Connecting the Nation

Connecting the Nation
Author: Paul Ashton
Publisher: UTS ePRESS
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2017-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0994503954

Aviation has played an important part in shaping Australia’s culture and history through the course of the twentieth century. Australia embraced aviation from its earliest days, eagerly responding to its potential to cover a challenging country, to bring far-flung communities closer and to provide services that could not be delivered any other way. Add the romance of pioneer heroes, the vital role of aviation in wartime and the capacity to deliver aid to people in need in Australia and beyond, and it is clear why aviation is at the heart of Australia’s recent history. This book aims to set out the major themes that characterise Australia’s aviation history for a broad audience and to provide a foundation for a broader discussion, and for further research, about how aviation transformed Australia. Connecting the Nation is a vital and timely introduction to the history of civil aviation in Australia as we prepare for the centenary of civil aviation services in 2020.

The Forgotten Giant of Australian Aviation

The Forgotten Giant of Australian Aviation
Author: Peter Yule
Publisher: Hyland House Publishing
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2001
Genre: Aeronautics
ISBN: 9781864470178

This book tells the full story of ANA, the forgotten giant of Australian aviation. Told through the eyes of ANA's pilots, hostesses, engineers and other staff, there are many humorous and dramatic stories, including the pioneering Bass Strait flights of the early 1930s, submarine hunting in DC-3s in 1939-40, a unique courier service to Manila in 1945, some extraordinary migrant charters in the late 1940s, and evacuation flights ahead of the advancing Communists in 1949. As well as describing ANA's key role in the development of safe and reliable intercapital routes, this book covers the airline's lesser known services including the 'Gulf run', the aerial ambulance out of Cairns, and the Riverina milk runs. Filling a major gap in Australian aviation history, this book will make fascinating reading for aviation enthusiasts, students of history and the general reader alike.

Aviation in Australia

Aviation in Australia
Author: Jill Blee
Publisher: Exisle Publishing
Total Pages: 98
Release: 2007
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1921497750

When the first hot-air balloons took to the air, the quest to build machines that could carry people safely across the skies captured the imagination of the world. It triggered a surge of daring and ingenuity that saw technological barriers tumble, and by World War One, man was using aeroplanes in combat. Among these young men in their flying machines were Australians Richard Williams, Hudson Fysh, Ross and Keith Smith, Bert Hinkler and Charles Kingsford Smith, who would all become household names on their return home. From becoming the 'father of the RAAF' to winning the inaugural London to Australia air race, from founding Qantas to being the first to cross the Pacific Ocean, these were some of the men who placed Australia at the forefront of the aviation industry. AVIATION IN AUSTRALIA tells their stories but also looks at more recent events that have seen the demise of icons such as Ansett and the rise of new players in this most competitive of industries. This book is part of Exisle Publishing's Little Red Books series. Every title in the Little Red Books series provides an overview of key events, people or places in Australian history. They cover the essentials, bringing the reader up to speed on the most important, fascinating or intriguing facts. Appealing to everyone from students to pensioners who've always wanted to "know a bit about that", they're an essential part of every Australian bookshelf.

Aircraft of The Royal Australian Air Force

Aircraft of The Royal Australian Air Force
Author: Air Force History Branch
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 644
Release: 2021-06-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1922488046

Aircraft of The Royal Australian Air Force tells the story of the RAAF’s first one hundred years by describing the acquisition, operation, and service record of the multitude of aircraft types flown by the RAAF. The 176 aircraft types include the flimsy wood and canvas aircraft typical of World War I, through the technological advances during and after World War II, to modern fifth-generation, complex aircraft like the F-35 Lightning II. Even before its formation Sir Richard Williams, the Father of the RAAF, had decided to employ an alpha-numeric numbering system to identify and account for each aircraft in service. This system started with A1, A2, A3 etc as each type of aircraft came into service. Each individual aircraft within each series was identified as A1-1, A1-2 and so on and the aircraft serial became known colloquially as the ‘A-number’. With some exceptions over the century since the A-number system started, aircraft entered RAAF service in broadly the sequence of the A-numbers, and so this book is intended to assist in charting the 100-year history of the RAAF by listing aircraft operated in A-number sequence, rather than by listing them by role (such as Fighter, Bomber, Maritime, Trainer, Transport etc) or alphabetically by name or by manufacturer. The inclusion of a comprehensive Index and the Quick Reference Guide to aircraft by role is intended to facilitate the location of the entry for any specific type of aircraft for those who may not already know its A-number. Aircraft of The Royal Australian Air Force is a must have for all those who have served in the RAAF, those with a passion for military aviation and aircraft in general, and the broader members of the public wishing to gain an appreciation of the Royal Australian Air Force in its centenary year.

