There and Back dedicated to Aviation, Airmanship and the Craft of Flying - by Owen Zupp & Robert Brus

In 1919 the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes announced the now famous ‘AIR RACE’. A prize of £10,000 was to be awarded for the first machine to fly from London to Australia in 30 days or less. Taking up the challenge, Ross Smith applied to the British company Vickers to supply a Vickers Vimy bomber [...]

In 1909 and 1910 there was a desperate race to be the first person in Australia to fly in a powered aircraft. The first few flights were made in aeroplanes that had been brought in from overseas, and which only stayed in the air for a few minutes. On 16 July 1910, at Mia Mia [...]

In 1909, Houdini became fascinated with aviation, bought a French Voisin biplane for $5000 and hired a full-time mechanic, Antonio Brassac. The Voisin had been built especially for Houdini in 1909. It weighed 1,350 pounds, “..with Mr. Houdini mounted.” The 8 foot propeller was behind the pilot. The Voisin aircraft resembled an enlarged powered version [...]

The month of July has almost pased us by and Christmas looms ever larger on the horizon. For those with an interest in aviation and/or history, it would be unfair for this month to slip by without making mention of two significant anniversaries. July marked both the centenary of Bleriot’s flight across the English Channel [...]