Ballina has at least seven streets named after foreign aircraft—including Boeing, Cessna and De Havilland. The most recent, Hercules Avenue, was added last month to honour the American military workhorse.
But one aircraft has been left off the map: the locally designed and built Lightwing.
Now, the family of its creator, the late Howard Hughes, hopes to change that. With support from Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader, they’re backing a proposal to name an unnamed road near Ballina Airport Lightwing Lane.
“Howard lived and breathed aviation,” Mayor Cadwallader said.
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“He was a pioneer, an entrepreneur, and completely committed to his community. It seems wrong to have all these aircraft names out there and not include the one that was built right here.”
Council staff originally suggested naming the access road “Hangar Lane,” but after public consultation, Hughes’s daughter Shelly Brown proposed naming it after the Lightwing aircraft instead.
“My father saw Ballina’s potential and spent 40 years designing and manufacturing aircraft beside this unnamed street,” Brown wrote in her submission. “Naming it Lightwing Lane would honour his work and Ballina’s aviation story.”
Howard Hughes Engineering was founded in the 1970s. Initially focused on boats and general engineering, the company moved into aircraft in 1985. The Australian LightWing GR532 was certified the following year, and more than 130 kits were sold and built across the country over the next three decades.
His son Nicholas Hughes now runs an engineering business from the same property and continues to service existing Lightwing aircraft.
“They’re still sought after,” he said. “Known for being strong, simple, and forgiving to fly -ideal for training and farm work.”
Howard’s passion for aviation started with hang gliding and a small open-air plane called the Drifter. Wanting something enclosed, he designed a cabin and developed what would become the Lightwing.
The aircraft also had a place in education. Ballina High School built one from a kit, and a former student went on to co-pilot the first Virgin jet to land at Ballina Airport. Other schools in NSW and Western Australia also participated in Lightwing build programs, with some students pursuing careers in commercial and military aviation.
While Nicholas no longer builds aircraft, he said the legacy remains.
“Mentally and financially, I couldn’t carry it on,” he said. “But people still fly them, and they still matter.”
Mayor Cadwallader said naming the lane would be more than just a tribute.
“It’s not just about honouring Howard,” she said. “It gives us a chance to celebrate Ballina’s role in aviation. People might see the name and ask about it -that’s how history stays alive.”
The proposed Lightwing Lane runs alongside the original Lightwing factory, now Nicholas’s engineering business. The mayor confirmed it meets all naming criteria and is hopeful it will be supported by councillors at the monthly meeting this week.
“It’s fitting, it’s local, and it’s long overdue,” she said.
The Hughes family has set up a petition in support of the name change, which can be accessed here.
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