While we were staying with Unka Ray and Aunty Libby they took us on a trip to Bundaberg to see the Hinkler Museum. This is a great museum. It tells the story of Bert Hinkler, a famous pioneer aviator who was born in Bundaberg in 1892. He served in the Royal Naval Air Service in World War 1, and after the war became the chief test pilot for A.V. Roe in Southampton, UK. The museum has replicas of all of his aircraft. My favourite is this one, the Avro Baby. Hinkler set two records with this aircraft; Croydon (London) to Turin (Italy) non-stop on 31 May 1920 and Sydney to Bundaberg non-stop on 11 April 1921. Both of these flights were spectacular at the time, both over 1,000 km non-stop in a single day. As you can see, there are not many instruments in the cockpit. Just compare that with modern aeroplanes. Actually, the thing that impressed me was that there is space behind the little windscreen just the right size for a small bear to sit comfortably. Hinkler could easily have carried one as a mascot.
Labels: aircraft, heroes, Queensland
# posted by Bart Bear @ 5:23 pm
