When Men Were Men And Pilots Were Nuts
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When Men Were Men And Pilots Were Nuts
Saw this in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning.
Talk about guts.
By Steve Meacham
May 2, 2006
DECEMBER 1919, somewhere over the Timor Sea. Australia's daring aviation brothers Ross and Keith Smith are on the final - and most dangerous - leg of their record-breaking 136-hour flight from England in a four-seater Vickers Vimy World War I bomber.
Suddenly they see smoke billowing from the funnel of HMAS Sydney, sent by the prime minister, Billy Hughes, to point the way to Darwin.
Showing the ingenuity that was to win them the £10,000 prize for the first pilots to fly from England to Australia in less than 30 days, the brothers - who have no radio on board - decide to drop a "message in a bottle" to the sailors below. Now, 87 years later, that same message and bottle - long presumed lost - have been discovered in the relics collection of the State Library of NSW, a unique reminder of Australia's heroic era of flight.
"It's quite an astonishing little item, a tangible link with Australia's aviation heritage," said Alan Davies, the library's photographic curator, who is supervising Aviation in Australia, a new online exhibition of rare pictures of the pioneering days of flight, to be launched today.
Strictly speaking, what the brothers dropped was not a bottle but an Escoffier pickle jar. Presumably they had eaten the pickles en route from London. But it made a perfect vessel for the message, which they dropped near the ship using a hastily made parachute. Today the words, scribbled in pencil on a shaking aircraft, are barely visible:
"The Air. 10/12/19. Vickers Vimy. The Commander, HMAS … Very glad to see you. Many thanks for looking after us. Going strong. Keith Smith. Ross Smith. Sgt J. Bennett. Sgt W.H. Shier."
Most of their epic journey - which they completed in 28 days with the mechanics Wally Shier and Jim Bennett - was over land.
"It was the first time they had done a long flight over the sea," Mr Davies said. "They were very glad to see the ship because they realised that if there was a problem they at least had a chance of survival."
Talk about guts.
By Steve Meacham
May 2, 2006
DECEMBER 1919, somewhere over the Timor Sea. Australia's daring aviation brothers Ross and Keith Smith are on the final - and most dangerous - leg of their record-breaking 136-hour flight from England in a four-seater Vickers Vimy World War I bomber.
Suddenly they see smoke billowing from the funnel of HMAS Sydney, sent by the prime minister, Billy Hughes, to point the way to Darwin.
Showing the ingenuity that was to win them the £10,000 prize for the first pilots to fly from England to Australia in less than 30 days, the brothers - who have no radio on board - decide to drop a "message in a bottle" to the sailors below. Now, 87 years later, that same message and bottle - long presumed lost - have been discovered in the relics collection of the State Library of NSW, a unique reminder of Australia's heroic era of flight.
"It's quite an astonishing little item, a tangible link with Australia's aviation heritage," said Alan Davies, the library's photographic curator, who is supervising Aviation in Australia, a new online exhibition of rare pictures of the pioneering days of flight, to be launched today.
Strictly speaking, what the brothers dropped was not a bottle but an Escoffier pickle jar. Presumably they had eaten the pickles en route from London. But it made a perfect vessel for the message, which they dropped near the ship using a hastily made parachute. Today the words, scribbled in pencil on a shaking aircraft, are barely visible:
"The Air. 10/12/19. Vickers Vimy. The Commander, HMAS … Very glad to see you. Many thanks for looking after us. Going strong. Keith Smith. Ross Smith. Sgt J. Bennett. Sgt W.H. Shier."
Most of their epic journey - which they completed in 28 days with the mechanics Wally Shier and Jim Bennett - was over land.
"It was the first time they had done a long flight over the sea," Mr Davies said. "They were very glad to see the ship because they realised that if there was a problem they at least had a chance of survival."
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Gaby Kennard should read that! Half way around the world in 28 days in a Vickers Vimy, now that's more like it.
Even my dad managed England-Australia in 10 days in a Queen Air in 1969 and thought nothing of it.
More mysoginistic ramblings from 'The Messiah'.
Even my dad managed England-Australia in 10 days in a Queen Air in 1969 and thought nothing of it.
More mysoginistic ramblings from 'The Messiah'.
They dropped an article from an aircraft without prior written approval from the CASA? Err, CAA? I meant DCA! Um...
Good little read. I believe a Cairns based charter company is allowing 14 lucky people (lucky to have the $$) to jump in a Metro and fly the route back to London. I threw the flyer out though and unfortunately I cannot remember the specifics. I think it would be a great flight, even inside a pencil! Probably just as comfortable as a Vimy though.
Good little read. I believe a Cairns based charter company is allowing 14 lucky people (lucky to have the $$) to jump in a Metro and fly the route back to London. I threw the flyer out though and unfortunately I cannot remember the specifics. I think it would be a great flight, even inside a pencil! Probably just as comfortable as a Vimy though.
