MAAA Wingspan

32 WING SPAN NOVEMBER ON DECEMBER 10, 1919, THE SMITH BROTHERS COMPLETED THE FIRST ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA AIRCRAFT FLIGHT VIA A VICKERS VIMY. SCRATCH MODELLER, PETER HILL, HAS HONOURED THEIR LEGACY British born, self-confessed ‘rookie scratch-build radio control modeller’, Peter Hill wanted to honour an historic and legendary Aussie aviation adventure. Having emigrated from England to Australia, (and ultimately settling in Adelaide), he learnt about Adelaide-born brothers Ross and Keith Smith and their extraordinary feat completing the first England to Australia manned flight in a Vickers Vimy bomber. It was then, that Peter set about model building the aircraft from scratch. “I came across the Vickers Vimy at Adelaide Airport, where the original aircraft is on display in its own impressive, fully-enclosed glass structure situated near the long-term carpark,” Peter says. “Embedded in the concrete path from the aircraft building to the terminal are little plaques that show the various stops that the plane made.…I just became fascinated by it all and it began to resonate with me; particularly the England to Australia trip and the fact that this was the first aircraft that had successfully made that journey.” For the six competing teams involved in the competition back then, it was a hair-raising journey to win the $10,000 government prize money, with many of the contestants either pulling out or crashing, along with some very unfortunate fatalities. “They set off fromUK in the winter, therefore the flying conditions were horrendous-with their open cockpits, they braved flying in wind, rain and hail for the first part of the trip,” continues Peter. “The two pilots who successfully undertook the trip were the brothers from Adelaide, who made the trip with a couple of mechanics. So, with this England to Adelaide connection, I became really fascinated with the history behind it.” Peter also admits he’s particularly interested in that era of aircraft and has an affinity with bi-planes, warbirds and bombers. “The Vickers Vimy was really designed as a WW1 era bomber, however it never got to see any action because by the time it had been completed the war had come to an end. So, it was kind of a leftover aircraft,” he continues. “I think that’s why it was used for these historical flights. I’m fascinated by that whole era of aviation and loved the appearance of bi-planes and bombers, so all this came together as a fascinating subject for me.” Although he labels himself a rookie, Peter spent much of his childhood perfecting the art of aeromodelling; recreating a legend FROM SCRATCH