Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Two-seat light biplane

Power Plant:

One 37 kw (50 hp) Gnome seven-cylinder rotary piston engine

Specifications:

History:

In 1914 the Kalgoorlie Aeroplane Syndicate was formed with the aim of building a two-seat biplane fitted with a 37 kw (50 hp) Gnome rotary engine. Chief constructor of the machine was Mr A E Geere, who served his apprenticeship with Vickers Aircraft Company in the United Kingdom. He had obtained pilot’s licence No 310 in a Vickers Monoplane at Brooklands, Surrey in 1912 and had been an instructor at the Avro School of Flying at Shoreham, West Sussex. The Syndicate comprised some 20 shares at £25 ($50) each. A set of specifications was ordered from the Royal Aircraft Factory, along with an engine. Construction of the machine took place at the Wellsman Furniture Factory in Boulder Road, Kalgoorlie, WA.

The engine on order did not arrive and a 37 kw (50 hp) Gnome was purchased from William Hart, this having been previously installed in a Bristol Boxkite. When the engine arrived it was found to have two cracked pistons and replacements were cast at the Kalgoorlie Foundry. In April 1915 the project was sufficiently advanced to go on display at the Kalgoorlie Town Hall and, as construction had been proceeding for almost a year, funds were getting short and local businesses supplied parts and services.

After the exhibition the machine was transported 40 km (25 miles) to Coolgardie, WA where, on 26 May 1915, with Arthur Geere at the controls, it was flown to a height of about 9 metres (30 ft) during a short flight across the local racecourse. Three more flights were made that day, each carrying a passenger, but on the fifth and last flight that day Geere, flying solo, flew around the area at a height of 61 metres (200 ft).

Further flights were made on 3 and 6 June, on each occasion a passenger being carried. On 7 June Geere took off from Bowes Paddock 5 km (3 miles) from town and landed in the main street in front of members of the Syndicate. On 10 June an attempt was made to fly to Kalgoorlie but, after about 13 km (8 miles), the engine cut out and a forced landing was made, only minor damage being occasioned to the lower wings. The machine was loaded onto a horse-drawn dray but, after a short distance, one of the horses bolted and dragged the dray into a telegraph pole, causing further damage.

The next attempt to fly was made at Kalgoorlie on 11 October when two circuits of Bowes Paddock were made and a height of 305 metres (1,000 ft) was reached. However, this time the machine vibrated, the cap on the fuel tank fell off and a landing was made in front of the Kurrawang Hotel. The next morning, after taking off and on approaching Binduli station, an exhaust cam broke off and another forced landing was made, this time buckling a wheel rim. This was straightened but collapsed during take-off. It was a further eight days before the flight could be resumed as a further rim had to be obtained from Perth, WA for installation.

More flights were made over the following months from Kalgoorlie Racecourse, and then the machine was transported by rail to Northam, WA, where, on 1 December, two flights were made. Further flights were made and, on 12 January 1916, as the machine had been parked unattended at Belmont Park for some weeks, a test flight was made, a landing being made on the Esplanade adjacent to the Governor’s House. A 15 minute flight was made with a passenger and then it was noted a cylinder head was cracked and the machine was retired.

In 1916 the biplane was placed into storage and survived relatively intact until 1929 when it was acquired by the Flying Corps Association and re-furbished for the Western Australia Centenary celebrations. It was later placed in the Western Australia Museum & Art Gallery but was placed un-protected in an open courtyard and became derelict. It survived to the end of World War II but was scrapped. The propeller has survived in the Golden Mile Museum in Kalgoorlie, and some components from the engine have been placed on display in the Air Force Association Museum at Bullcreek, Perth, WA.