I will be happy to post the results of my investigation when they are complete.
Regards, Ian.
Most helpful if you can. I'm familiar with all the published works of Wixted, Mackenzie, Bettiens and some lesser chroniclers of the Hinkler story. What I would dearly like to know is whether there are any useful resources and archives apart from what is held in the Queensland Museum library and at Bundaberg in the Hinkler archive there.
The Mackenzie biography was in some ways a disappointment, for I feel the author failed to reveal the true heart and soul of his subject. On the more practical, functional side, Hinkler's greatest contribution to the advancement of aviation was the manner in which he showed the world convincingly that by 1928 the light aircraft was capable of proving it's safety, reliability, ease of maintenance, usefulness and for many it's affordability.
When in Australia in 1928, after accomplishing his record breaking solo flight from England in sixteen days ("Hinkle, Hinkle, little star, sixteen days and here you are" as Punch magazine had it in a full page cartoon)
our man spared no effort in promoting the light aeroplane.
He recorded on both sides of a gramaphone record his advice to the nation about flying as it was then, and his predictions. It is rivetting listening, (even though he mispronounces Hargrave in his rapid fire monologue.)
This should find the audio clip, accessing one side of the recording..-
Hinkler’s Message to Australia; Incidents of My Flight (1928) clip 1 on ASO - Australia's audio and visual heritage online[/SIZE][/FONT]