1953 London to Christchurch air race

Last Great Air Race April 2025 April 2025 thumb|The race winner WE139, competitor "3", an RAF English Electric Canberra piloted by Flight Lieutenant Burton, shown at RAF Abingdon, now on display at the RAF Museum in London The 1953 London to Christchurch air race, the "Last Great Air Race",lineup was about 12000 mi km long, from London Airport (now London Heathrow) to Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand, and took place in October 1953 after Christchurch declared their airport as international in 1950. It was intended to mark the centenary of Christchurch, also in 1950, and 50 years since the Wright brothers' first powered flight in 1903.Bennett, p. 259. As part of the festivities, Air New Zealand sponsored a beauty pageant 19 October 1953. The winner was Patsy Lloyd, followed by 1st runner up Patricia Boswell (Cantwell) and Shirley Cutler. Race description thumb|Wing Commander Cuming's RAAF Canberra B20, competitor "4", during a refuelling stop at Colombo, Ceylon thumb|Squadron Leader Raw's RAAF Canberra B20, competitor "5", at London Airport awaiting the race thumb|Map of the race Canterbury International Air Race Council was formed in Christchurch in 1948 to plan the race, together with the British Royal Aero Club.https://www.ccc.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Culture-Community/Heritage/Archives/CCC-ARC-700-London-Christchurch-International-Air-Race-Oct1953.pdf Christchurch City Council Christchurch City Council Archives CCC/ARC/700 October 19534-5 It was divided into an outright Speed Section, and a Handicap Section for commercial-type transport aircraft. Each plane was allowed to select its own route, as long as it was generally south-east, and any necessary intermediate stops.stages Several planes dropped out before it began; this left five military turbojet bombers and three propeller-driven transport planes. The race started on Thursday 8 October at 16:30 GMT.Bennett, p. 260. The time in New Zealand was 12 hours ahead, as British Summer Time had ended four days earlier,https://greenwichmeantime.com/uk/time/british-summer-time/dates/ When is British Summer Time (BST) in Force? Greenwich Mean Time 2025-04-14 and New Zealand didn't use daylight saving time then.In reports, the time in Australia was GMT + 8:00 (western), 9:30 (central) or 10:00 (eastern); daylight saving time was not used then. The three transport planes took off at five-minute intervals. The military jets followed, again at five-minute intervals, starting at 17:35;https://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Air%20race%201953%20Henty%20House.htm 1953 London to Christchurch Air Race Airways Museum 2025-04-14 Shows the tally boards, which used GMT. they were delayed by an hour, to avoid a photo finish in the dark about 24 hours later.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118429908?searchTerm=dark London–Christchurch Air Race Speed Section The Queensland Times 1953-10-08 1 Each plane was allowed 168 hours of elapsed time from the final plane's takeoff.council 22 The planes flew direct from London to the Middle East, except the DC-6A (via Italy) and the Hastings (via Greece). After that, most of the routes were broadly similar, flying in almost a straight line via Ceylon, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and southern Australia. Canberra number "1" even managed to fly past Cocos without stopping.Bennett, p. 261. However, the DC-6A flew further north, via Pakistan (West), Burma, Indonesia and northern Australia. A great circle route would have been a few hundred miles shorter, over Finland and Japan.https://www.greatcirclemapper.net/en/great-circle-mapper.html?route=EGLL-NZCH%2C&aircraft=138&speed= Great Circle Mapper 2025-04-14 London to Christchurch The prizes for each Section were the same: 1st £10,000; 2nd £3000; 3rd £1000; 4th £500.council 22 These are New Zealand pounds, which matched UK pounds at the time. The Handicap Section, rather than a race, was intended to be a trial based on a formula aimed at rewarding commercial efficiency over a long-haul route.council 7 The Speed Section was won by a Royal Air Force English Electric Canberra PR3 flown by Flight Lieutenant Roland (Monty) Burton and navigated by Flight Lieutenant Don Gannon. The plane touched down at Christchurch (Harewood) Airport at 05:37 local time during a heavy storm, 40 minutes quicker than its closest rival, after 23 h 52 min, including 83 minutes on the ground. This record still held in 2025, and is equivalent to 494 mph km/h around a great circle separation of 11791 mi km.https://naa.aero/records-search-results/?search=city&class=&type=&subclass=&speed_option=Speed+over+a+Recognized+Course&start_city=london&finish_city=christchurch&first_name=&last_name=&recordMonth=&recordYear=&make=&model= NAA Record Detail Records Database National Aeronautic Association 2025 2025-04-14 The Harewood Gold Cup was awarded to the winners, and the prize of £10,000 was paid to the RAF Benevolent Fund.