Centenary of Australia's first Scheduled Air Service, Dec 1921, being celebrated a little early

[onetrack]

Today, a group of 55 aviators in 23 aircraft, have commenced a Commemorative air trip to celebrate Australia's first scheduled air service - the regular flight service from Geraldton (W.A.) to Derby (W.A.), by the-then Major Norman Brearley, and three aircraft of his fledgling Western Australian Airways, on 5th Dec 1921.

The commemorative trip is being carried out more than three months early, to avoid the Wet season and the extreme heat of the North of W.A. in December.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-16/brearley-commemorative-flight/100463236

 

It's not well known that Major Brearley beat QANTAS by nearly a year in starting up Australia's first scheduled air service. But the first trip to the North of W.A. in three Bristol Tourers (G-AUDG, G-AUDI & G-AUDK) by the fledging airline, resulted in a terrible tragedy, when G-AUDI crashed for no apparent reason, at Murchison House Station at Kalbarri, after circling another Bristol, G-AUDG, which had made an emergency landing with engine problems, on a bank of the Murchison River.

 

The crash of the Bristol Tourer G-AUDI, resulting in the deaths of Pilot Bob Fawcett and mechanic Edward Broad, resulted in Brearley suspending W.A. Airways operations for many months, while Brearley attended to improvements in landing grounds in the Northern areas to ensure an increased level of safety. Many of the early landing grounds were "rudimentary", to say the least.

 

W.A. Airways scheduled services recommenced again on 21st Feb 1922, but only on the shortened Geraldton-Port Hedland sector. The full Geraldton-Derby service was not re-instated until 3rd March 1922.

 

It's pretty unfortunate that Brearleys scheduled air service started off so badly, and QANTAS' scheduled air service in November 1922, has been more often seen as Australia's first scheduled air service.

But Brearley and his pilots were gallant and true aviation pioneers (along with their passengers!), and the history of W.A. Airways must not be forgotten, when it comes to remembering these brave men and their pioneering, if somewhat unreliable aircraft.

 

The crash of G-AUDI was eventually deemed pilot error, in that Bob Fawcett had apparently banked too steeply whilst examining a landing area, and had stalled the aircraft from a height of about 50 feet.

 

Triumph to Tragedy - Remembering the pilot and mechanic killed in Australia's first scheduled air service - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-12/murchison-air-crash-grave-revamp/10221318

 

Aviation Pioneers of the Outback - https://www.outbackfamilyhistoryblog.com/aviation-pioneers-of-the-outback-of-wa/

 

"Weekend News" Flashback - Sir Norman Brearley and W.A.Airways - https://catalogue.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b1908687

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by onetrack

[poteroo]

11 hours ago, onetrack said:

 

 

The crash of G-AUDI was eventually deemed pilot error, in that Bob Fawcett had apparently banked too steeply whilst examining a landing area, and had stalled the aircraft from a height of about 50 feet

Good post onetrack.

 

Pilots continue to lose control when 'inspecting' potential airstrips from seriously low level. What you can't see from 150-200 ft agl isn't really much: because lower down you need to have your eyes ahead and cannot devote time to any 'strip inspection'.    

[Thruster88]

When it comes to stall spin accidents nothing has changed in the last hundred years.

[facthunter]

It's something you, as the pilot, cause. It's not inevitable. Nev