Published Resources Details
Newspaper Article
- Title
- Mr Harry Rigby's Plans
- In
- The Argus
- Description of Work
- Wednesday. page 19
- Imprint
- Edward Wilson & Partners, Melbourne, Victoria, 24 September 1919
- Url
- http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4684174
- Description
On 25 September 1919 in The Argus page 7 it was announced that: 'Flight-Commander Harry Rigby, of Melbourne, has withdrawn from the contest for'the flight to Australia. His engine is not ready, and he has no time to make other arrangements. He intends to attempt the
flight next year.'- Abstract
Among the contestants in the proposed £10 000 air flight to Australia is Mr Harry Rigby, son of Mr E J Rigby, late of the Austral-Otis Engineering Company, of South Melbourne. Particulars which have reached Melbourne from the young aeronaut indicate that he has completed plans for a 20 days flight over a course of 11,000 miles from London via France, Italy, the Balkans, Constantinople, Baghdad, Persia Northern India, Calcutta. Rangoon, Surabaya, Banjowangie, and Timor to Port Darwin. The course has been divided up into flights of about G00 miles. Arrangements have been made with oil companies and other concerns at the various points of call for supplies of oil and technical assistance, including the
marking out of landing places and the provision of maps. Mr Robert Bryce, of 482 Collins Street whose son, Mr J. Bryce, will take part in the flight as mechanic, is at present in England assisting the young airmen to organise the undertaking. . . .Mr Rigby will use a 9 cylinder rotary 220 horse-power Zeitlen engine, the novel features of which include an adjustable stroke enabling the compression to be regulated in accordance with the diminished density of the atmosphere at high altitudes. The patentee of the engine is a Russian engineer named Zeitlen. He brought his engine under the notice of theAir Ministry during the war, but owing to the urgency of the production of proved tvpes it was not used. The present will be the first occasion on which the Zeitlen will have been tried in the air, and by this time it is understood that Mr Rigby has completed private tests. The aeroplane to be used will be a Nieuport "Night-hawk," a design which was largely used by French and British aviators in the war.