Practical devices that outlasted the man who created them
Colleagues described Hinkler as an “exceptional mathematician and inventor” who produced devices that remained in use into the Second World War.
When biplanes flew inverted, hot ejected cartridge cases burned the chests of air gunners. Hinkler designed an adaptor that directed the spent shells safely to one side.
Allowed a gunner to take over flying if the pilot was disabled.
A gadget to correct for aircraft drift — versions remained in service for many years.
For the 1928 Avro Avian he designed his own undercarriage, added extra tanks, a double-action fuel pump, and a metal single-blade propeller.
His most ambitious design: a two-seat wooden amphibian with boat-like hull and twin 40 hp Salmson engines in push-pull configuration. First flown May 1930. The project was abandoned due to the Depression. A full-scale replica is displayed in Bundaberg.
Hinkler deliberately avoided taking out patents on many of his ideas, believing they should be freely available for the advancement of aviation.