MacRobertson England to Australia Air Race


Starting from Mildenhall on 20th October 1934, the MacRobertson England to Australia Air Race was in celebration of the centenary of the foundation of the Australian state of Victoria. The race was sponsored by Sir MacPherson Robertson with a prize fund of £15,000.

64 Entrants registered for the race but by start day only 20 presented themselves. Three British crews each raced in DH88 Comets, especially designed for the race. Each Comet was powered by two 232-hp Gipsy six R race engines driving variable pitch propellors.

The race was won by pilots Charles W.A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black, flying a deHaviland DH88 comet named "Grosvenor House" serial no. G-ACSS. The Comet crossed the finish line at 5:34 AM on 23 October 1934, completing the 11,333 miles to Flemington Race Course, Melborne in 70 hours, 54 minutes and 18 seconds. Second place was a DC-2 KLM airliner named "Uiver" (Stork) serial no. PH-AJU flown by the Dutch pilots K.D.Parmentier and J.J.Moll, finishing in 90 hours 17 minutes.

A second all green Comet, G-ACSR, flown by Ken Waller and Owen Cathcart-Jones finished fourth and returned to the UK with film and photographs of the finish. In doing so the set a new there-and-back record of 13 days 6 hours and 43 minutes.

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