 Robert Alexander Little , DSO & Bar , DSC & Bar ( 19 July 1895 – 27 May 1918 ) , a World War I fighter pilot , is generally regarded as the most successful Australian flying ace , with an official tally of forty @-@ seven victories . Born in Victoria , he travelled to England in 1915 and learned to fly at the Royal Flying Corps Central Flying School , scoring his first aerial victory in December 1916 . He was appointed a flying officer on 13 January 1917 , and was promoted to flight lieutenant on 15 April . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Bar