𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲.

John Weston is regarded as the father of aviation in South Africa. Weston was born in an ox wagon near Fort Marshall in KwaZulu-Natal on 17 June 1873. As a young man he travelled widely and trained as an engineer in Belgium. He then worked for various engineering companies – from America to Russia.

Weston returned to South Africa in 1907 where he first lived near Hoopstad in the Free State and in 1909 settled at Brandfort. During this time he built his first aeroplane. It was, however, underpowered and he took it to France in 1910, where it was modified and fitted with a revolutionary seven-cylinder rotary air-cooled Gnome type engine. Weston also qualified as a pilot in France. The following year he returned to South Africa and on 18 June 1911, gave a flying demonstration in his Weston-Farman aeroplane at Kimberley. In the same year Weston founded the Aeronautical Society of South Africa.

He later took part in the South West Africa Campaign and World War I, was awarded the honorary title of Rear Admiral and travelled through Europe and South Africa in a home-made caravan. He died on his farm near Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal in 1950.