Harold Gatty

Harold Charles Gatty (5 January 1903 – 30 August 1957) was an Australian navigator and aviation pioneer. Charles Lindbergh called Gatty the "Prince of Navigators." In 1931, Gatty served as navigator, along with pilot Wiley Post, on the flight which set the record for aerial circumnavigation of the world, flying a distance of 15,747 miles (24,903 km) in a Lockheed Vega named the Winnie Mae, in 8 days, 15 hours and 51 minutes.

Gatty was born on 5 January 1903 in Campbell Town, Tasmania.

He began his career as a navigator at the age of 14, on 1 January 1917, when he was appointed a midshipman at the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay. Ironically, in light of his later prominence in the field, Gatty struggled to pass his courses in navigation.

Gatty withdrew from the Naval College in May 1920 to join the Australian merchant navy. For three years he was an apprentice ship's officer with the Patrick Steamship Company of Sydney. He served on many ships, some sailing between Australia and California. As a result of standing night watch, Gatty became an expert in celestial navigation.

For a time he worked in the provisioning of merchant vessels in Sydney Harbour.

In 1927, Gatty relocated to California, where he opened a navigation school, teaching marine navigation to yachtsmen. In 1928, his attention turned to air navigation.

In 1929, Gatty navigated a Lockheed Vega on a flight from Los Angeles to New York City for Nevada Airlines, in an effort to demonstrate the feasibility of coast-to-coast passenger service. The flight made four stops and took 19 hours and 53 minutes, which set the transcontinental airspeed record for a commercial airliner.

In 1930, Gatty prepared a coast-to-coast route and navigation charts for Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who he had taught as a student. Anne Lindbergh served as navigator with her husband Charles on a record-setting cross-country flight of 14 hours and 45 minutes.