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Vimy History Articles Air Mail and Early Aviation History Excerpt from Profile Publications #5: The Vickers F.B.27 Vimy Photo of Vimy Landing in 1919 Ad Featuring Alcock & Brown's Vimy London to Cape Town 1920 Photos of the Vimy's Propellers Vimy Propellers Repaired at Ipswich Related Links (Off-Site) Flights of Inspiration: Long Flight

London to Cape Town 1920 The air route between London and Cape Town was a real challenge to aviators. Attempts on the route had been considered and significant parts had been flown but not the full beginning-to-end journey. In December 1919, the British Air Ministry announced surveys had been completed by the RAF and a string of airfields established on the African route. It was now open to aviators! Urged on by the successes achieved by Alcock and Brown, first non-stop flight across the Atlantic, and the Smith brothers' first flight to Australia, the challenge began to gather momentum. Less than a month later, a Vickers Vimy set out from England for the Cape. Piloted by Captains S Cockerell and F C Broome, with Dr Chalmers Mitchell, Secretary of the Zoological Society, it got as far as Tabora in Tanganyika before crashing, fortunately without injury. The South African Government had agreed to sponsor the attempt of two South African pilots, Lt. Col. Pierrie van Ryneveld and Major Christopher Quintin Brand. The same reward was offered as had been earned by the two previously successful great flights — £10,000 — that's £300,000 in today's terms. They set out from Brooklands Aerodrome in Surrey, England on 4 February 1920 in a standard military Vickers Vimy — the Silver Queen, registration G-UABA. Their journey was actually without much incident, unless you count atrocious weather which resulted in the Mediterranean crossing taking some 11 hours. Without incident, that is, until they reached Wadi Halfa, where a leaky radiator forced an emergency landing in darkness and ended with the aircraft becoming a complete write-off. The South African Government was no more daunted than the pilots. Another Vimy, named Silver Queen II, was loaned by the RAF at Heliopolis, in Egypt, and the journey continued 11 days later. The hot and high conditions over Africa had long been a barrier to African air travel and were taking their toll. Silver Queen II experienced similar misfortune to her predecessor and crashed 4000 miles further on at Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia. But the South African Government and the two South African pilots were determined that they would be the first airmen to complete an end-to-end trip to their homeland. Another aircraft, this time a de Havilland DH9 — surplus war stores — was flown to Bulawayo and handed over to the two intrepid pilots. Their journey resumed on 17 March and the airmen landed three days later at Wynberg Aerodrome, Cape Town. Their mail cargo of letters had been transferred from aircraft to aircraft and so safely reached its destination. News of the pilots' exploits and hardships fuelled an enthusiastic welcome by the crowds. Their flight took a total of 45 days. Europeans living in South Africa suddenly realized the proximity of their homelands. Even so, it wasn't until 1931 that scheduled airline services could link South Africa with Europe, such were the difficulties to be overcome on the 7,000 mile route. Footnote: The British Royal Mail has yet to commemorate their enterprise with a special issue stamp as it has done with the other two Vimy pioneering flights.

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