Back Page

A Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon from Number 92 Wing based at RAAF Base Edinburgh conducted a flypast of South Australian and Victorian townships on 23 March 2020, following the same flight-path as the Smith brothers which occurred 100 years to the day. Flying a Vickers Vimy modified bomber, the Smith brothers (Sir Keith Macpherson Smith and Sir Ross Macpherson Smith) were the first to arrive on a history-making flight from England to Australia. Departing England on 12 November, they arrived in Darwin on 10 December 1919 completing the record-breaking flight in only 28 days. They then continued to their hometown Adelaide after flying around the East coast of Australia. The P-8A flight acknowledged the return of the Smith Brothers and their Vickers Vimy to Adelaide on 23 March 1920 marking the 100th Anniversary of their arrival. In acknowledgement of this significant achievement, Number 292 and 11 Squadron aircrew members were custodians of the Smith brother’s pilot wings, entrusted to their care by the Museum of South Australia, to honour the contribution and service of these great Australian aviators in our history. Picture: The Smith brothers’ pilot wings sit on the window ledge of a P-8A Poseidon as it flies past the city of Adelaide during an historic flight marking the 100th anniversary of their arrival to Adelaide. Defence Image. CPL Brenton Kwaterski.

Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes was flying between England and France for the Paris Peace Conference when he came up with the idea of a Great Air Race across the world to Australia. Soaring high above the English Channel, Hughes quickly realised the potential of aviation to unite the Empire and inspire his young nation after a devastating war. So, he offered a £10,000 prize for the first Aussie airmen to fly from London to Darwin in a British-built plane. The catch? They had to land on home soil within 30 days. The critics called the race a “circus” that would surely end in death. Certainly, the journey was not without risk. Despite technological advances during the war, aircraft of the time were rudimentary, fashioned from wood, wire and fabric with open cockpits and only basic navigation. Along parts of the route, crews would be forced to land on short racetracks and hastily cleared jungle. Six Australian crews took up the challenge. And four were led by South Australian men who’d proven their skill and daring on the ground and in the air in WWI. Two crews perished and two others crashed out. The 1919 Air Race captured the imagination of the world. The winning crew – led by South Australian brothers Ross and Keith Smith – flew their Vickers Vimy from England to Australia in 28 days - a journey of more than 14,000 kilometres - to claim victory and the Australian Government’s £10,000 prize.

The Vickers Vimy was designed as a strategic bomber to attack German cities, but arrived too late to enter active service in WWI. With a 68ft (22m) wingspan, the huge biplane had a fuselage that looked like a long, thin cigar. Powered by twin 360-horsepower Rolls-Royce Eagle Mark VIII engines, the Vimy was largely made of spruce pine covered by Irish linen. Picture: Ross & Keith Smith, James Bennett & Walter Shiers with the Vickers Vimy, 1919. Courtesy State Library South Australia.