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article610427.ece Flight Lieutenant Don Gannon 2006-10-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20110918023715/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article610427.ece The Times 2011-09-18 Second in the Speed Section was Squadron Leader Peter Raw of No. 1 Long Range Flight RAAF in an Australian-built Canberra. The distance, by the route followed, was quoted as 12270 mi km,https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/research-enquiries/history-of-aviation-timeline/british-military-aviation/1953-2/ British Military Aviation in 1953 Royal Air Force Museum 2020 2025-04-14 so that the speed in the air for all five jets was 544–548 mph, with an average overall speed (including intermediate stops) of 402 mph. The Canberras were all fitted with extra fuel tanks in the bomb bays.https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/69-A-695-Canberra-PR3-WE139.pdf BAC Canberra PR. 3 WE 139/8369M Museum Accession Number 69/A/695 Royal Air Force Museum 2012 2025-03-131stBennett260 To deal with the extra weight, the two PR3 planes' engines were tweaked to give more thrust, and larger main-wheel hubs and brakes fitted.RAF_tanks 1st Any wingtip fuel tanks or pods seen on the Canberras were absent during the race.https://airforcemuseum.co.nz/blog/the-last-great-air-race-london-to-christchurch-1953/ The Last Great Air Race: London to Christchurch 1953 Air Force Museum of New Zealand 2018-10-02 2025-04-14 2nd picture shows the entire lineup. The three RAF Canberras were built as photo-reconnaissance planes. The Canberras flew with a pilot and navigator; the RAAF planes also included a co-pilot.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/256944873 Air Race a Battle Between Canberras Kalgoorlie Miner (WA) 1953-10-08 1 L.G. Press was replaced by R.M. Furze. In the transport Handicap Section, a BEA Vickers Viscount finished first, followed by a Douglas DC-6A of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines which was declared the winner on handicap. A Royal New Zealand Air Force Handley Page Hastings also took part. The Viscount was fitted with extra fuel tanks in place of seats,http://www.vickersviscount.net/images/photos_medium/108633.jpg https://web.archive.org/web/20221116183652/http://www.vickersviscount.net/images/photos_medium/108633.jpg (untitled) Vickers Viscount Network 2025-04-14 live 2022-11-16 Shows Viscount's extra fuel tanks. enabling it to fly in five stages, as opposed to eight for the DC-6A; the Hastings had also expected to fly in eight stages.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/61104501?searchTerm=qualify%20hastings Air Race is Result of Five Years' Planning: Routes Planned Examiner (Launceston) 1953-10-06 2 The handicap deductions were well-known before leaving London, meaning the Viscount was almost bound to lose, but BEA and Vickers welcomed the publicity from the race.http://www.vickersviscount.net/Index/VickersViscount003History.aspx Viscount c/n3 Vickers Viscount Network 11 October 1953 2025 2025-04-14 The DC-6A's adjusted time was 49:57 − 44:30 = 5:27results (this is often misquoted as 37:30, but that was the elapsed time to Darwinhttps://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59680242?searchTerm=37 KLM Racing to Brisbane Sunday Times (Perth) 1953-10-11 1). The Douglas DC-6A, "21", carried 64 passengers, including many Dutch women emigrating to marry or join their husbands. The same passengers left Schiphol (Amsterdam) for London on the day before, on a KLM Douglas DC-6B, PH-TFN "Abel Tasman". The race plane was labelled "DC-6A", built as a dual-purpose or convertible plane, with some seats, and cargo doors. It carried the name "Dr. Ir. M.H. Damme", plus "Trade Wings". Dokter Ingenieur Marinus Damme Marinus Hendricus Damme nl Marinus Damme was a Dutch engineer, aviation businessman and politician. DC-6A planes were also called "Liftmaster". A Dutch "bride flight" in July 1952 is sometimes confused with this one. The Handley Page Hastings, "22", carried cargo for the New Zealand Air Force. After stopping at Athens (Greece), Shaibah (near Basra, Iraq) and Masirah Island (Oman), an engine was ruined by a storm near Ceylon, then the flaps were damaged while landing at Negombo (Ceylon), causing the plane to withdraw from the race. It remained stranded there for ten