18 months ago Tim Weert floated the idea of a group of Europas flying from
London to Melbourne on the 75th Anniversary of the Great London to Melbourne
(McRobertson) Air Race of 1934, won by one of 3 specially designed (& built
in 9 months!) twin engined racing aircraft - the De Havilland Comet. Twenty
aircraft took part and 11 finished. There were 5 compulsory stops - Baghdad,
Allahabad, Singapore,Darwin and Charleville, which makes something close to
a straight line on a conventional map of the world.
The key planning decisions so far are:
(1) That each plane would have only one pilot, the other seat being taken up
by a specially constructed long range fuel tank containing around 110 litres
to give sufficient range to be able to avoid places where the natives are
not friendly!
(2) It will be a one way trip with the planes being shipped back in
containers from Oz
(3) We should go in March to get the best overall weather along the route
(4) Although keen to follow the original route as nearly as possible,
Baghdad will be avoided!
(5) We are looking at somewhere between 14 and 17 days of actual flying,
depending a bit whether the whole fleet is 914 equipped or not.
Tim has since had to back out because of work and family pressures,
and at the moment it looks as though two planes only are likely to go. We
would very much welcome any additional person looking for a real challenge.
There is sufficient necessary planning and preparation that I estimate
participation needs a decision before the end of the year. If possibly
interested please contact me off list.
Regards, David Joyce, G-XSDJ
Tel 01454 260542
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