Compiled by : Atul Dev

A RACE STEEPED IN HISTORY

The London/Sydney Centenary Air Race 2001 follows the tradition of the Great Air Races of 1919 and 1934 -each of them destined to become defining moments in world aviation history.

The pioneering spirit of aviation's early 20th century adventurers will be rekindled in March when a motley fleet of vintage, pre-war and contemporary aircraft rise into the skies near London at the start of the first great air race of the new century.

On March 11, 2001, more than 50 aircraft, ranging from state-of-the-art jets, turbo props and piston-engined types to wire-and-fabric, open cockpit museum pieces, will set off from England's famed World War 2 fighter station at Biggin Hill, in Kent, bound for Sydney as part of celebrations to mark the Centenary of Australia's Federation.

Ahead will lie some 22,000 air kilometres, much of it over some of the most isolated and inhospitable terrain on earth.

A Centenary celebration with a truly international flavour, the 2001 Air Race shares the tradition of two of the most significant events in world aviation history - the pioneering England-Australia air races of 1919 and 1934. In terms of endurance air racing, these two daunting challenges effectively shrunk the globe and opened the public's eyes to the reality of long distance commercial aviation.

The 1919 race had its origins in an offer of a £10,000 prize by the Australian Government to the first Australian to fly from England to Australia.

With the potential of this new form of travel amply demonstrated by the events of World War 1, the Australian government was very conscious of the advantages air links would bring to a nation on the far side of the globe.

The race itself attracted a great deal of interest from Australia's returning World War 1 aviators and it was brothers Ross and Keith Smith, flying a Vickers Vimy bomber, who claimed the prize after completing the journey in just under 28 days.

Not only did the race achieve the Government's aims but it also played a significant part in other aviation developments, including the creation of Australia's national airline Qantas. Unable to compete in the race itself, Qantas founder Hudson Fysh was assigned to survey the race route across Australia. It was during that survey that Fysh and his colleagues realised the advantages air travel could bring to Australia's outback -- and so Qantas was born.

But it was to be the 1934 Great Race which was to capture the imagination of the world, not only highlighting the courage and determination of its competitors but the rapid advances which had been made in air transport since the end of World War 1.

The 1934 race had its origins in a decision by Australian businessman Sir Macpherson Robertson to celebrate the Centenary of the founding of Melbourne by again offering a first prize of £10,000 and a gold cup. Second placegetter would receive £1500 and third £500.

Such was the interest in aviation that almost 60,000 people were at Mildenhall airfield near London to watch the 20 competitors climb away on an October morning in 1934.

In fact the size of the crowd presented its own problems as the Sydney Morning Herald reported:

The crowd broke bounds at a point dangerously near where some of the machines were taking the air. Order was soon restored and the start was effectively completed without incident.

The race had attracted a colourful array of aviators from around the world including well-known American pilot Roscoe Turner, who, thanks to his good looks and colourful flying career, had become a major celebrity in the USA.

English fliers C.W.Scott and Campbell Black, flying a sleek, twin engined Comet, were the early favorites and quickly forged ahead of the pack. By the time they arrived over Melbourne, more than 50,000 people had turned out to see them cross the finish line at Flemington Racecourse. They had completed the journey in seventy one hours.Second place went to a Dutch-entered DC2 named Uiver, which alone would become the focus of a dramatic race finish.

Plugging along in methodical fashion, the DC2, in KLM Royal Dutch Airlines livery was creating its own demonstration of airline efficiency as it followed the high speed path blazed by the Scott and Campbell Black Comet. In fact the Dutch crew, unable to match anything like the speed of the Comet , were reasonably confident that the consistent high speed demanded of the leading aircraft would take its toll on the Comet's engines. That way, hopefully, if they continued to keep to a steady schedule, the race might be theirs.

By the time they had reached the Australian mainland however the battle for first prize was all but over and the Dutchmen settled down to collect second place.

That was until the weather began to enter the equation.

