Today Quentin Cockburn digs deep in the Annals of Australian Manufacturing to bring us No 17 in the non-sequential and inconsequential series with this glorious image, reproduced at the bottom of the post. Tomorrow we post the full description.
No17. Our First Airliner (Below)
Caption; “ Official photograph The Maiden Flight of the Eureka “Don”
100 passenger airliner on its maiden flight from Manly to Bondi. Piloted by Flt lieut O.Wilde M.C. V.D and croix de la Guerre (on secondment) RAF Reading, and Private A. Douglas, DFC & Bar(the Uranian Flying Club Naples)
Shown here, the Eureka, having once gained it’s cruising altitude of 5000 feet is escorted to Bondi by a flight of Hawker Harts RAAF Richmond, with Squadron leader D. Grey, DFC & Bar.
I am impressed that the Eureka “Don” has an open-air cocktail lounge right at the nose of the aircraft. While this might entail certain aerodynamic compromises and cause the guests’ breadsticks to rattle in their containers, I wonder why such an attractive amenity does not feature in today’s Airbus and 747 designs!
Sir Atney Emo