on June 23, 1931, from Roosevelt Field in New York. Flying nearly 25,000 kilometers, they crossed Europe, Russia, Siberia, and the Bering Sea, setting a new record time of 8 days, 15 hours, and 51 minutes.

Advanced Navigation Techniques

Harold Gatty's aerial navigation relied on "dead reckoning," which used a navigation triangle to plot movement over the Earth. To calculate the wind's effect on their course and speed, Gatty developed a method that was later featured in Popular Mechanics magazine. He also utilized an artificial horizon and bank indicator, technologies invented by Lawrence Sperry.

Recognition and Collaboration

Following their record-breaking flight, Gatty and Post were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by President Herbert Hoover. Gatty was offered American citizenship and the position of senior aeronautical engineer in the U.S. Army Air Corps, but he declined to retain his Australian nationality. Later, he co-founded South Seas Commercial Company with Donald Douglas, which focused on air service in the South Pacific.

World War II and Beyond

During World War II, Gatty served as a captain in the Royal Australian Air Force and the U.S. Army Air Forces in the South Pacific. He was appointed chief of air transport for Allied forces under General Douglas MacArthur.

Later Years and Legacy

After the war, Gatty moved to Washington, D.C., where he contributed to survival kits for pilots flying over the Pacific. He published "The Raft Book: Lore of the Sea and Sky," sharing valuable knowledge for downed pilots. Gatty's interest in Polynesian navigation techniques inspired him to settle in Fiji, where he established Fiji Airways. He passed away from a stroke on August 30, 1957, and is buried in Fiji. His book, "Nature Is Your Guide," advocates for "nature navigation" and was published posthumously in 1958.