Jan Hilgers

Who was Jan Hilgers?

Johan Willem Emile Louis Hilgers, more commonly known as Jan Hilgers or John Hilgers, was an Indo aviator and one of the leading pioneers of Dutch aviation. He was the first Dutch pilot to complete a flight in Dutch airspace 29 July 1910. For the official memorial of this in 1955 a monument was erected in the town of Ede, also a road, the "Jan Hilgersweg" was named after him.

In the Dutch East Indies alone Hilgers made at least 8,000 take offs. Throughout his career as aviator he survived at least 20 crashes without ever breaking a bone.