1911 to 1949

Date:                       30.12.1911           Type:                       Bleriot monoplane( named after the famous French Aviator Louis Bleriot) Operator:                Franz Oster (who imported the first aero plane to Sri Lanka)                    Year built:              1909        Crew:                     1 fatalities / 1 on board      Passengers:            0 fatalities / 0 on board      Total:                      1 fatalities / 1 on board      Location:                Racecourse Colombo (Sri Lanka)    Phase:                    Takeoff  Nature:                    Public demonstration  Flight:                     Test flight Remarks:      Oster attempted the first ever public flight in his monoplane. Taking off from the racecourse he managed to reach a height of 40 feet but crashed. He was not seriously hurt, and suffered only minor injuries. This was not officially recorded as the first flight in Ceylon as the take-off and landing were not controlled. Between 14th and 19th of January 1912, Oster crashed the same monoplane during a trial flight in preparation for a public demonstration. Oster suffered a shoulder dislocation, cuts & bruises. The plane was badly damaged.