CAC Plant Reports 1937, numbers 1 – 2

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1924 WGCDR Stanley James Goble and FLTLT Ivor Ewing McIntyre continued their around-Australia flight in Fairey IIID A10-3. Thursday Island was put astern at 6.40 a.m. on 23 April 1924, 17 days after leaving Melbourne, and the Fairey was no longer in pristine condition. With the guns, ammunition, drinking water and extra spares, it was considerably above the manufacturer's maximum allowable weight. As for the weather, it was noted that while a strong surface wind was blowing, the clouds higher up were moving in the opposite direction. At about 8.30 a.m. the engine started misfiring; two valves were sticking badly and considerable vibration was experienced. An hour and a quarter after leaving Thursday Island, the wind changed to the south, making a reduction in speed and a change in course necessary. At 9.20 a.m. the wind veered to SSW and then at 10.40 a.m. to SE. Visibility was hazy and the sea had an eight-foot swell. McIntyre was answering well to the reins and the flight was continued at 500 feet all the way across the Gulf of Carpentaria. When land was sighted it was found that they were only 1-1/2 miles off course after a flight over 410 miles of open sea — surely a rare feat for those days. They headed for Elcho Island where touchdown was made at 11.50 a.m. The beach was soft, sandy and well sheltered from the SE winds. It was impossible to go on to Darwin without adjusting the valves and faulty carburation, and this work was carried on until late at night. Some of the more adventurous aborigines came down and watched them. They ran the engine up in the darkness; it was still coughing and spitting badly, and one native who seemed to know a lot about seaplanes remarked "My crikey, mine tinkit dis feller gottem bad bellyache." But when Goble climbed up to the cockpit and fired a red Verey light into the sky, the natives took to the bush with wild screechings and were not seen again. Source: The First Round-Australia Flight, 1924 by Neville Parnell, AHSA Journal, vol 6, no 12, December 1965

1994 Eric Wheatley (AUS) set a record for Speed over a recognised course (Rotorcraft E-1c, Helicopters: take off weight 1000 to 1750 kg) of 89.04 km/h on 23 Apr 1994. Eric was flying a Robinson R44 Astro from Sydney to Perth. Source: FAI Records website, ID=1328