Australian Flying — November-December 2017

(^16) News
The Australian Aviation
Hall of Fame (AAHOF)
has announced that five
new members will be
inducted this year, and
that Trans Australia
Airlines (TAA) is to be
recognised with the 2017
Southern Cross Award for
organisations.
The five new members
are:

• Edward Connellan
  AO, CBE: highly
  respected NT aviator
  and businessman.
  Established the
  successful Connellan
  Airways in 1943.


• John Corby:

distinguished aviation

engineer and designer of

the Corby Starlet.

• James Strong AO: highly-
  regarded CEO and board
  member of Qantas.
  Oversaw the successful
  merger of Australian
  Airlines (previously
  TAA) and Qantas.
  
  
  • Bob Tait: renowned
    aviation educator, pilot
    and publisher.
  
  
  • Nancy-Bird Walton
    AO, OBE: in 1934 the
    youngest woman to
    obtain a commercial
    licence in the British
    Empire and founder of
    the Australian Women
    Pilots’ Association.
    “These five outstanding
    individuals and TAA
    join 37 other individuals
    and six organisations in
    the Hall of Fame,” said
    AAHOF Chairman
    Steve Padgett. “All have
    made quite magnificent
    contributions in their
    respective fields for the
    major benefit of Australia,
    particularly regional and
    remote Australia.”
    Southern Cross Award
  
  
  
  

Five new inductees for Hall of Fame

Pioneers, designers, educators honoured

australianflying.com.au

AUSTRALIAN FLYING November – December 2017

Airbus’s Perlan 2, the

world’s first attempt

to send an engineless

aircraft to the edge of

space, made history on

September 3 by soaring

to over 52,000 feet in

the Patagonia region of

Argentina, setting a new

world altitude record for

gliding.

Chief pilot Jim Payne

and co-pilot Morgan

Sandercock conducted the

f light from Comandante

Armando Tola

International Airport in

El Calafate, surpassing

New world record part of exploring stratosphere

Airbus Perlan glider

soars to 52,000 feet

the previous 50,727-foot

world record set in the

unpressurised Perlan I

in 2006.

The Airbus Perlan 2 is a

pressurised glider designed

to f ly to altitudes of up to

100,000 feet, where the air

density is less than 2% that

of sea level.

The aircraft has a gross

weight of 818 kg and a

wing span of 25.6 metres.

The cabin is pressurised

to 8.5 psi (14,500 feet),

with its two crew wearing

pressure suits and

breathing pure oxygen.

El Calafate is one of few

places on earth where a

combination of mountain

winds and the polar vortex

create the world’s highest

“stratospheric mountain

waves”, rising air currents

that Perlan pilots believe

can eventually carry their

experimental aircraft to

the edge of space.

The Perlan team is

hoping to f ly to 90,

feet, higher than the

altitudes reached by

the SR-71 and U-2 spy

aircraft, where its true

f light speed will be

350 knots (647 kmh).

Researchers say the glider

can explore the science of

giant mountain waves that

help create the ozone hole

and change global climate

models, without engine

exhaust contaminating

air samples.

The view from the

Perlan's tail at 52,172 feet.

winner TAA was formed

in 1946 and took over

Queensland domestic

routes from Qantas. It

became part of the “two-

airline” policy of the

Australian government

with Ansett. In 1986

TAA was rebranded

as Australian Airlines

and in 1996 was merged

with Qantas, which

gave Qantas access to

Australian domestic air

routes again.

The AAHOF

induction is scheduled

for 25 November at

the Historical Aircraft

Restoration Society

(HARS) facility at

Illawarra Regional

Airport, where AAHOF

will establish a

Corby Starlet designer John Corby is among five new additions to the Hall of Fame. permanent display.