FOS Air 2018

Festival of Speed is made up of many parts, which includes the ever-popular FOS Air. On display will be possibly the largest number of fixed wing and rotary aircraft ever, including the Pilatus PC-12, Bell Helicopters, Diamond aircraft, some of the fleet of aircraft from Goodwood Flying School and, in celebration the 30th anniversary since its flight from Goodwood Aerodrome to Sydney Australia, a BA4.

The BA4 is an unlikely candidate for a long distance flight, not least because as principally and aerobatic aircraft it has a small fuel tank (12.4 Imp gallons) while its size limitations are self-evident. To make the flight sectors credible, or indeed possible, (with desert and water crossings) as 25 Imp galleon aluminium fuel tank was fabricated and slung below the fuselage.

Other demands determined that the flight was undertaken during June and July, which meant exposure to the SW monsoons on the Indian sub-continent but gave other climatic advantages.

Froom Goodwood in Southern England routing was to the South of France, Italy, Crete, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrein, Oman, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Singapore. After Singapore, rather than the conventional route to Timor via the major airports of Sumatra and Java, John decided to proceed via Batam (Kalimantan) and Celebes (Sulawesi) to Timor, finally landing his little BA4 in Bankstown, Sydney.

Prior to the flight of the BA4 the smallest aircraft to have flown from England to Australia was a Comptor Swift flown by Arthur Butler in 1930.

Once the aircraft has been viewed the magnitude of this achievement will be understood.