days.lineup The Hastings has been described as the world's last four-engine tail-wheel transport giant.Ballantine, p. 16. The Vickers Viscount, "23", was loaned from the British Ministry of Supply to BEA,announce with BEA livery applied, and named "RMA Endeavour", for "Royal Mail Aircraft"https://www.airliners.net/photo/BEA-British-European-Airways/Douglas-C-47A-Skytrain-DC-3/1114975 Douglas C-47A Skytrain (DC-3) – BEA – British European Airways Airliners.net 2025 2025-04-14 and Captain James Cook's ship HMS Endeavour. Among the crew was John Profumo, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It made four stops, averaging only 18 minutes each, at Bahrein, Negombo, Cocos and Melbourne (Australia).Athens The Viscount was falsely reported to have landed at Athens.https://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/Air%20Race%201953%20CA%20Journal%20Vol%203%20No%203%2012-53%20CAHS.pdf London–Christchurch Air Race Civil Aviation Journal 21–25 December 195322 a misleading report from the B.B.C. that the Viscount had landed at Athens. As it happened, the Viscount at that time was well north of Athens headed for Bahrein.Masirah 1 Viscount ... landed Athens 8.10 a.m.; left Athens 8.25 a.m. [eastern Australian time, so 22:10 to 22:25 GMT]. Two amateur videos show Christchurch footage as "Athens".https://www.kerr.net.au/photos-videos/videos/110-great-air-race-1953 England–Christchurch (N.Z.) Air Race, 1953 1995 Christchurch Video Camera Club 06:58 2025-04-14 Video.https://player.vimeo.com/video/155581791 1953 London to Christchurch Air Race 1997 Christchurch Video Camera Club 07:18 2025-04-14 Video. Other sources say it first landed at Bahrein.Airpost 45 BEA Viscount ... Route – London–Bahrein–Negombo–Cocos Is.–Melbourne–Christchurch.https://www.key.aero/article/vickers-viscount-became-air-racer The Vickers Viscount That Became an Air Racer Key.Aero subscription 2023-12-13 2025-03-07quote BEA ... the first leg was to Bahrain. [Also shows it on a map.]https://www.key.aero/article/turbine-times-viscount-and-bea Turbine Times: The Viscount and BEA Key.Aero subscription 2020-07-16 2025-03-07quote with stops en route at Bahrain, Ceylon, the Cocos Islands and Melbourne. The tally board for the Viscount at Athens was blank.tally At Melbourne, after flying non-stop for 3530 mi km, it had to be towed from the runway, having run out of fuel.announce Its lack of passengers and cargo led to it being declared second for this Section, behind the DC-6A. The Viscount was the world's first turboprop-powered airliner. During the race, the time of arrival and departure of each plane at each airport was logged on a pair of "tally boards", located at the headquarters of Australia's Department of Civil Aviation in Melbourne. The press and public were present to witness the progress. Unfortunately the boards omitted five of the times.tally 660 center The transport planes being displayed at London Airport before the race Douglas DC-6A PH-TGA KLM LAP 10.10.53 edited-2.jpg KLM's Douglas DC-6A was competitor "21" and carried a group of emigrants to New Zealand HP.67 Hastings C.3 NZ5804 40 Sqn RNZAF LAP 10.10.53 edited-2.jpg Competitor "22", RNZAF Handley Page Hastings Viscount 700 G-AMAV NZ Air Race.jpg Vickers Viscount in BEA markings as competitor "23" Competitors tallyhttps://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/93989419?searchTerm=handicap%20start Records Go in Air Race The Chronicle (Adelaide) 1953-10-15 7https://www.americanairmailsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/APJ_Volume_025_Issue_0283_No_02_November_1953.pdf The Centenary Air Race, London to Christchurch The Airpost Journal American Air Mail Society November 1953 44–45 Time (h:min)Speed (mph, km/h)miles Calculated using 12,270 mi,RAF_dist except 13,064 mi for "21".https://dacc.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/1969-00-00-HOLLAND-HERALD-50th-ANN-SPECIAL-FEATURE-KLM.pdf 50 This Golden Age of the Flying Dutchman Holland Herald 1969 32(h:min)NumberResultPilotOperatorAircraftIdentityStopsElapsedGroundOverallFlyingNoteSpeed Section14Wing Commander Hodges540 Squadron Royal Air ForceCanberra PR7WH773335:3213:06345 mph km/h values546 mph km/h valuesBad generator at Perth (12:19)23Flight Lieutenant Furze540 Squadron Royal Air ForceCanberra PR3WE142424:352:02499 mph km/h values544 mph km/h valuesBad starter in Iraq (1:10).results Bad wheel in Ceylon (0:30)https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/140298790?searchTerm=wheel Raw Loses Lead in Air Race Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW) 1953-10-10 1 31Flight Lieutenant Burton540 Squadron Royal Air ForceCanberra PR3WE139423:521:23514 mph km/h values545 mph km/h valuesThe "speed" winner45Wing Commander CumingNo. 