Vickers-R.E.P. monoplane No.1: The Search Continues

[Rod_Filan]

Mark Farrell's post on finding the air tractor parts:

Hawke Eye Farrell finds air tractor
h/t Mawson's Huts Foundation Blog Archive Hawke Eye Farrell finds air tractor

The change in the appearence of the ice due to melt has been a fascination and wonder with me while I have been at Cape Denison. On New Year’s Day while out walking after a day’s work on the Magnetograph Hut, I noticed that the previously dangerous ice edge of Boat Harbour had in some places melted to rock and made acess to the waters edge quite safe. With the spirit of adventure all around I continued to walk along the rock until I noticed it, waiting to happen. I thought to my self, I think I should tell someone about this! So that’s why I am blogging.

Here’s what I saw.



MHF

-
Cheers

[Rod_Filan]

Dr. Tony reports on today's events in the continued search for more air tractor parts:

Mawson’s Huts Sitrep Saturday 2nd January 2010
h/t Mawson's Huts Foundation Blog Archive Mawson’s Huts Sitrep Saturday 2nd January 2010

After yesterday’s excitement it was a relatively slow day. The temp varied from zero to minus 5.

The wind blew all day at a steady 20-25 knots until late in the afternoon. As it was low tide at 6:30 pm, Chris and Marty suited up, and jumped into the Zodiac to look for more air tractor parts, assisted by Fazz and Tony ashore.



Pauline spent her day editing and lodging stories on the air tractor. ...

TS

-
Cheers

[YavorD]

The find was reported in prime time TV news in Bulgaria couple of days ago (with a lot of technical errors, as usual for aviation topics )
Regards,
Yavor

[Varese2002]

Originally Posted by YavorD

The find was reported in prime time TV news in Bulgaria couple of days ago (with a lot of technical errors, as usual for aviation topics )
Regards,
Yavor

Also on Netherlands TV in prime time. The reporting was not that bad, but with some incorrect statements - the machine was not intended for flying over the South Pole (!) I think.

Kees

[Rod_Filan]

Bits & Pieces...

More air tractor photographs
h/t Mawson's Huts Foundation Blog Archive More air tractor photographs

On rock, alongside the site where found in Boat Harbor:


In the lab to commence stabilization:


Rob Easther

YouTube- The Dave Clark Five - Bits & Pieces - Top Of The Pops (1964)

YouTube- The Dave Clark Five - Bits & Pieces - Top Of The Pops (1964)

-
Cheers

[Rod_Filan]

Originally Posted by Kees

... - the machine was not intended for flying over the South Pole (!) I think.

Actually, you are correct...the Vickers-R.E.P. monoplane was taken along as a reconnaissance aircraft to be flown over the Antarctic ice, but was never intended to be used to reach the Pole. Once one of the wings was damaged during an exhibition flight at Adelaide, Australia, Mawson decided to send the pilot (forgotten his name at the moment...) back to England and employ the wingless machine as a motorized sledge--which it was, with limited success--by the western sledging party.
-
Cheers

[Rod_Filan]

More air tractor parts found...

Mawson’s Huts Sitrep Wednesday 6th January 2010
h/t Mawson's Huts Foundation Blog Archive Mawson’s Huts Sitrep Wednesday 6th January 2010

[...]

Jody and Tony spent the morning going through an interesting box of artefacts that Peter Maxwell discovered under the workshop bench. In it were 23 parts of the air tractor, almost definitely spare parts from the hangar. These have now been photographed and catalogued along with 3 sections of tubing from the airframe found on Murphy’s bunk in the main hut. Jody then spent several hours recording the interior of the hut, mainly the area around Mertz and Ninnis’s bunks, Hyde Park Corner and the eastern wall towards Murphy’s bunk.

In the afternoon afternoon, Chris and Tony continued their survey of the air tractor site, looking for evidence of other parts of the machine under the ice.

[...]

Michelle worked in the lab doing treatments of artefacts, writing a manual for the lab, and had a dialogue on the conservation of the air tractor parts.

Tony and the team.

-
Cheers