March 2021 Outlook Newsletter

DerekB29/03/202107/10/2021

The March 2021 edition of Outlook AHSA News has been emailed to members.

A copy can also be downloaded from the Newsletter archive here on the website. Click on the link below to open this edition:

Outlook AHSA Newsletter Volume 37 Number 2 March 2021

1912 Australia's first organised air race was conducted on 29 June 1912, following a delay from the planned date of 15 June caused by bad weather. The American daredevil and pilot Arthur Burr "Wizard" Stone was on a tour of Australia in early 1912 and had challenged the Australian aviator William Hart (who had gained Australia’s No. 1 Pilot’s licence) to a series of three races. The event was staged by Mr. Philip Lytton, a promoter, who signed up Hart and Stone for the "greatest show that Sydney has ever seen". Lytton's event included motorcar and motorcycle races, as well as a model aircraft competition. It was touted as the First International Aviation contest. A whole program of thrilling events at the Ascot racecourse went ahead on 15 June but unfortunately the air race was called off due to bad weather. The air race was rescheduled for a fortnight later and held on 29 June. Hart flew from Surrey Park, Botany, to Parramatta Park in his rebuilt biplane and won. It was arranged that Wizard Stone would depart some five minutes after Hart, since he was flying a Metz Blériot monoplane which was faster than Hart's Bristol Boxkite biplane. However, Stone lost his bearings in clouds and was forced down as his plane was running low on fuel. Stone made the mistake of following the river. The stormy clouds confused him so much that he went westwards and ended up in Lakemba. Hart, being born and raised in Parramatta, knew that best way was to just follow the railway line to the north-west. So, it was on 29th June 1912, that aviator Billy Hart left Botany at 3.30pm and landed in Parramatta Park at 3.54pm, and consequently won the first Australian “International” air race, taking the £250 prize money. Sources: White, Ronald, William Ewart Hart - A Forgotten First; Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences; Parnell, N. and Boughton, T., Flypast, A Record of Aviation in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988 pp. 16-17.