Jim Hazelton
| Jim Hazelton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 June 1931 |
| Died | June 10, 2014 (aged 82) Aeroglen, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Aviation career | |
| Known for | Co-founder of Hazelton Airlines |
Jim Hazelton (20 June 1931 – 10 June 2014) was an Australian aviator and co-founder, alongside his brother Max, of Hazelton Airlines, a regional Australian airline which later became Regional Express Airlines.
In 1964 he became one of the first Australian to fly a single-engine aircraft across the Pacific, piloting a Piper Comanche 400, a crossing he would repeat over 200 times.
His aviation career started at Orange Aero Club, becoming a private pilot in 1950. He acquired his commercial licence in 1951 and joined the Newcastle Aero Club.
After co-founding Hazelton Airlines with his brother Max, starting out at the family farm at Toogong, he left the airline to establish his own flight training school, Navair, at Bankstown Airport. He went on to ferry aircraft for Formula 1 driver Graham Hill as well as instructing Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart in flying. He also accompanied Australian entrepreneur Dick Smith on the latter's international journeys. He was part of the search team for his brother Max when the latter crashed in the Blue Mountains in 1954 and went missing for a number of days.
In 1964 Hazelton flew a single-engine aircraft across the Pacific, piloting a Piper Comanche 400. He was refused permission from the Australian Civil Aviation authority to do so and had to take out an US licence instead to carry out the flight. He would go on to repeat the Pacific crossing over 200 times in his life time.
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