Thank you IDJ for your very useful follow-up submission, which shows all the principal figures associated with the fledgling Canton air force at that time; comprising Aviation Minister Chen and his personal staff, Air Bureau Chief Colonel Young, General M.A. Cohen representing the all-important Chinese Canadian contribution, aircraft builder and aircraft engineer Wilde and Colwell, and, of course, the pilots. Thanks to information provided to me by the wonderfully informative Chinese aviation historian, Patti Gully, I can note that U.S. aviation pioneer Lt. Col. Harry Abbott is amongst this latter group. With the ascendency of the Soviet military advisors in Canton, Abbott moved to Hong Kong in the Spring of 1924 where he acquired a lease on the Kai Tak reclamation for his new aviation enterprise.
The first to arrive from the UK by air was Squadron Leader McLaren and his colleagues in an amphibious flying boat in July 1924 during a round-the-world flight attempt. They did not land at Kai Tack but on the harbour.
The first landplane from London to Hong Kong was American newspaper proprietor Van Lear Blacks’ chartered Fokker airliner, the largest aircraft to land at Kai Tack at that time. He was by professional Dutch pilots, March 1930.
Followed by Mrs Victor Bruce flying solo from London in her Blackburn Bluebird biplane in November 1930. Photographed at Kai Tack. She flew onwards to Tokyo.
Comments
Air Field location
Wow, was this plane at the pre Kai Tack airport days' airfield? Flew all the way from England to Hong Kong in 1926???
IDJ's follow-up submission
Thank you IDJ for your very useful follow-up submission, which shows all the principal figures associated with the fledgling Canton air force at that time; comprising Aviation Minister Chen and his personal staff, Air Bureau Chief Colonel Young, General M.A. Cohen representing the all-important Chinese Canadian contribution, aircraft builder and aircraft engineer Wilde and Colwell, and, of course, the pilots. Thanks to information provided to me by the wonderfully informative Chinese aviation historian, Patti Gully, I can note that U.S. aviation pioneer Lt. Col. Harry Abbott is amongst this latter group. With the ascendency of the Soviet military advisors in Canton, Abbott moved to Hong Kong in the Spring of 1924 where he acquired a lease on the Kai Tak reclamation for his new aviation enterprise.
See also IDJ’s original submission:
M.A. Cohen with Minister of Aviation, Eugene Chen (Chen Youren) dedicating the aircraft they named ROSAMONDE 1923 | Gwulo
Airfield location
The aircraft shown was built in Canton.
The first to arrive from the UK by air was Squadron Leader McLaren and his colleagues in an amphibious flying boat in July 1924 during a round-the-world flight attempt. They did not land at Kai Tack but on the harbour.
The first landplane from London to Hong Kong was American newspaper proprietor Van Lear Blacks’ chartered Fokker airliner, the largest aircraft to land at Kai Tack at that time. He was by professional Dutch pilots, March 1930.
Followed by Mrs Victor Bruce flying solo from London in her Blackburn Bluebird biplane in November 1930. Photographed at Kai Tack. She flew onwards to Tokyo.
IDJ's submission re Chic Eather
The ‘Chic Eather’, Harry Abbott material originally came mainly from the HKHAA and the 1998 book Wings over Hong Kong.
Many of the annotated photocopied pages on Chic’s website show my handwriting scribbles not intended for website display.