Harry Harper

Harry Harper was a British aviation journalist and author, born in London in 1880 and died in Epsom, Surrey, on June 6, 1960. He is remembered as one of the earliest writers to cover flying as it happened, and later sources describe him as the "world's first air correspondent." His long career stretched from the pioneering days of aviation into the era of rockets and satellites.

Alongside journalism, he wrote many books about flight for general readers and younger audiences. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction notes that he also wrote early air-adventure fiction with Claude Grahame-White, including The Air-King's Treasure (1913) and The Invisible War-Plane (1915). His memoir My Fifty Years in Flying reflects how closely he followed aviation from its earliest years.

What makes his work appealing now is its sense of witness. Rather than writing about aviation from a distance, he was there for the excitement, personalities, and rapid changes that made early flight feel new and astonishing.