 Selected as Australia's entries in the London-to-Christchurch air race, A84-201 and A84-202 departed Laverton bound for the UK on 10 September 1953, and arrived at RAF Lyneham on the 16th of the month. Detachments of No. 1 Long Range Flight ground crew were stationed in the UK, Bahrain, Ratmalana Airport in Ceylon, Cocos Island in the Indian Ocean and Christchurch. The first of these detachments departed Australia for the UK on 9 September. The detachments that were stationed at Bahrain and Ratmalana Airport left Laverton on board a RAAF Dakota transport on 25 September. Each of the detachments was led by a RAAF navigator, whose main role was to develop a flight plan for the next leg of the race and provide it to the aircrew to minimise the time they spent on the ground. The RAAF also supported its entrants and the aircraft from other countries by deploying an air traffic control team and specialised radar equipment to Christchurch, as well as stationing P-2 Neptune long-range patrol aircraft at Cocos Island, Perth and RAAF Base East Sale for search-and-rescue coverage. The Royal Australian Navy aircraft carrier HMAS Vengeance and destroyer HMAS Bataan were stationed in the Tasman Sea to provide weather reports for the race.
