dehavillandgipsymoth

Once the main airport in Brisbane, Archerfield Airport holds a rich history from the time it was first established in the 1930s. Today, Archerfield Airport serves as a major general aviation airport and secondary airport for the city. Within the property are a licensed pub, aircraft hire, flight training facilities and a heritage-listed cemetery. Its art deco passenger terminal remains intact from the time it was built in 1941. This fully preserved structure pretty much gives the present a glimpse of the past. A public aviation museum also exists within the airport. It was in 1927 when the area was first tested by Captain Lester Brian, chief flying instructor for Qantas Airways, to see if it could be used an airfield. The government purchased the site in 1929 to build the airport and named it Archerfield to distinguish it from the surrounding farmlands. On 1 April 1931, the airport officially opened. Qantas moved its operations from Eagle Farm to Archerfield. Ansett ANA and Trans Australia Airlines also offered regular passenger transport services at the airport. During World War II, Archerfield Airport was abuzz with activity as it became a significant airfield for the military. It hosted the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It was after WWII when the Eagle Farm airport grew in significance and Archerfield got delegated to secondary airport status. The airport turned its focus to flight training afterwards. Today, one of the oldest flying schools in the world, the Royal Queensland Aero Club, still operates at Archerfield. Source: robertsonnews.com.au/rich-history-of-archerfield-airport-...

Royal Queensland Aero Club is the oldest established flying school in the world, this year they will proudly celebrate their 90th anniversary of continuous flying operations. Early members of Royal Queensland Aero Club include many of Australia's most distinguished aviators including Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, Bert Hinkler and Lores Bonney. RQAC has a long association with Qantas, having first signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd (Qantas) on 28th March 1930. In 1940 the RQAC commenced training of Pilots for the Royal Aust Air Force at Archerfield using Club facilities and aircraft. Royal Queensland Aero Club has a proud heritage of aviation training they have not been content with to rest their proud traditions and reputation. As they enter their 91st year of operations RQAC endeavors to provide flight training at the highest standards with an emphasis on continuous improvement at all times. Source: www.bestaviation.net/school/aeroclub_rqac/

These must be the participants of the 1929 Women´s Air Derby.

From left to right: Louise Thaden, Bobbi Trout, Patty Willis, Marvel Crosson, Blanche Noyes, Vera Dawn Walker, Amelia Earhart, Marjorie Crawford, Ruth Elder, Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes. Here's a link to contemporaneous British Pathe / Gaumont newsreel footage of this event: YouTube: British Pathé: TRANSPORT: Aviation: Female pilots (1929) From the linked newsreel footage, we can also see the registration on the rudder of the aircraft, [NC]229K. NC229K was a deHavilland DH.60 Gipsy Moth (c/n 41).

the Ninety-Nines club

this is a great photo, please add it to our group AROUND AUSTRALIA www.flickr.com/groups/australianlandscapes/

Archerfield Airport is a Leased Federal Airport located in Archerfield, 12 km (7.5 mi) to the south of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.[3] For some time it was the primary airport in Brisbane. During World War II it was used as a Royal Australian Air Force station. Airport traffic peaked in the 1980s. In December 2010, a development plan was released for public comment which included a new parallel runway.[4] Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archerfield_Airport

Stinson Crash Site A plaque commemorates the Stinson Air Crash of 1937 and remembers the Stinson as a pathfinder of Australian aviation. On 19th February 1937 Australia was shocked to hear that a Stinson airliner was reported missing on a flight from Brisbane. Bernard O`Reilly of Lamington Plateau decided to search the area where the flight path of the Stinson crossed the McPherson Range. He left the Guesthouse and followed the rugged McPherson Range to the west. He climbed Mt Throakban and sighted a tree 8 kilometers away that appeared to have been burnt. Three hours later a coo-ee startled him and he came upon the crash site to find two men, John Proud and Joe Binstead, still alive after 10 days. Four people died in the crash, including the Flying Officer Beverley Shepherd who was the co-pilot, but he was told of another man Jim Westrey had survived and gone for help. Bernard left the two men at the wreck to seek assistance and as he walked down Christmas Creek he found Westrey`s body. He had died as a result of a fall over a waterfall. Bernard returned with a party including a doctor while local farmers cut 16 kilometers of tracks through the rainforest of Lamington Plateau to rescue the two survivors. Source: www.monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/disaster/aviation/dis...