Evening star., 1942-08-09
AustruIiu's Airmen
Were Pioneers
BIZ Frederic J. Hnskin.

| Australia claims that It's wedge-tailed
| eagle is the largest bird Of its kind In the
| world, veritable king of the air. So,
| from the land that produces the largest
eagle come birdmen who today are flying
over the continents Of Europe, Asia.
| Africa, North America and Australia.
| Flyers of Australia took to the air in the
present war as If it were the natural
habitat of young and vigorous people
| long waiting for an opportunity for world
| service.
Not so old as interesting is the story
| behind Australian flyers. In 1878 Law
renee Hargrave invented flying machines
while he was an assistant at Sydney
! Observatory, and In 1899 invented the
rotary airplane engine. At that time the
| famous Wright brothers, Orville and
| Wilbur, were toying with the same ex-
| periments in the United States In 1900
Wilbur Wright asked Hargrave permis-
sion to use some of his patents and was
| informed that he could make whatever
use he desired Of the Hargrave tnven-
tions. In this way Australia contributed
to the development Of air planes In the
| United States.
BY the time the Wright brothers had
| demonstrated to the world new mode
of travel and weapon OF war, Australia
had decided it should have flying corps.
This was established in 1912, COM
mendable record for a very young coun-
try. and one Of Australians airdromes OF
today was the nucleus of that school.
The beginning was modest. extremely SO.
for the first equipment consisted OF only
five planes manufactured in another
country. Two of the planes had only
10 h.p. motors, one had so hip. motor
and two were equipped with IS h.p.
motors.
With a few small tents, plus cratings,
in which the machines came from Eng
land, and much enthusiasm, the AUS
tralian Air Force had its beginning. This
would-be pilots, with few hours train
ing, began solo flights and were soon
airmen-that is If they survived. Many
did not, but the building up Of Australas
Air Force went on, and 1t has been grow
ing larger and correspondingly more
effective since that time. Plane produc-
ton, too, in Australia Is going forward
at an unprecedented rate.
When Germany launched the First
World War in 1914, Australia was the
only British dominion to have flying
corps. The corps saw service In the
Middle East and in Europe, destroying
276 enemy planes, and driving 25l others
out of combat action. Australia lost
only 60 planes After this commendable
record the Australian Air Force, which
until that time had not been much more
than a name, was highly recognized and
signally honored by being officially
designated as the Royal Australian Air
Force.
When the present worldwide conflict
started, Australia was again the nrst
British dominion to enter the air IN the
defense Of the empire and democracy. A
curious turn of events occurred In this
connection Immediately before the out
break of hostilities, the Australian gov
eminent had purchased q number OF
planes from England and had sent pilots
! for them At the very time the pilots
were in England, and about ready to
take new wings back to Australia, the
war started and England decided that
|
pilots. With Australia's consent both
were kept, and it was largely in this way
that Australians we're among the drst
to take the air against European
dictators.
Many of the Australian flyers who
went to England for planes and found
themselves engulfed in a war have made
their final landing, but the remainder arc
still doing air combat duty. These flyers
have record to which they can point
with pardonable pride, for they have
helped to fight of German planes SEEK
ing to attack conveys, sunk many Ger
man submarines, rescued survivors OF
torpedoed merchant vessels, carried
British government and war leaders to
various parts of the world on important
missions and have travelled well over
100000 miles doing patrol duty.
When England saw that the plane was
destined to play an important part in
, the war, the empire air training scheme
for pilots was inaugurated. Australia
entered Immediately into the work and
: it has been many months since the
> 200,00oth young Australian volunteered
i, for training, not only in Australia, but
/ In England, Canada and Rhodesia.
, Australia has always been keen on
separate Australian units, and, although
hundreds of Australian airmen are in
cluded in the Royal Air Force, many
separate Royal Australian Air Force
units were established to do work with
the RAF. Thus was brought into being
!, the Australian Spitfire Squadron in Eng
land. For a time the Irish ace squadron
leader, Brendan paddy Finucane, who
lost his life few weeks ago, few with
the Australian airmen. On one occasion,
in speaking of the Australian air fighters,
Flnucane remarked: You have only to
waggle your wings and they will follow
you through hell"
The present war is grim and tragic
affair and no doubt many who are in it's
very throes compare It, on an imaginary
basis, to. the lower regions So Aus
tralian pilots have been, and are. doing
much of what Finucane expressed. Thew
have destroyed more than 200 planes In
the Middle East, helped to blast various
portions of Germany and Italy, and
fought desperately in Syria, Libya and
Malaga. Not only so, but they helped to
plaster the Japanese in the Dutch East
Indies, and many of these intrenid
human birds of the air are shooting