As they headed towards Melbourne on their final leg, severe electrical storms were playing out in south eastern Australia. By the time the DC2 had reached north eastern Victoria the storms had played havoc with their fuel supplies and despite the fact that it was the middle of the night and they were within reach of their final destination, it was obvious they would have to find a place to land.

Turning back towards Albury, on the NSW/Victorian border, the Dutch crew advised Melbourne by radio of their predicament. Alerted to their plight , local council officials increased the street lighting to help the Uiver locate the town in the storm while an Albury radio station broadcast a request for anyone with a motor vehicle to drive urgently to the Albury racecourse - the only reasonable landing field in the area.

By the time the DC2 was overhead scores of Albury residents were using their car headlights to illuminate makeshift racecourse runway and, after a flypast to check landing conditions as best he could, the Dutch captain brought the DC2 in for a smooth touchdown. Not only was it a masterly piece of airmanship but a classic example of the valuable role cities and towns en route were capable of playing in the race itself.

The Dutch crew were back at the aircraft early the following morning, anxious to continue their journey towards second place - only to find the DC2 firmly bogged in the wet ground. Once again the people of Albury responded and ropes and multiple manpower soon had the DC2, now minus every piece of unnecessary cargo to lighten its load, lined up for take off.

Barely clearing the trees at the end of the racecourse, Uiver resumed its journey towards Melbourne and its place in history.

Albury, too, was to thereafter claim a special place in air race history and even today maintains a link with the 1934 race. A DC2 replica of the Uiver, a gift of the Dutch people, had pride of place at the entrance to today's Albury Airport, only a stone's throw from the racecourse where the events of that wild night in 1934 took place.

While no one would expect such a drama to occur during the Centenary Race in 2001, varying terrain and weather conditions on a flight over such a distance are sure to bring their own challenges to the modern day competitors.

And the 2001 Race is exerting a similar magnetism, having captured the imagination of aviation enthusiasts around the globe. Already entries have been received from eleven countries - the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Portugal, France, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia - and more are expected as the event draws closer.

In general terms, the race will follow a track similar to that blazed by the 1919 and 1934 adventurers, along what was to become the famous Kangaroo Route to Australia from the UK and Europe. Crews will visit 30 ports of call between London and Sydney, involving either stopovers or refueling transits in Europe, Egypt, the Middle East Gulf States, Pakistan, India, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and northeastern Australia.

The England/Australia Air Race, to be run as part of Australia's Centenary of Federation celebrations in 2001, will break new barriers in race competition rules, entrant support and technology. Race 'firsts' will include:

• The first race to provide for separate divisions for speed and precision flying, enabling both classifications of entrants to compete for prizes. Those entrants concentrating on speed will fly a handicap reference speed against actual speed while precision fliers will fly a precision course based upon individual flight plans.
• The first race to use state of the art technology based upon satellite determination of the precise crossing of a finish line for each race sector. This innovation will be designed to overcome the problem of air traffic delay at destination airports-a factor, which can significantly disadvantage some entrants, particularly on comparatively short legs.
• The first race in which entrants will be able to nominate two legs which will be dropped from their total score. Given that the race covers thirty individual sectors ranging between 300 and 650 nautical miles, this is designed to ensure a level playing field and that safety is not prejudiced, particularly when factors like weather could disadvantage individual competitors.

The first race to employ a 'mother ship' concept in which a designated aircraft will fly above each leg of the race. The aircraft will be equipped to provide standby communications as well as medical facilities and will be an added safety factor during the event.

Till the time of writing a total of forty-four entry registrations have been received for the race with inquiries still being received daily from prospective entrants, particularly from the United States and UK/Europe. This follows visits to the US and UK/Europe by Race organisers to brief entrants.

An assortment of aircraft - from a vintage amphibian to single and twin piston engined machines--has been entered in the race will start from the famous Biggin Hill aerodrome, near London on March 11, 2001. The event will be run over 28 days, touching on many of the ports made famous during the pioneering days of the Kangaroo Route between England and Australia.

For Updates as the Race Progresses click here.