Lester Brain
Australian aviation pioneer (1903-1980) · Australia · On the map · Died at 77
Lester Joseph Brain, AO, AFC was a pioneer Australian aviator and airline executive. Born in New South Wales, he trained with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) before joining Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (Qantas) as a pilot in 1924.
Lester Brain is read about 5 times a day, in 5 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 19 August 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 60 days, one point a day.
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Photos 5
Brain (left) with Charles Kingsford Smith (second from left) in front of the Southern Cloud, c. 1930.
Brain presenting the Mayor of Rockhampton, Queensland, with its first delivery of air mail
Undated profile of Brain
Vampire T35; sixty-nine were built for the RAAF by de Havilland while Brain was Managing DirectorAwards
About this person
He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1929, after locating the lost aircraft Kookaburra in northern Australia. Having risen to Chief Pilot at Qantas by 1930, he was appointed Flying Operations Manager in 1938. As a member of the RAAF reserve, Brain coordinated his airline's support for the Australian military during World War II. He earned a King's Commendation for his rescue efforts during an air raid on Broome, Western Australia, in 1942, and was promoted to wing commander in 1944.
