VH-UKX  de Havilland D.H.60G Gipsy Moth                     (c/n  1073)

                                  

                                        Another rare Charlie Pratt photo above (via the John Hopton collection) of a Gipsy Moth first
                                        registered to de Havilland dealers Matthews Aviation of Essendon in June 1929.      This shot
                                        was taken at Geelong's Belmont Common aerodrome.   Below is a clipping from the Brisbane
                                        Courier of  7 October 1929 showing Pratt (top) and J.R. Guthrie (bottom left) in whose name
                                        the aircraft had been registered in July 1929.  They were participants in the East-West Centenary
                                        Air Race from Sydney to Perth.  The aircraft was named  'Corio' (which is just visible on the
                                        cowling on the above shot).    Unfortunately both men were seriously injured, and the aircraft
                                        written oiff, when they crashed after colliding with a tree north-east Baandee, WA (near Merredin)
                                        on 5 October 1929.  As a report from the Sydney Morning Herald for 7 October put it "the fliers
                                        were within sight of victory on their last hop from Tammin to Perth'.