Arthur Baird

Wilfred Arthur Baird (1889–1954), also known as Wilfred Arthur Beard, was the first chief engineer of the Australian airline Qantas. He established Qantas's reputation for excellence in engineering.

Early life Wilfred Arthur Beard was born in Benalla, Victoria, Australia in 1889, one of 15 children. In 1909 graduated from the Working Man's College (now Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) with the highest marks in Mechanical Engineering. He then undertook a 5-year apprenticeship with Anderson and Son, an engineering firm in Richmond, Victoria.

Qantas service In January 1921, Paul McGinness and Hudson Fysh took delivery of the first Qantas aircraft in January 1921, they employed Beard who, as chief engineer, built a team of expert aircraft mechanics at Longreach, Queensland. Around this time he reverted to the traditional Scottish spelling of his surname Baird. In the early years of Qantas they constructed their own aircraft and Baird supervised the construction of seven DH-50 airliners and a DH-9. As Qantas grew, Baird became responsible for their engineering work at Archerfield Airport in Brisbane and the seaplanes at Rose Bay in Sydney.

Later life Baird retired in June 1949, but continued as an adviser at Rose Bay. On 7 May 1954, he died suddenly at his home in Vaucluse, Sydney.

Legacy A plaque on the Mitchell Highway in Charleville, Queensland commemorates the first regular Qantas air service from Charleville to Cloncurry on 2 November 1922. The crew of three were Hudson Fysh, Paul McGinness and Arthur Baird.