1 Long Range Flight Royal Australian Air ForceCanberra B20A84-202480:10https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96406693?searchTerm=Laverton%20elapsed Last Jet Finishes Air Race The Northern Star (NSW) 1953-10-13 5 Refers to previous day as "today" and "this morning". Tally board final arrival was blank.57:47153 mph km/h values548 mph km/h valuesBurst tyre at Cocos (55:00)52Squadron Leader RawNo. 1 Long Range Flight Royal Australian Air ForceCanberra B20A84-201424:322:05500 mph km/h values546 mph km/h valuesFrozen nose wheel at Woomera (1:26)Handicap Section211Captain KooperKLMDouglas DC-6APH-TGA749:57Airpost3:03261 mph km/h values278 mph km/h values44:30 handicap deduction.Airpost The "handicap" winner22_Wing Commander Watson41 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air ForceHandley Page HP.95 Hastings C3NZ5804_____35:00 handicap deduction.Airpost Withdrew in Ceylon with a failed engine232Captain BaillieBritish European AirwaysVickers Viscount 700G-AMAV440:421:12301 mph km/h values310 mph km/h valuesNo handicap deduction Airports +Ground time durations (h:min)tallyCountryCityAirportAirpost12345212223UKLondonLondondep.dep.dep.dep.dep.dep.dep.dep.ItalyRomeCiampinohttps://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223419548?searchTerm=Ciampino Air Race Canberras Flying at 700 MPH Lithgow Mercury 1953-10-09 1 0:22 GreeceAthensEllinikon 0:27IraqBaghdadBaghdad West Airport 0:17 IraqBasraRAF Shaibah0:301:100:30 0:29BahreinBahreinBahrein 0:120:15 0:15OmanMasirahRAF Masirah 0:25Tally board had only ETA.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18392471?searchTerm=Athens%20Mesira RAAF and RAF Fight Out Air Race: Handicap Section The Sydney Morning Herald 1953-10-10 11 As 'Mesira'.Pakistan (West)KarachiKarachi 0:25 CeylonColomboRAF Negombo0:170:30 end0:18CeylonColomboRatmalana 0:14RAF_tanks 2ndstages quote Royal Air Force – Two Canberra bombers ... Negombo ... One Canberra bomber ... Ratmalana. Shows that the RAF's Ratmalana stop was planned. Some sources list Negombo instead.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48936608?searchTerm=Negombo%20Ratmalana Fierce Contest in Air Race: Progress of Planes in Race The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA) 1953-10-10 10:140:14 BurmaRangoonRangoon 0:31 (Indian Ocean)Cocos (Keeling)Cocos Island 0:110:2255:00Tally board departure was prefixed with "11", meaning "11 October".0:10 0:22IndonesiaDjakartaKemayoran 0:26 AustraliaPerthPerth12:190:110:17 AustraliaDarwinDarwin 0:25 AustraliaWoomeraRAAF Base Woomera 1:26 AustraliaBrisbaneEagle Farmhttps://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/191099194?searchTerm=Eagle 'Flying Dutchman' Wins Transport Section Warwick Daily News (Qld) 1953-10-12 1 0:37 AustraliaMelbourneEssendonannounce 0:17AustraliaMelbourneRAAF Base LavertonNot to be confused with Laverton Airport, Western Australia.last_jet 2:21Tally board arrival was prefixed with "11", meaning "11 October". Departure and final arrival were blank. Melbourne departure 09:20 eastern Australian time = 23:20 GMT.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/266141062?searchTerm=Laverton Jet Missed Race Because of 1000/1 Chance The Daily News (Perth) 1953-10-12 9 New ZealandChristchurchHarewoodarr.arr.arr.arr.arr.arr. arr. In popular culture The drama film Bride Flight was released in 2008.Bride Flight https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1094241 IMDb 2025-04-14 Notes References Citations Bibliography Ballantine Colin 1985 40 Squadron RNZAF: To the Four Winds Auckland The Lodestar Press of New Zealand 0-86465-025-6 16–18 https://archive.org/details/40-squadron-rnzaf/page/16/mode/1up?view=theater Bennett John 1995 Highest Traditions: The History of No. 2 Squadron, RAAF Canberra Australian Government Publishing Service 0-644-35230-2 259–262 https://www.radschool.org.au/Books/The%20History%20of%20No%202%20Squadron%20RAAF.pdf External links Newsreel of the race. British Pathe (video). Presentation of prizes. British Pathe (video). Amateur film of the race. Christchurch Movie Club (video), re-edited 1997. Inaccurate editing and narration: it misidentifies planes (e.g. Cocos at 08:28, announces "4" but shows "1", which didn't land there); invents a Viscount stop at Athens (07:18), using Christchurch footage (see 19:10); shows a non-race wingtip-tank Canberra (07:41). Account by a jet crew member. The Canberra Times, 9th October 1991. Category:Air races Category:Air sports in the United Kingdom Category:1953 in aviation Category:1953 in London Category:1953 in New Zealand Category:October 1953 in Oceania Category:October 1953 in the United Kingdom