Viking Boys

Viking Boys
Author: John Quaife
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2022-02-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1922615412

An Australian attack aircraft flies into a ship with guns blazing. Both crewmen are killed, but does anyone notice? At the entrance to Orsta fjord, down an overgrown path, a granite stone stands on a rocky outcrop at the water’s edge. Roughly inscribed in English, it records the loss of two young Australians. The stone was erected in 1947 by parents grieving the loss of their son. Each year villagers of Orsta pay homage to the sacrifice of these two young Australians who died to restore their freedom. Beaufighter pilot James Hakewill and his navigator Fred Sides died on 5 December 1944 when their aircraft slammed into a German gunboat in a fjord in Norway. Official records contain no mention of the aircraft hitting the ship. No one in the squadron knew what had happened. Neil Smith thought he had shot down his wingman. Kurt Heinowitcz from Breslau shovelled coal for the German Navy – he was on the gunboat. Fred’s mum believed her son had survived the crash and was lost in Russia. James was nominated for the Victoria Cross. Viking Boys tells their stories and reveals the experience of young Australians who fought and flew against German shipping in the fjords of Norway – and called themselves the Viking Boys.

King of the Air

King of the Air
Author: Ann Blainey
Publisher: Black Inc.
Total Pages: 442
Release: 2021-08-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1743820712

A revealing portrait of a brilliant and troubled figure – a daredevil of the sky Charles Kingsford Smith was the most commanding flyer of the golden age of aviation. In three short years, he broke records with his astounding and daring voyages: the first trans-Pacific flight from America to Australia, the first circumnavigation around the equator, the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland. He did it all with such courage, modesty and charm that Australia and the world fell in love with him. He became a national hero, ‘Our Smithy’. Yet his achievements belied a traumatic past. He had witnessed the horror of World War I – first as a soldier at Gallipoli, later as a combat pilot with the Royal Flying Corps – and, like so many of his generation, he bore physical and emotional scars. The public saw the derring-do; only those close to him knew the anxious man who pushed himself to the edge of health and sanity. In November 1935, Kingsford Smith’s plane crashed and he was lost at sea near Burma, his body never to be recovered. This brilliant work from one of Australia’s foremost biographers reveals the complicated, tumultuous life of a fascinating figure, who pursued his obsession to the greatest heights of fame and catastrophe Ann Blainey is the author of the acclaimed I Am Melba, which won the 2009 National Biography Award and was the most popular book in the 2009 State Library of Victoria Summer Reads program. Her other books include biographies of Leigh Hunt and the Kemble sisters. ‘Brilliant ... Blainey’s fascinating book focuses on the inner as well as the outer man. While Smithy’s career highlights may be well known, his ambiguous relationship with fame, his drinking, and his doubts and fears were not. In this beautifully written, scrupulously researched and meticulously indexed work, Blainey has filled this gap to perfection.’ —Ross Fitzgerald, The Weekend Australian 'Crisply written ... Even people not particularly interested in the feats of aviators will find this book an engrossing read.' —Jim Davidson, The Sydney Morning Herald ‘Blainey is a pleasure to read and this biography is superbly researched’ —Michael McGirr, Australian Book Review

Charles Ulm

Charles Ulm
Author: Rick Searle
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2018-07-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 1760636630

Charles Ulm and Charles Kingsford Smith were two of the most important pioneers of Australian aviation. Together they succeeded in a number of record-breaking flights that made them instant celebrities around the world, notably the first ever trans-Pacific flight, then setting up Australian National Airways in late 1928. Smithy was the face of the airline, happier in the cockpit or in front of an audience than in the boardroom; Ulm was in his element as managing director. Smithy had the charisma and public acclaim, Ulm the tenacity and organisational skills. In 1932, Kingsford Smith received a knighthood for his services to flying; Ulm did not. Setbacks and tragedies followed, as Ulm tried to develop the embryonic Australian airline industry. ANA was at first successful, but a catastrophic crash and the increasing bite of the Great Depression forced it into bankruptcy in 1933. Desperate to drum up support for a new airline, Ulm's final flight was meant to demonstrate the potential for a regular trans-Pacific passenger service. Somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii his plane, Stella Australis, disappeared. No trace of the plane or crew was ever found. In the years since his death, attention has focused more and more on Smithy, leaving Ulm neglected and overshadowed. In this essential biography, Rick Searle shows that while Ulm lacked Smithy's prowess as an aviator, he was his superior as a visionary, and a driving force behind the growth of modern global air travel. His untimely death robbed Australia of a huge talent.

Flying the Southern Cross

Flying the Southern Cross
Author: Michael Molkentin
Publisher: National Library Australia
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2012
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 064227746X

In 1928, Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm made the first trans-Pacific flight in the Southern Cross - an aircraft constructed largely of wood and fabric. They made the trip from Oakland, California, in nine days, during which they faced electrical storms, torrential rain, equipment failure, and fuel shortages. Navigational aids were primitive - contact with the outside world was by Morse code only - and safety measures were non-existent. After many close calls, they triumphantly landed in Brisbane, where a crowd of 15,000 welcomed them as heroes. Throughout this extraordinary journey, Ulm kept a logbook in which he recorded his raw impressions of the flight. Using Ulm's logbook, plus contemporary newspaper accounts and official documents, Flying the Southern Cross tells the gripping tale of this history-making flight, and the aviators who made it happen.