Eric Bonar – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB06/03/202303/06/2023

Aviation Heritage Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2023) Contents Listing

The latest quarterly edition (March 2023) of the AHSA journal – Aviation Heritage – has recently been posted to members. The full contents are...

1934 Third prize in the Speed catecory of the MacRobertson International Air Races was won by Flight Lieutenant Owen Cathcart-Jones and Mr. Ken Waller, representing Britain, when their de Havilland DH.88 Comet G-ACSR, race number 19, crossed the finish line above Flemington Racecourse at 4:45am (GMT) on 25 October 1934.

Above: Cathcart-Jones and Waller taxi the green de Havilland DH.88 Comet G-ACSR through the puddles at Laverton, 25 October 1934 (State Library of Victoria item 2372425) They were fourth across the line, but were awarded third prize when the crew of the second placed aircraft (the KLM DC-2) chose to accept the first prize in the Handicap category (prizes could only be won in one category, even if an aircraft entered both categories). After a very short rest in Melbourne, Cathcart-Jones and Waller set off on the return journey determined to establish a new record for out and back. This they did, arriving at Lympne at 1.15pm on 2 November. They were the first competitors to reach England and brought back films of the Melbourne race festivities. They broke several records, the Mildenhall-Melbourne-Lympne journey was completed in the record time of 13 days 6 hours 38 minutes and the Melbourne-England time was reduced to 6 days 15 hours 9 minutes. Source: Aviation Heritage Vol 24 Nos 1 & 2, 1984

1938 On 25 October 1938 while completing a flight from Adelaide to Melbourne, Australian National Airways Douglas DC-2 VH-UYC Kyeema overshot Essendon in dirty weather conditions and collided with the crest of Mt Dandenong. All 18 aboard were killed making this by far the worst aircraft accident experienced in Australia to that time. The resultant public inquiry provided a forum for a general airing of grievances including newspaper allegations that the AAIC had gagged the press by refusing to allow publication of evidence of defects in Anson aircraft. The government reacted promptly; the Civil Aviation Branch was abolished and the creation of a Department of Civil Aviation received formal approval on 5 December 1938. Seven days later, Mr. Thorby announced the government's intention to establish a permanent Air Court of Inquiry. Source: Aviation Heritage Vol 42 No 3 September 2011, see also Macarthur Job, Disaster In The Dandenongs: The Kyeema Airliner Tragedy, Sierra Publishing (2008), ISBN-10: 0980468647, ISBN-13: 978-0980468649