Vickers Vimy - Sir Ross and Keith Smith
Aviation developed greatly during World War 1. It was the background of these developments that the Australian Prime Minister, Billy Hughes, in 1919, offered a ten-thousand-pound prize to the first aircrew to fly from England to Australia in less than 30 days.
To undertake the challenge of flying from England to Australia the aircrew of Ross and Keith Smith, Wally Shiers and Jim Bennett selected a Vickers Vimy.
The Vickers Vimy was designed to conduct bombing raids on Germany during World War 1. The plane entered service too late be part of World War 1.
The crew departed in the Vickers Vimy, G-EAOU, from Hounslow in England on 12 November 1919 and arrived in Darwin in Australia on 10 December 1919 completing the 18,250km journey in under 28 days.
After a tour of Australia G-EAOU was displayed in the Australian War Memorial. With the event of World War 2 the War Memorial did not have the space to display G-EAOU. After a public appeal G-EAOU was housed in a dedicated display building in the car park of the Adelaide Airport. It has since been moved into the terminal.
References:
Adelaide Airport website link
