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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0536.PDF
GPOGHT which has been the reward of these two pilots has encouraged others to face the difficulties, financial as well as geographical, of getting an aviation industry going in Australia. This emerges from a letter from a corre spondent in Western Australia, in which he advises us that a new machine has just been completed by a small syndicate at Kalgoorlie. Few details are available yet beyond the fact that the machine is a tractor biplane with a span of—upper plane 34 ft., lower plane 30 ft., area 380 sq. ft., and a speed of about 50 m.p.h. The engine is a 50 h.p. Gnome. With the exception of the motor and the wire strainers every part of the machine has been locally made, and hence the claim of the constructors that this is the first aeroplane built in Australia by Australians and of Australian material. XXX The pilot of this new Australian machine is Mr. A. E. Geere, who will be remembered by many readers from his stay at Brooklands, where he took his " ticket" on a Vickers monoplane in, I think, September, 1912. After leaving the Vickers school Mr. Geere joined the Avro school at Shoreham in June, 1913, where he was manager and instructor until the school broke up. XXX The first flight of the new machine was from a point three miles east of Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie, where a landing was made in Bayley Street. A few days later, on June 10th to be exact, Mr. Geere attempted another trip from Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie. He had covered a dis tance of about eight miles when his engine began to show symptoms of lung trouble, which gradually grew worse until it coughed itself to a standstill. It was then that the first serious trouble began, for the ground below being not exactly like a billiard table, a forced landing had to be made at the first available spot, which proved to be a scrubby patch on which a flying squirrel might have made a successful landing, but not an aeroplane. However, everything considered, Mr. Geere was pretty lucky as the only damage done was a broken wing tip. A lorry was obtained on which the machine was loaded for transport back to Coolgardie, but whether it was because the horses saw a rival in the new-fangled thing on the lorry or simply from pure "cussedness," they bolted into the bush and banged the machine against the trees with such thoroughness that pretty bad damage accrued to the JULY 23, 1915. framework, putting it out of commission for some time. In no way disheartened, however, repairs are already well forward, and presently it is intended to make a flight from Coolgardie to Perth. Provided this is suc cessful, it is on the cards it may help a long way towards selling one or more of the machines to the Commonwealth. One hopes that the initial hard luck will not pursue the machine in the future, and that the enthusiasts who built it may find the financial backing that will enable them to continue their good work. XXX Strolling along in the enclosures up at Hendon the other day thoroughly enjoying the flying and various other "exhibits," I unexpectedly chanced upon an old acquaintance whom I had imagined to be miles away somewhere in . However, there was not the slightest doubt about it, the hearty handshake and the familiar smiling face both belonged to Flight Sub-Lieut. J. Rose, erstwhile one of the valuable instructors at the Hall school. Later on, over "the cup that cheers, but, &c.," I learned that Rose had been having some quite exciting experiences, although from the modest and unassuming way in which he let them drop out one hardly realised that he was not relating everyday occurrences that might have happened to everyone. Notwithstanding his many little awkward happenings, he is in the very pink of con dition and apparently enjoying himself immensely, which is good hearing to convey to his friends, who are many. XXX Mr. J, L. Hall came in for a good deal of " ragging " the other day when he turned up at the aerodrome in a— well, I won't mention what car, but it was one of those which, rightly or wrongly, everyone is supposed to possess. Hall drove the thing with such an appearance of owner ship that he really succeeded in giving the impression that he had bought it, and as a consequence he was the object of much sympathy from a number of friends, who, one and all, gave him a hearty cheer when, after a some what fierce struggle, he managed to get into reverse under loud protestations from a mulishly obstinate gear-box. However, having demonstrated that he has a fund of real resource, I hear that Hall has now gone back to his ever-ready and reliable Sheff.Simp., which has had a short spell for overhauling and is now going, if possible, better than ever. " ^EOLUS." " Flight " Copyright. A contingent of the Queen's Surreys, at Hendon, testing the holding capacity of the Grahame - White "char-a-bancs." M. Osipenko, the Russian pilot, is in the pilot's seat. 536
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