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100 Years of Flight in Australia

Will YeomanThe West Australian
L:R Pilots Bob Fawcett and Val Abbott, Mechanic J Trestrail, first passenger MLA Michael Durack, Norman Brearley, Perth City Councilor and architect Harold Boas, Peter Hansen, Geoff Jacoby and Sir Charles Kingsford Smith pose at Langley Park in front of a Bristol Air Tourer on Langley Park at the launch of West Australian Airways service in December, 1921. Colourised by Benoit Vienne.
Camera IconL:R Pilots Bob Fawcett and Val Abbott, Mechanic J Trestrail, first passenger MLA Michael Durack, Norman Brearley, Perth City Councilor and architect Harold Boas, Peter Hansen, Geoff Jacoby and Sir Charles Kingsford Smith pose at Langley Park in front of a Bristol Air Tourer on Langley Park at the launch of West Australian Airways service in December, 1921. Colourised by Benoit Vienne. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

December 5 is the 100th anniversary of the first commercial flight in the southern hemisphere and it all started at Langley Park, next to Riverside Drive in Perth, with WW1 ace Sir Norman Brearley, who shaped aviation not just in WA but right across Australia.

For this episode of The Pod Well Travelled, Aviation Editor Geoffrey Thomas previews his four-part series on the history of airlines in WA ahead of the commemoration of the event on September 16. The series will be published in The West Australian's travel pages over four Saturdays, starting this weekend.

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