The Passing of Regional Airline Pioneer Jim Hazelton

Reading today that James David (Jim) Hazelton recently passed away on Tuesday 10 June at his home in northern NSW after a long battle with illness. He was 10 days short of his 83rd birthday.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/royalflyingdoctorservice/

A modest person, Jim was and one of the greatest aviators and gifted pilots this country has seen. There are few people in the aviation community that have not known of him and the many achievements and contributions he made to general aviation.  In 2011, Jim will partnered Jeremy Rowsell to re-trace Charles Kingsford-Smith's trans-Pacific flight in a single-engine Beechcraft 36 to aid of the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS).

Jim started flying at a young age and was a founder of Hazelton Airlines, which he started with his brother Max at Orange before leaving that business to form and develop Navair, where literally hundreds of Australian airman and women were trained.

He was a pioneer of crop dusting in Australia and then went on to ferry aircraft all over the world.

Jim Hazelton is survived by wife Pam and seven children. Daughter Wendy is an Airbus captain based in the Philippines.

There is probably no stronger aviation name than Hazelton in Australia.  There will be a private family funeral at Kempsey this week and a memorial service at Port Macquarie on Thursday 26June.

Via Australian Aviation