Not all the planning for the event sounded quite so romantic. In the slipstream of aviation pioneers, the World Vintage Air Rally will retrace part of the Empire Mail Route to commemorate the golden years of flying. Man will become one with machine travelling over 10,000 miles competing for the championship all the way, and enduring every kind of weather condition, experiencing the challenge and difficulties a vintage aircraft may encounter. To generate interest from participants the promoters claimed that Nonetheless, Canberra’s involvement in the air rally was secured by having one of it’s residents as a competitor and support through local sponsorship. Beech 35 Bonanza aircraft with rejected livery design vii. We can see from newspaper reports of the event and from photos that Dr Skotnicki’s Bonanza ended up flying under the name of 'Soul of Canberra' vi, the name displayed much more modestly than was originally proposed and placed towards the front of the plane. It isn’t revealed in the file who had the final say on the livery, or how the decision was made, but neither of these two suggestions were taken up. The Bureau suggested that their new logo, 'Canberra, the Natural Capital', might be a better option. He included an image of how he thought the plane would be decked out in his correspondence to the CTDB, with “CANBERRA” written in bold type along the fuselage. Dr Skotnicki had also intended to take the plane to various Australian air shows following the vintage air rally. The CTDB agreed to provide sponsorship having been assured that the aircraft would carry Canberra signage and that the event would receive generous exposure from media in Australia and abroad. His was just one of seven of the same model aircraft that took part in the rally. The ’Bonanza’ he referred to was the aircraft he chose to fly, an early model Beech 35 Bonanza built in 1948. In a letter to the Bureau he said ‘it would be a privilege to carry the Canberra livery on the fuselage of my vintage Bonanza v. A file was raised when Dr Skotnicki asked for financial support from the Canberra Tourism Development Bureau (CTDB). Dr Antek Skotnicki registered for the event and decided to seek sponsorship from Canberra-based businesses and organisations.
It was an enticing challenge for one Canberra resident. In true adventurer style, the key characteristics to be demonstrated by competitors were mutual assistance, safety and comradeship the ‘real victory will be to reach Brisbane and one of us will just happen to win the points prize’. In information forwarded to potential competitors, the event organisers were keen to point out that the event was not a race, but an ‘air adventure of a lifetime’ that would test each pilot’s flying and planning abilities.Ĭompetitors must assess the speed and characteristics of their aircraft, make a judgement on the delays likely to be encountered enroute and predict the elapsed time for each leg exactly as pioneers had to do in the days before radio to avoid unnecessary searches for “lost” aircraft.
We have selected a file that reveals details about the planning for this event, and the participation of an entrant from Canberra, for our January Find of the Month. Hans had previously made a name for himself by circumnavigating the Australian continent in an open powered boat and by completing the first transcontinental journey in a solar powered car ii, while Lang had organised various expeditions in New Guinea and Australia iii. Not content with a rally that included the latest in aeronautics, Hans Tholstrup and Lang Kidby planned a rally for vintage aircraft built prior to 1950. In 1990 two well known Australian adventurers set about organising an air rally from England to Australia.
January 2020 An Air Adventure of a Lifetime The 1990 World Vintage Air Rally.Īirmen and airwomen have always been an adventurous lot.
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