Round-the-World Flights

Qantas Inaugurates Round-the-World Anniversary Flight Service

Page 4f (rev: 1001)

Flown Cover	Cachet	Plane Constellation	Flown Marker	RTW Label

	The England-Australia Air Race was won by Ross and Keith Smith, 
who landed in Darwin on December 10, 1919.  This race was the indirect 
cause for the start of what was to become Australia's international 
airline and the second oldest airline in the world. Two young ex Flying 
Corps lieutenants, Hudson Fysh and P. McGinness had been given the job 
of surveying the last leg of the race preparing landing fields between 
Darwin and Queensland. 
	From their survey work, they became convinced that air transport 
was the only reliable method of transport in Australia's outback.  With 
the backing of Fergus McMaster, on November 16, 1920 they registered an 
air company based at Winton, Queensland. It was called, Queensland And 
Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited (QANTAS).  Their first two 
years were spent carrying joy-riding passengers and in November 1922, 
they began regular service between Charleville and Cloncurry.  Their air 
service was extended to Normanton and in 1928, Cloncurry became the base 
for the world's first flying doctor service (operated by QANTAS for the 
next 21 years).  In 1931 QANTAS Limited began its collaboration with 
Imperial Airways on the Australia-London run and carried mail between 
Brisbane and Darwin.  In January 1934, the two airlines formed Qantas 
Empire Airways.  QEA flew the Brisbane-Darwin sector and in 1935, it 
took over the Darwin-Singapore sector from Imperial.
	In 1938, the Short "Empire" Flying Boats were introduced on this 
route and QANTAS flew as far as Karachi, Pakistan.  In 1942 this route 
was cut off by the warring Japanese.  QANTAS began to operate the Catalina 
Flying boats between Perth and Ceylon. 
	After WW-II,  QANTAS purchased Constellations to fly the "Kangaroo" 
route to London via Singapore.  On January 14, 1958 QANTAS expanded this 
route inaugurating a round-the-world flight service.  Two Super Constellations 
took off from Melbourne. One travelled via India along the Kangaroo Route, 
while the other flew eastward on the Southern Cross Route via the United 
States. The Constellations circumnavigated the globe in opposite directions, 
arriving back in Sydney six days later. Thereafter, eight round-the-world 
flights operated weekly. 
	Then in 1959, QANTAS became the first airline outside of the United 
States to use the Boeing 707 aircraft on its routes.  In 1960 QANTAS 
inaugurated round-the-world jet service.

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