G-AUCQ   Avro 534 Baby                                            (c/n    534/1)
            
                               
                                 
                                      This is Australian aviator Bert Hinkler's machine on display in the Queensland Museum in
                                      Brisbane.  This image is from The A J Jackson Collection at Brooklands Museum.  It was
                                      actually Hinkler's 2nd aircraft which he had used for a UK - Australia attempt, the first being
                                      a Sopwith Pup.  This machine was the prototype airframe (K-131) which had crashed in 1920
                                      and been rebuilt as G-EACQ.   Having flown successfully from Croydon to Turin, Italy he was
                                      refused permission to fly over Iraq (odd, since it was a British Mandate at the time - although
                                      clearly the natives were restless, even in those days) so he returned to London where the Baby
                                      was displayed at the 1920 Olympia Airshow and flown to 2nd place in the Hendon Aerial Derby.
                                      It was then shipped to Sydney where it became G-AUCQ for Australian Aircraft and Engineer-
                                      ing Co of Mascot..   Somewhere along the way it was fitted with twin floats as seen in the image
                                      immediately below from the National Library of Australia collection, although I have not been
                                      able to piece together a timetable as to when this conversion took place. The next photo is via
                                      Kevin OReilly shows this Avro Baby at Belmont being moved by GeorgeMackenzie (Silver
                                      Wings), date unstated.   The fourth shot is from the Geoff Goodall collection and shows the
                                      Avro when owned by AA&E from 1921-24.
                                      Following that is a photo from the  John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland collection,
                                      showing the aircraft as G-EACQ ostensibly in Queensland.  Just when that was I am not sure,
                                      since the attempt to fly out from  the U.K. had been aborted   Did it make a trip to Archerfield
                                      before being repainted G-AUCQ?   It was stored by its last owner, J.J. Smith, Footscray West,
                                      Victoria from 1931 until 1970 when it was restored and presented to the Queensland Museum
                                      in Brisbane   The nice shot at the foot of the page is from Bruce Robinson and shows the restored
                                      aircraft at the RQAC at Archerfield on 22 May 1972    It wears the titling 'A.V. Roe & C. L.' on
                                      the rear fuselage.