IT WAS a daring feat by a pioneering aviator that paved the way for passenger flights but almost ended in disaster.
Sir Keith Park, the son of an Aberdeen geologist, completed a 1,880-mile aerial circuit of the UK in 1919 to demonstrate aviation's future potential.
Now, 90 years on, supporters of the First World War air ace, who also played a key role in the Ba
ttle of Britain, yesterday launched a re-creation of his historic flight.
Terry Smith, a private pilot and the chairman of the campaign to erect a statue of Sir Keith, took off from Essex on the three-day journey. He arrived in Edinburgh last night and is due to complete the trip tomorrow.
Mr Smith said the airman had pushed the boundaries of aviation in a former First World War bomber, which included an unscheduled stop in Edinburgh.
The landing at the former Turnhouse airfield was forced by bad weather after the aircraft had to descend to 350ft to round St Abb's Head in Berwickshire.
The scale of the journey's challenge was reflected in Sir Keith being accompanied by an eight-strong crew in the Handley Page O/400, one of the world's largest aircraft at the time, including three engineers and fitters.
The airmen almost came to grief in Belfast the following day when forced to land in a shipyard, almost out of fuel, after failing to locate the airfield due to poor visibility.
As The Scotsman reported at the time: "A very remarkable feat was achieved in bringing the huge machine safely down on Messrs Harland & Wolff's wharf ... about 400 yards long, and only very slightly wider than the actual wingspan of the Handley Page.
"In view of the extremely limited area and the fact that the aeroplane had to be landed across wind, this landing constitutes a record in itself."
Sir Keith's anti-clockwise coastal journey from the RAF school of navigation at Andover in Hampshire, which also included stops at Waddington in Lincolnshire and Pembroke in Wales, took 30 hours.
Mr Smith is flying his plane, a Socata T20 Trinidad, because of the lack of available historic aircraft. He is accompanied by Terence Stevens-Prior, Sir Keith's great great nephew, who is making a film about the trip.
Mr Smith said: "Sir Keith was trying to show what could be achieved with an aircraft – just 16 years after the Wright Brothers' first flight. It was longest ever air trip in the UK and demonstrated how quick travel could be."
Sir Keith, who was born in New Zealand in 1892 after his father James emigrated, served at Gallipoli and the Somme in the First World War before becoming a pilot and shooting down 20 enemy aircraft.
He later commanded 11 Group Fighter Command, which was responsible for the defence of London and south-east England during the Battle of Britain. He was played by Trevor Howard in the eponymous film.
Mr Smith hopes a temporary statue can be erected in Trafalgar Square in London this year, followed by a permanent one in Waterloo Place, close to New Zealand House, to coincide with next year's 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
He said: "We have got somebody who is a genuine hero. It's touched a nerve that we haven't really respected people like Park enough."
The full article contains 565 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
