17 January 1914

Second Lieutenant Joseph Hammond became New Zealand’s first Government pilot, having already been commissioned into Britain's Royal Flying Corps. He was charged with the inaugural flights of the Bleriot XI Brittania, New Zealand's first military aircraft. After many checks, Hammond took off from the Epsom Showgrounds in Auckland on the afternoon of 17 January 1914, circling the field and then making a low pass overhead before landing safely.