.jpg "An Avro 594 Avian III airplane in Jorhat, Assam") |
| An Avro 594 Avian III Airplane (Representational Image) |
In 1928, Jorhat Gymkhana Club in Assam made aviation history when an Avro 594 Avian III airplane, piloted by Barnard Leete, became the first aircraft to land in the Northeast of India. This landing was not a routine trip but a crucial one, prompted by a medical emergency. A.C. Tunstel, the then director of the Toklai Tea Research Station, requested Leete’s help to transport his ailing wife to Calcutta for medical treatment. This marked the beginning of aviation in Assam, and it left a lasting impact on Jorhat and its surroundings.
Barnard Leete was already a celebrated figure in aviation. He and his colleague T.N. Stack were pioneers, having earlier made the perilous journey from London to Karachi in 1927, a journey of 5,540 miles in de Havilland DH.60 Moths. Their daring flight took nearly two months, an extraordinary feat considering the limitations of the time. It paved the way for many more aviation exploits and ultimately connected remote parts of British India, including the tea plantations of Assam, to the larger world.
Leete’s landing in Jorhat wasn’t just a first for the Northeast—it marked a critical intersection of history and technological progress. The Jorhat Gymkhana Club grounds, already famous for horse racing, became a symbol of modern transportation. Decades later, the club would also witness the arrival of Assam’s first jeep in 1945, brought to Assam through the wartime efforts of the Allies.
Today, the memory of that flight lives on as an essential piece of Assam’s aviation heritage. Leete's contributions, not only as a pilot but as a pioneer of aviation in India, are a testament to how technology can bring remote regions into the global fold. The Jorhat Gymkhana Club, founded in 1876, continues to be a site of historical importance, standing as a witness to these remarkable moments in time.
