Australia – Fairey Gordon

Australia

In September 1928 Fairey ordered a IIIF Mk IIIM for company use as a demonstrator, and c/n F1129 was given the civil registration G-AABY. The aircraft, which had a Lion XIA/civil, was assembled and tested at Fairey's aerodrome at Northolt, making its maiden flight on 15 July 1929, after which it was briefly shown off at a Heston Garden Party in connection with the Aero Show at Olympia in London.

On 30 July 1929 pilot Captain Charles McMullin, accompanied by engineer Charles Baker, left Croydon Airport, England, for Greece in G-AABY, to take part in a competition organised by the Greek Government to select new machines for their air forces. Helped by a tailwind, only 90 minutes after leaving Croydon they arrived at Brussels, where the Belgian authorities, including all the principal general officers commanding the Belgian Air Force, inspected the IIIF 'with considerable interest'. Next day they flew to Vienna via Frankfurt, and from there the aircraft went on to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, on 1 August, this leg taking 3 hours 10 minutes. Here, further demonstrations for officials took place. Then another flight of just over three hours took them to Salonika, whence, after refuelling, the aircraft was flown direct to Tatoi Aerodrome, Athens, in 2 hours 15 minutes.

At Tatoi there were several reconnaissance and single-seater military aircraft of different nationalities, all in search of orders, so the IIIF faced stiff competition. Its particular competitors were a French Breguet 19 and a Czech Letov-Smolik (fitted with dummy wooden guns in the rear cockpit). The first few days were devoted to a detailed inspection of the machines by the Greek Military Commission, and the IIIF's construction was 'openly admired on all sides'. Then came the flying demonstrations, embracing a climb, speed run, etc., at various altitudes, designed to compare the performances of the competitors, plus general demonstration flights carrying Greek army officers. The IIIF attained almost 150mph in a speed contest, which was good in the prevailing conditions, and won a test of speed at 4,000 metres over a 100-kilometre course so easily that the Greeks thought it too good to be true and requested that it be repeated. The demonstrations were completed on 17 August 'with complete success'.

Fairey's IIIF Mk IIIM company demonstrator, G-AABY, powered by a Lion XIA/civil, first flew on 15 July 1929. It survived until August 1937, spending the last years of its life in Australia

A serious difficulty was posed by the next stage, in which the float chassis had to be fitted for a demonstration of the aircraft's capabilities as a seaplane. Tatoi aerodrome was some twenty-five miles from the naval seaplane station in Phaleron Bay, on the other side of Athens, and the interconnecting roads were 'rather difficult and in some places rough'. A suitable field for a safe landing near Phaleron could not be found, and as the Fairey team was disinclined to risk an accident the aircraft's wings and tailplane were removed with the aid of a crew of Greek sailors, and the machine was towed behind a lorry to the naval base. The day-long trip was rather hair-raising, as some very steep corners, with sheer drops in many places, had to be negotiated, and overhanging trees threatened to damage the upper wing centre section.

Three days were then spent reassembling G-AABY and fitting the float chassis, which had been shipped to Phaleron Bay in advance. The aircraft flew as a sea- plane on 24 August, and the next few days were spent demonstrating the config- uration to the Greek Naval Department and carrying more officers and officials on exhibition flights. This done, the problem arose of getting the aircraft back to Tatoi in landplane form. Fortunately another long tow along the difficult roads was avoided, as a piece of waste ground not more than 100 yards long was found just behind an aircraft factory near the seaplane base. After being held back by mechanics until McMullin had got the throttle wide open and given the release signal, the duly lightened IIIF took off from the site without difficulty. This im- pressed the massed watching naval base personnel, who had doubted whether it could get off from so small an area and thought the Englishmen crazy to attempt it. Thus, while it had taken about twelve arduous hours to get from Tatoi to Phaleron, the return journey took a mere ten minutes.

In 1929, after staging across Europe and making demonstration flights en route, G-AABY took part in a competition to select new military aircraft for the Greek air forces. It is seen here in seaplane configuration off the island of Hydra, with the summer palace of the Greek President in the background.

In October and November 1934 G-AABY was flown in the MacRobertson Trophy Race from England to Australia by Flying Officer C. G. Davies and Lieutenant-Commander C. N. Hill.

The starting point for the MacRoberston Race was Mildenhall, where G-AABY is seen here being prepared in October 1934. The aircraft was named Time and Chance, but the name is not visible in any of the accompanying pictures.

Fairey IIIF G-AASK, fitted with a Jaguar VIC geared radial, was modified for the Air Survey Company late in 1929 and was one of two flown to undertake aerial survey work in the Sudan.

Having completed his demonstrations, McMullin flew G-AABY back to Croy- don via Uskub (Skopje), Belgrade, Vienna, Nuremberg and Cologne, completing the trip in 14 hours 35 minutes. In Yugoslavia he gave a demonstration at Novi Said military aerodrome, and then flew Prince Paul (the future King Paul of the Hellenes) to England to see the Schneider Trophy contest. On return he reported: 'Throughout the trip we had not the slightest trouble with either the aircraft or the Napier Lion XI engine, and although it entailed a lot of hard work, Baker and myself enjoyed ourselves heartily'.

Later G-AABY was fitted with an Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIA radial, deliv- ered to East India Docks by Lep Transport on 26 March 1931, and shipped out to Arnhold & Co of Shanghai for demonstrations, but it crashed on its first attempted take-off in April and suffered damage that necessitated its return to England for repairs, these being carried out at RAF North Weald, Essex, in 1934. At this time the aircraft was entered in the handicap section of the October 1934 MacRobertson Trophy Race from England to Australia. Piloted by Flying Officer C. G. Davies, and with Lieutenant Commander C. N. Hill as navigator, it flew as No 15 and was named Time and Chance. As a result of delays en route, notably with aileron problems at Nicosia, Cyprus, the aircraft was retired from the race and did not reach Melbourne, the ultimate destination, until 23 November, well after the time limit set for completion of the flight.

In Australia Davies flew G-AABY on charter work for Austral Air Services of Queensland. On 13 March 1935 it was given the Australian registration VH-UTT, and on the 20th it was registered to Major E. G. Clark, trading as Austral Air Services. On 10 April it was sold to long-distance flyer Ray Parer of Wau, New Guinea. On 12 March 1936 its Certificate of Registration lapsed and it was struck off the register, but its C of R was renewed on 25 August the same year. When the C of R lapsed again a year later, on 24 August 1937, VH-UTT was broken up and struck off the register.

Two Jaguar-engined IIIFS, G-AASK (F1272, Jaguar VIC/geared) and G-AATT (F1315, Jaguar VI), were specially modified late in 1929 to work with Air Survey Ltd in the Sudan, the company having recently become a Fairey subsidiary. The first was delivered to Air Survey at Croydon on 1 January 1930, the other follow- ing on 6 February that year. After leaving for Juba on 23 January 1930, G-AASK remained in service until the end of 1934. The working life of its sister aircraft, G-AATT, which left Britain on 22 February 1930, was terminated when it was destroyed in a crash that October.

G-AATT, which was powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VI air-cooled radial engine, was the second of the two IIIFs operated by the Air Survey Company, a Fairey subsidiary. This aircraft was the shorter- lived of the pair: it was destroyed in a crash in October 1930, having been in commission for some eight months only.

Note: The images on this page are used with permission from Philip Jarrett