James Peter Obeyesekere III

Deshamanya James Peter Obeyesekere III (14 July 1915 – 23 October 2007) was a Sri Lankan politician and aviator.

[1][2] Born to Sir James Peter Obeyesekere II, a barrister who was an advocate of the colonial era Supreme Court of Ceylon and served as the last Maha Mudaliyar (the chief native interpreter and adviser to the British Governor of Ceylon).

In November 1946, he flew his single-engined Auster Autocrat home to Ceylon from England, becoming the first Ceylonese to make such a flight.

Farquharson's not insignificant role in that epic flight was described in contemporary newspaper reports and early articles by Obeyesekere himself.

[3] His aviation interests were also strong as he was the Chairman of the Colombo Flying Club until its takeover by the government.

The aircraft was destroyed in a fatal accident on March 11, 1971, but nearly 40 years later it was rebuilt for static display at the Sri Lanka Air Force Museum, Ratmalana in memory of his flight from England to Ceylon.

Bandaranaike was assassinated in 1959, he contested from his constituency the Attanagalla electorate in the 1960 July general election and entering parliament.

The young James Peter Obeyesekere was educated at the Royal College, Colombo .
Obeyesekere attended Trinity College, Cambridge, he was an active member of the Cambridge Union.
Obeyesekere created aviation history in South Asia when he became the first Sri Lankan to undertake what is erroneously described as a "solo flight" from England to Sri Lanka in November 1946, in close company with another pilot in an identical Auster aircraft.