This is a documentary/drama about the history of aviation in Australia. It describes how World War I Australian pilots kick started Australia's fledgling aviation industry & the subsequent formation of QANTAS; now one of the world's most iconic airlines.
View Air Australia. Video hosted on Guba. Australia's aviation history is a saga of daring feats, can-do attitude, pig-headed visionaries, iron-fisted politicians and warring pilots; of humble beginnings and mega deals. The story begins in World War One with the bold young airmen who would later establish Australias first airlines, in difficult conditions, marred by accidents and fatalities, but highlighted by ground-breaking flights. Behind the scenes, however, battles were fought in boardrooms and with backers and bureaucrats to keep the airlines aloft. Then businessmen replaced aviators at the helm of the companies, and take-overs rather than take-offs became front-page news. A Film Australia National Interest Program in association with Vue DC. Produced with the assistance of ScreenWest, LotteryWest and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Part 1/2 Canvas & Sticks
The cauldron of World War One's rough and ready airforces breed a range of gun-ho flyers so keen to stay in the air, they start a new battleto launch Australia's first domestic airlines. It's the start of a movement that shatters Australia's notorious tyranny of distance, reducing travel time across the country from weeks to days. Throughout the period pilots continue to fly by the seat of their pants, in planes that can barely stay in the air, yet they manage to cross the world and its vast oceans. It's a period of endless suspense, thrills and spills, highlighted by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's famous 1928 Pacific flight from the United States to Australia.
Part 3/4 Australia's Own
The 1930s bring growing maturity to aviation as the first international airlines burst onto the scene conquering distance and introducing new luxury flying. The once struggling Qantas offers its Great Flying Boats for trips to Singapore and then London, including a full dinner service, your own bed and golf putting in the hall; all at 10,000 feet. But it won't last. When World War Two arrives, aviation reveals its darker side. The bombing of Darwin brings war directly to Australian soil and the honeymoon and adventuring era for Aussie flyers is over. The war will change everything.
Part 5/6 War in Suits
World War Two highjacks Australia's aviation industry, as the American military machine uses the country to springboard into the Pacific. By 1945, the huge logistics of war, leave behind a local industry that has grown with the times. The airline industry is now big business. The personalities in charge different too. No more are they the flying adventurers of yesteryear, but boardroom bigwigs with political skills for a changing future. The country adopts the famous two-airline policy combining both private and government airlines to ensure stability and service. It's the perfect breeding ground for Ansett Airlines, led by dynamic flyer and businessman, Reg Ansett. The airline becomes an aviation icon in the heyday of the two airline policy, but Ansett closes the day after September 11, 2001. Now, with cheap seats on offer, flying has become a commuter experience, signalling a bittersweet end to the love affair airline pioneers had in bringing people up into the clouds.
(From: Air Australia)
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