History of Australian Antarctic aviation: 1947–

Vickers REP Monoplane, the aircraft bought by Mawson for the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911/14. REP stood for the designer Robert Esnault Pelterie. The aircraft was damaged in Australia and never flew in Antarctica, however it was used minus its mainplanes as a tractor 1911-14
Vickers REP Monoplane, the aircraft bought by Mawson for the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911/14. REP stood for the designer Robert Esnault Pelterie. The aircraft was damaged in Australia and never flew in Antarctica, however it was used minus its mainplanes as a tractor 1911-14 (Photo: Unknown)
Vickers REP Monoplane, the aircraft bought by Mawson for the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911/14. REP stood for the designer Robert Esnault Pelterie. The aircraft was damaged in Australia and never flew in Antarctica, however it was used minus its mainplanes as a tractor 1911-14The air tractor. From Plate LV, Fig 1, AAE Scientific Reports, Series A, Vol 1. 1912The remains of the Vickers monoplane used as an air tractor at Commonwealth Bay by Mawson's AAE 1911-14

Australia has played a significant role in the development of aviation in Antarctica.

The use of aircraft in Antarctica in support of science is not new or revolutionary. The Australian adventurer, Sir Hubert Wilkins, was the first to fly over the Antarctic continent on 16 November 1928, but it was Sir Douglas Mawson who first saw the potential for aerial exploration. His 1911 expedition to Commonwealth Bay included plans to use a Vickers REP Monoplane. However, thanks to an accident that occurred during a demonstration flight just prior to departure, the Vickers was never airborne in Antarctica.

Mawson’s subsequent British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) between 1929 and 1931, relied heavily on its aerial component. A Gypsy Moth float plane undertook extensive aerial surveys of the coast of what was later to become Australian Antarctic Territory.

Many national and private Antarctic expeditions since this time have used air transport extensively in exploration, mapping, deployment of field parties and science support.

Conventional aircraft that have supported ANARE since 1947, range from the Vickers Supermarine Walrus on Heard Island in 1947, to the Lockheed C130 Hercules, to the Airbus A319.

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This page was last modified on October 1, 2011.