Book – Aero Grace, The Gospel in Australian Skies

Author: Ron WattsPublisher: MAF Australia, New South Wales (2023)Reviewer: Brian Morgan

Every once in a while, we read a book which has a profound influence on us. That influence will differ from person to person.

Aero Grace could be regarded as an important historical record of the hazards encountered by the pioneers of Outback flying in Australia. But that is only a small part of its appeal. We all know what John Flynn and Alf Traeger did with primitive aircraft and pedal powered radio sets in bringing medical help over the air and, if need be, with aircraft to take a sick or injured person to hospital. But the incentive for assisting the inland, as revealed in Aero Grace, was largely based on religion as I will demonstrate, shortly.

Imagine the days when the most modern car available was a T model Ford. If one wanted to visit remote properties, then car travel was the usual means of transport. Aircraft on the surplus market were mostly ex WW 1 vintage, flimsy and very primitive devices.

1928 seems to have the point at which understanding first emerged that aircraft could reduce travel times and open up inland Australia. And, in this context, one needs to remember that, even after WW2, the most popular and available aircraft was the Tiger Moth, albeit, with a cruising speed between 70 and 80 knots and with an open cockpit so the pilot and passenger, if any, were totally exposed to the elements.

Some ministers of religion were expected to cater for a parish the size of Victoria with limited finances, often, a sceptical superior, particularly, when asked for money to purchase an aircraft or to repair it and, similarly, with cars which were forever breaking down, becoming bogged etc.

One of these pioneers used aerial photographs to sell his story 62 times in 43 churches, 27 schools, and 45 newspaper articles in the hope of raising funds to buy an aircraft. He raised 300 pounds, only. Nowhere near enough with which to buy an aircraft.

Navigation in those days was, at best, carried out with a school atlas. There are many stories told of how a pilot would fly low over a town hoping to see the name on the railway station so as to confirm his position.

And, because these pilots were flying by the seat of their pants, there were incidents where aircraft were damaged or destroyed; and pilots were killed  in crash landings. Pilots became hopelessly lost but yet, over time, the available aircraft moved from vintage, worn out machines, to modern (for their time) single and twin engine models and later prop jet aircraft which brought a massive increase in speed, reliability, efficiency and functionality.

Through all of this, it was the incentive of the various religions that drove these pilots, and their fellow workers, to work for next to nothing, take enormous risks, often leave their family for many days or weeks at a time and  share in the burdens occasioned by living  in the Outback.

The author says, at page 43, “Responding to human need, in all its forms, is a hallmark of the Christian Church”. This is so obvious in Aero Grace where, at times, different religions worked towards a common cause; respect was obvious between ministers of different persuasions; and their ultimate focus allowed them to work in harmony for the betterment of people in the Outback.

Missionary Aviation Fellowship and the Salvation Army seem to me to have been the most forward looking organisations in setting up religious instruction via aircraft.

Whereas, of course, Flynn saw the need for medical services, these religious based organisations saw the need for remote properties to have religious instruction or even just a friendly minister call on them from time to time.

This book has a collection of photos of many of the heroes about which it is written and a  great collection of the results of crashes many of which resulted in repairs with fencing wire or anything handy, as transporting a damaged aircraft back to a maintenance base was mostly impractical.

The author speaks from personal experience of working in this field. This is very obvious to the reader from the writing itself which shows empathy and reflects first-hand experience of the hardships that he and his fellow pilots had to endure even in more recent times.

These aircraft were rarely permitted to operate in Charter category so as to take paying passengers, mail etc and, as a result, the success of operations was made possible largely by donations: something which is quite astounding. Aircraft are not cheap to buy, are expensive to maintain and very expensive to repair.

This is one of the most outstanding books that I have read in a long, long time.

As anyone who has flown a Tiger Moth or flown in one will attest, it is quite amazing that so many of the early pilots survived and succeeded as well as they did. This book also manifestly demonstrates that it was not the skin colour that mattered to the missionary pilots. First Nations and white people were all treated equally. Everyone was provided with religious support when and if they wanted it.