Timeline

Australian Government announces a Great Air Race

March 19, 1919

The Australian Government announces a £10,000 prize for the first Australians to fly from Britain to Australia. It̵

May 22, 1919

The Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom announces the official rules for the Great Air Race from Britain to Australia.

Sydney, Australia

June 7, 1919

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a group of young Australian aviators are set to leave England for a pioneering fl

Eight competitors line up for Great Air Race

August 14, 1919

Australia’s acting Prime Minister William Watt tells parliament it’s understood that eight entries have been

Four flight crew members standing in front of the large bi-plane

Hounslow, England

November 12, 1919

South Australian brothers Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith, with mechanics Wally Shiers (SA) and Jim Bennett (Vic), departed

Lyons, France

November 12, 1919

After six hours and 20 minutes of flying in freezing temperatures, the Vimy finally touched down in Lyons (pictured circ

Image: The famous cylindrical tower, leaning to the right with puddles forming on the ground in front.

Pisa, Italy

November 13, 1919

The day started with a frustrating few hours for the Vimy crew as they tried to source fuel and hot water for the radiat

Rome, Italy

November 15, 1919

At first light, Ross Smith arrived at the water-logged Pisa aerodrome to find the Vimy still hopelessly bogged. So he ca

Taranto, Italy

November 16, 1919

Ross Smith and the Vickers Vimy crew left Rome in poor weather and set a course for Taranto, 260 miles away in southern

Suda Bay, Crete

November 17, 1919

The Vimy crew almost crashed into cliffs off the coast of Greece as Ross Smith battled driving rain and dense mist on th

Cairo, Egypt

November 18, 1919

Ross Smith and his Vickers Vimy crew had a highly-eventful, 650-mile flight across the Mediterranean from Crete to Cairo

Damascus, Syria

November 19, 1919

Ross Smith flew from Cairo to Damascus on the seventh, 450-mile leg of the epic flight. The Vimy crew was now a quarter

Image: Black and White photograph showing biplane with clouded sunset. Shadows of men gathered by the right wing

Ramadi, Iraq

November 20, 1919

Grease was lathered over the Vimy’s wheels to enable Ross Smith to take off from the muddy aerodrome in Damascus d

Image: Biplane on flat desert landscape. Tent off in the distance with armed guards.

Basra, Iraq

November 21, 1919

The Smith crew repaired the Vimy’s ailerons and wires after the night’s raging sandstorm before setting off

Bandar Abbas, Persian Gulf

November 23, 1919

Ross Smith and the Vickers Vimy crew flew 630 miles from Basra to Bandar Abbas to complete the 10th leg of their epic jo

Karachi, Pakistan

November 24, 1919

When Ross Smith left Bandar Abbas bound for Karachi 730 miles away, he carried a small hand-written note from the Britis

Image: men standing around the tail of a biplane.

Delhi, India

November 25, 1919

Ross Smith made a 7.40am start from Karachi, circling above the desert aerodrome before turning the Vickers Vimy east to

Allahabad, India

November 27, 1919

Ross Smith departed Delhi at 10.20am, feeling “the keenness of the chase” to overtake French aviator and rog

Calcutta, India

November 28, 1919

Ross Smith landed in Calcutta at 1.30pm after a relatively easy five-hour flight from Allahabad, only to learn that R

Akyab, Burma Coast

November 29, 1919

The Vickers Vimy crew almost met with disaster on takeoff from Calcutta (modern-day Kolkata) on 29 November 1919, when t

Image: Biplane on open field surrounded by onlookers

Rangoon, Burma

November 30, 1919

On the afternoon of 30 November 1919, excited citizens in the Burmese city of Rangoon (modern day Yangon, Myanmar) were

Bangkok, Thailand

December 1, 1919

The Vimy crew landed at Bangkok’s Don Muang airport at 12.55pm after a hair-raising, six-hour flight at 11,000ft o

Singora, Malaysia

December 2, 1919

The Vimy crew was escorted out of Bangkok by four Siamese aircraft, before encountering shocking monsoonal rains on the

Image: Close up of Biplane with rags covering wheels and the engines. One of the crew is looking into the cockpit from the wing.

Singapore

December 4, 1919

Ross Smith spent his 27th birthday flying over paddy fields, scattered villages and coastline from Singora to Singapore.

