Western Australian Centenary Air Race

Melbourne newspaper article dated 23 September 1929 announcing the race

The Western Australian Centenary Air Race (also known as the East-West Air Race) was a 2,450 miles (3,940 km) air race held in 1929 from Sydney to Perth to commemorate the Western Australia Centenary.[1]

Hereward de Havilland in Perth after taking the fastest overall time prize

The £1000 handicap winner was Horrie Miller[2][3] and the £300 fastest overall time prize was won by Briton Major Hereward de Havilland (22 hours 50 minutes 23 seconds), who flew the course solo, the only competitor to do so, in a modified de Havilland Gipsy Moth.[1]

Determining results in the handicap event was found to be a difficult task, with type of machine, weather conditions, wind direction and strength of wind for each half day's hop, supplemented by times of starting being taken into consideration.

700 people had turned out at Kalgoorlie to see the competitors off on the final leg of the race. Victorian C.D. Pratt and his co-pilot J.R. Guthrie were both seriously injured when their Gipsy Moth Corio crashed near Baandee, 230 kilometres (140 mi) East of Perth. Weather conditions after leaving Tammin were said to be atrocious, with at least one forced landing and one crash.

The 17 teams left from Mascot in Sydney on 29 September 1929 and 14 managed to finish at Maylands Aerodrome on Sunday 7 October.[4][5]

Fastest times

  1. H. de Havilland (22 hours 50 minutes 23 seconds)
  2. Heath (23.24.51)
  3. Miller (23.31.58)
  4. Cunningham (26.56.52)
  5. Pentland (27.14.44)
  6. Eaton (28.17.30)
  7. McKay (29.23.10)
  8. Bardsley (29.37.58)
  9. Davies (29.32.54)
  10. Manifold (30.31.58)
  11. Farmer (31.35.7)
  12. Knapman (32.4.49)
  13. Lee Murray (32.30.0)
  14. Penny (32.56.20)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "East-West Air Race Ends". The Age. 7 October 1929. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  2. ↑ H.C. Miller – Horrie Miller and the centenary air race of 1929. Sunday Independent (23 hours 31 minutes 58 seconds), 16 Dec. 1984, p. 18
  3. ↑ Western Australian Aviators Hall of Fame
  4. ↑ "AIR RACE.". The Advertiser. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 19 September 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  5. ↑ "Klems Heavy Task". The Age. 1 October 1929. Retrieved 2008-10-29.

Further reading

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