It was mainly the young who took to the skies at the dawn of the aviation age. As middle age set in, neither was the mind as nimble as before nor were the reflexes as sharp, making it hard to cope with the constant risks and complexities of flying. Pilots learned to fly early, flew as much as possible in their youth and often died young. But Hilda Hewlett, a pioneering British pilot, was a notable exception. And she is still an inspiration for the seniors.

Born in Vauxhall, London, on February 17, 1864, Hilda Beatrice Hewlett (née Herbert) was no young daredevil. When she saw her first aircraft, she was 45 years old, married, with two children. She was also an expert wood, metal and fabric worker, a nurse and a woman who drove automobiles (which immediately called her character into question).

It was 1909 and the seaside town of Blackpool was hosting England’s first ever air show. Hilda was among the awestruck spectators. This is what she later wrote about the first take-off she witnessed: “A great white thing was slowly pushed out of a shed, so big and strange. Paulhan, the French pilot of the aircraft, climbed up somehow, men twisted something round and round behind, when suddenly there was a roar which got louder and louder. The white thing moved – slowly – then faster and faster, till as it passed in front of me I saw one foot of space between it and the dirty muddy grass. That one foot of space which grew more and more made everything within me stop still. I wanted to cry, or laugh, but I could not move or think, I could only look with all my other faculties dead and useless. Something inside me felt it must burst. I had seen a reality as big as a storm at sea or Vesuvius throwing up fire and rocks – it made more impression than either of these. There seemed to be no limit to its future. I was rooted to the spot in thick mud and wonder and did not want to move. I wanted to feel that power under my own hand and understand about why and how. The whole trend of life seemed altered, somehow, lots of important things were forgotten, a new future of vague wonder and power was opened.”

She just had to learn to fly. Paris was then the aviation hub of Europe so that’s where she soon headed taking the name Grace Bird to conceal her identity. Her fluency in French helped. But none of the many flying schools was willing to accept a woman student. Her only chance was to buy a French aircraft, which automatically entitled her as the owner to lessons at the manufacturer’s school. So that is what she did, purchasing a primitive Farman III aeroplane manufactured by Farman Brothers. In France she also met Gustave Blondeau, a French engineer who had worked on the manufacture of Farman planes and the two became fast friends and colleagues. Together they learned to fly and repair planes.

In July 2010, Hilda persuaded Blondeau to return with her to England and set up a school called the Hewlett-Blondeau Flying School, at a motor-racing track in Brooklands, Surrey. Their lone machine was the one she had purchased in France named ‘Blue Bird’. The school operated for only a year-and-a-half during which 13 pupils graduated. What’s more, it had no accidents – a remarkable achievement for those perilous times. On August 29, 1911, Hilda Hewlett earned her pilot’s licence (Certificate No. 122 from the Royal Aero Club). She was the first woman in the UK to gain a flying licence and she did it at the age of 47.

Two students of her school bear mention. One was Thomas Sopwith who learned flying from Hilda and later designed and built a series of famous aircraft including the Hawker Hurricane that proved itself in the Battle of Britain. The other was her own son, Francis, who was one of very few boys who could add “Flying” to the list of “Things My Mother Taught Me”. Francis Hewlett later distinguished himself in military flying both in England and New Zealand. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and retired in the rank of Air Commodore.

Once the school wound up, Hilda and Blondeau turned to aircraft manufacturing, with considerable success. Hilda ran their company, Hewlett and Blondeau, which soon built up a good reputation. Hilda’s husband Maurice Hewlett had little sympathy for her passion for flying saying, “Women will never be as successful in aviation as men. They have not the right kind of nerve.” However, he never opposed her aviation career and even invested in her company.

The company manufactured several types of French aircraft under licence including the Farman, Caudron and Hanriot. They went on to build famous British planes like the Avro 504K and the Armstrong Whitworth F.K.3, of which they produced no less than 350. In all Hewlett and Blondeau built over 820 aircraft of 10 different types. Hilda was described as an “indefatigable worker, good organiser and shrewd business woman”. However, when World War I ended in 1918, their order book dried up practically overnight and the company went into bankruptcy.

At the age of 62, Hilda Hewlett sold the firm and migrated to New Zealand along with her children. At age 75, she became first President of the Tauranga Aero and Gliding Club and even created the Tauranga airport that is functional to this day. Her family members were always proud of her adventurous spirit, determination, energy and ability and affectionately called her “Old Bird”. She died in Tauranga on August 21, 1943, and was buried at sea according to her expressed wish.