'Wizard of the Air': Maurice Guillaux

摘要

ThispostwasoriginallywritenfortheregularfeatureIntheFrameinTheNationalLibraryofAustraliaMagazineFirstFlightfromMelbournetoSydneyShowingPilotMauriceGuillauxStandingonaBlériotMonoplanewitha50HorsepowerGnomeEngine,Wangaratta1914,bamp;wphotograph;16.4x12cm,PicturesCollection,nla.gov.aula.pic-vn3723553In1914,onlyfouryearsafterAustralia’sfirstpoweredflight,aviationremainedawonder.InMarchthatyear,theFrenchaviatorMauriceGuillauxarrivedbyship,withhisBlériotmonoplaneandateamofmechanics,todemonstratethepossibilitiesofflyingtolargeandappreciativeAustraliancrowds.Aformerwheelwright,a‘debonair’and‘dapper’littleman(accordingtothemanypressreportsofhisexploits),Guillaux’s‘fancywork’thrilledcrowds,hisplaneloopingtheloop(histrademarkmanoeuvre)andswoopingonspectators,whoduckedandcheered.Hailedasthe‘WizardoftheAir’andthe‘AirPorpoise’,hebecamethefirsttoflyahydro-aeroplanefromSydneyHarbour.ThepossibilityofwarshadowedGuillaux’sexploits.HetooktheMinisterforDefenceforaflightoverSydney,jokedwithreportersaboutdroppingbombsonAustralia’snewfleetandpredictedthatthe‘nextwar’wouldbewonbythesidebestabletomasteraircombat.InJune,GuillauxannouncedhisintentionofflyingbetweenMelbourneandSydney,anunprecedentedjourneyinvolvingcarefulreconnaissanceandthestationingofmechanicsatseveraltownsontheway.Wearingaleatherjacketandtricolourscarfoverhisstreetclothes,andcarrying1,785postcardsandmessagesfromdignitariesinVictoriatotheirSydneycounterparts,GuillauxleftMelbourneonthemorningofThursday16July1914.Henavigatedbycompassand,moreprosaically,byfollowingtherailway,flyingviaSeymour,Wangaratta,AlburyandWaggaWagga,stoppingforthenightatHarden.AshepassedlowovertownslikeCulcairn,bellsrangandtrainwhistleshooted,withschoolchildrenandtheirteacherscraningforasightfewhadseenbefore.Delayedbywetweather,helostaday,buttookoffforGoulburn,LiverpoolandSydneyonSaturday18July,tobegreetedbyahugecrowdatMoorePark.(TheBlériotmonoplaneheusedhasbeenpreservedbythePowerhouseMuseuminSydney.)Twoweeksafterhisepicflight,MauriceGuillauxwasinjuredinacrash,buthevolunteeredtoserveassoonasnewsoftheoutbreakofwararrivedinthefirstdaysofAugust.Byearly1915,hewasbackinFrancetestingnewwarplanes.In1918,wordreachedfriendsinSydneythatGuillauxhadbeenkilledflyinganewaircrafttheyearbefore.