Reading the book ‘Winged Odyssey’ about the Duchess of Bedford, in 1933 she and her pilot touring through Europe and the Med, met a Bill Lancaster with an Avian at Barcelona, he was apparently attempting to break Amy Mollinson’s England to Cape record. He then reached Oran, took off at 3o/c in the morning to follow the Trans-Sahara motoring track – “when it got light”!! – seeing his instruments by lighting matches!! – made four more landings, but neither the ones he wanted or in the correct sequence, took off from a place called Reggan and vanished.
In 1962 his Avian ‘Southern Cross Minor’ was found by a French Army patrol only 170 miles South of Reggan, containing his skeleton and diary, he had survived for 8 days after running out of fuel.
So what happened after that?, the way it reads the Avian was OK other than no fuel, where did it go?, what was the reg no?, presumably it is still around somewhere today – has anybody any information, it is an intriguing story.
Cheers Brian.;)
By: G-ORDY - 7th June 2009 at 11:03
This aircraft and it’s pilot have been discussed here before:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50752&highlight=bill+lancaster
Lancaster wrote a diary during his last 8 days using his logbook – it was found with his body.
By: flyernzl - 7th June 2009 at 08:43
It was a Avian V single seater c/n 523, intially VH-UQG for Charles Kingsford-Smith. It then became G-ABLK in July 1931 and was sold to Lancaster in 1933.
As you state, the wreck was found in 1962 but time and climate had taken its toll, only the skeleton of the airframe was left.
The wreck was recovered in 1975 – I think that Australian entrepreneur Dick Smith was involved? and taken to the Brisbane Museum where it was decided to display the remains in ‘as found’ condition. Poignant.
G-ABLK at Brisbane Museum 6Jul2008
By: Icare9 - 6th June 2009 at 18:31
If I remember correctly, there were the metal remains of an Avro Avian fuselage left in he open next to a hangar on the far side of Southend airport. You could see it between the fence and hangar beside a footpath crossing to Rochford. That was in the 60’s so no doubt long gone, together with many Dragon Rapide wings and much else beside in the old scrap dump.
By: avion ancien - 6th June 2009 at 16:21
Out of curiosity:
– was it from his diary that it was known that Lancaster survived for eight days after running out of fuel?
– why would anyone, forced down in the Sahara, sit in an open cockpit rather than taking shelter under the wing?
– if the Avian was discovered by the French military, how did it find its way into an Australian museum?
By: Brian Doherty - 6th June 2009 at 13:28
Thanks very much Keith – That was a fast response!
Shame about the Avian, I had hoped that it would have been restored somewhere. I guess that you could say that Lancaster got his just desserts or died of his own stupidity, either way it’s long gone history.
Cheers Brian.;)
By: Newforest - 6th June 2009 at 12:35
And don’t forget his trial for murder!
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Bill_Lancaster_(aviator)
The aircraft is in the Queensland Museum in Brisbane.
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June 6, 2009 at 12:03 pm