Kalidjati (Java)

December 6, 1919

Ross Smith and the Vimy crew had some “breathless moments” as they just cleared the rails on takeoff from th

Image: Javan locals assisting with a bogged biplane

Surabaya, Java

December 7, 1919

Ross Smith made the 350-mile flight from Kalidjati to Surabaya in a relatively easy four hours and 20 minutes. Then the

Bima, Sumbawa

December 8, 1919

Keith Smith came up with a clever idea to get the Vickers Vimy out of a Surabaya bog. “Why not construct a roadway

Atamboea, Timor

December 9, 1919

Ross Smith and his Vickers Vimy crew were now just a day’s flight from Darwin, after making a 440-mile journey ove

Port Darwin, Northern Territory

December 10, 1919

South Australian brothers Ross and Keith Smith, with their mechanics Wally Shiers and Jim Bennett, enter the history boo

Warlock Ponds, northern territory

December 13, 1919

Mechanical troubles began not long after the Vickers Vimy set out on its long journey south from Port Darwin. After abou

Cobb’s Creek, Northern Territory

December 14, 1919

Mosquitos kept the Vimy crew awake until after sun-up, so take-off from Warlock Ponds was delayed until 10am. Disaster s

Anthony’s Lagoon, Northern Territory

December 17, 1919

At 6pm, the exhausted Vimy crew departed Cobb’s Creek for a 15-minute flight to the Anthony’s Lagoon station

Image: A new propeller for the biplane that is twice as tall a man.

Charleville, Queensland

December 25, 1919

On Christmas Day 1919, the Vimy suffered almost catastrophic engine failure as Ross Smith attempted to depart Charlevill

Bourke, NSW

February 12, 1920

After a 52-day delay caused by major engine woes, the Vimy crew finally took off for Bourke on 12 February 1920. Ross an

Sydney, NSW

February 14, 1920

The Vimy crew landed to a heroes’ welcome at Sydney’s Mascot airfield at 11.12am. Ross had agreed to drop le

Sydney, NSW

February 17, 1920

Vimy mechanic Wally Shiers and his sweetheart Helena Alford were married at a swish garden party in Sydney on the mornin

Melbourne, Victoria

February 25, 1920

The Vimy crew, with cameraman Frank Hurley in the front cockpit, left Henty at 6am bound for Point Cook. Aircraft spare

Image: biplane landing with people watching

Adelaide, South Australia

March 23, 1920

After nearly a month in Melbourne, the Vimy left on the last leg to Adelaide. All four crew were aboard, plus Frank Hurl

Point Cook, Victoria

April 5, 1920

On Easter Monday 1920 the Vickers Vimy made its final flight, from Adelaide back to Point Cook in Melbourne. Sir Ross Sm

Australian Air Force established

March 31, 1921

The Australian Air Corps – a temporary Army unit raised 15 months earlier – was disbanded in 1921 and replac

Death of Sir Ross Smith and James Bennett

April 13, 1922

Sir Ross Smith and his loyal friend and mechanic Jim Bennett were killed while test flying a Vickers Viking amphibious a

Funeral of Sir Ross Smith

June 15, 1922

More than 100,000 people (one fifth of the state’s population) reportedly lined the streets of Adelaide to honour Sir

Marriage of Sir Keith Smith to Lady Anita

June 3, 1924

Sir Keith Smith married Lady Anita on 3 June 1924 at the District of Kensington Register Office in London. Anita Crawfor

Dedication of Sir Ross Smith Statue

December 10, 1927

A Shilling Fund was established in the wake of Sir Ross Smith’s tragic death in 1922 for the creation of a monumen

Death of Sir Keith Smith

December 19, 1955

After a brief battle with cancer, Sir Keith Smith died at the St Vincent Private Hospital in Sydney on 19 December 1955.

Vickers Vimy Memorial opens in Adelaide

April 27, 1958

The Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith War Memorial was officially unveiled at Adelaide Airport on 27 April 1958 by the father

Death of Walter “Wally” Shiers

June 2, 1968

Wally Shiers died of heart failure in his brother’s home in the Adelaide suburb of Hilton on 2 June 1968. He was 79. H

Smith brothers inducted into Australian Aviation Hall of Fame

September 15, 2012

Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith were among giants of the Australian aviation industry to be named as inaugural inductees in

Vickers Vimy relocation plan announced

May 11, 2019

Ahead of Australia’s 2019 federal election it was announced that a new state-of-the-art facility would be built fo

Wally Shiers and Jim Bennett inducted into Australian Aviation Hall of Fame

November 16, 2019

Ross Smith’s mechanics Jim Bennett and Wally Shiers were inducted into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame at a c