Empire Flying Boat to Australia with Phil Vabre

The Aviation Show · Apr 27, 2023 · 1h 21m

Flying to Australia is a chore today, but 85 years ago, Imperial Airways and Qantas launched an audacious service with the wonderful Shorts C.23 Empire Flying Boat. These aircraft cut the journey from Southampton to Sydney to around nine days and, more importantly than the passenger service, allowed for a new rapid air mail service across the Empire. Phil Vabre is the President of the Civil Aviation Historical Society in Australia and runs the superb Airways Museum at Essendon Airport, just on the edge of Melbourne. Phil is the chap to talk to about the flying boat service to Australia and in…