Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Bristol Boxkite celebrates RAAF centenary

The Royal Australian Air Force has celebrated its centenary by flying a reproduction Bristol Boxkite exactly 100 years after a Bristol Boxkite made the first military flight in Australia. The event took place during at air show over the weekend of 1st and 2nd of March at Point Cook in Victoria, the same location where original flight took place. The flight was the culmination of several years of work to build the Boxkite, to the original design using authentic materials. The Boxkite is fitted with a locally-built 110 h.p. Rotec R2800 radial engine, instead of a Gnome rotary engine, and visually fits in with the period. When the project started in 2006, working rotary engines were extremely rare, and the Rotec is much more reliable.

To mark the occasion, the project has produced a book covering the conception, design and construction of the Boxkite, along with original news accounts and photographs, and is a must for all Boxkite-lovers. The book can be shipped worldwide, and more details are available on the project website. The project also has its own Facebook page.