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The Wackett Widgeon flying boat before its test flight in 1924

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Full titleThe Wackett Widgeon flying boat before its test flight in 1924Date1924DescriptionThe Wackett Widgeon flying boat before its test flight in 1924. Although this initial flight was a failure, later trials were successful.

(The following from a Royal Australian Navy article)
'The Wackett Widgeon II seaplane was built by the Experimental Section of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at Randwick, NSW during the 1925-26. It was a single-engine amphibian biplane of wooden construction and only two of its type were built.

The Widgeon was designed by Squadron Leader Lawrence James Wackett during 1923. Wackett was born in Townsville in 1896 and served in the Australian Flying Corps during the First World War before joining the fledgling RAAF in 1921. His younger brother Ellis Wackett, born 1901, joined the RAN College as a cadet midshipman in 1915 and qualified as an Engineer Lieutenant in 1923 before transferring to the RAAF later that year in order to qualify as a pilot.

The first prototype, the Widgeon I, was built during 1924-25 as a seaplane (only able to take off and land on water) and crashed during it its test flight at Botany Bay in July 1925. Repairs took five months to complete and following a successful flight, on 3 December 1925, a number of modifications were made including conversion of the aircraft to an amphibian; able to take off from land or water. At the same time as the Widgeon I was being modified the Widgeon II was under construction.

Taxiing tests of the Widgeon II commenced on 16 February 1928, at Mascot Aerodrome, and the aircraft first took to the air on 21 February. The Widgeon II was handed over to the RAAF, at Point Cook, on 13 April 1928 after flying from Mascot. In May 1928 the Widgeon II flew from Melbourne to Darwin with the intention of flying on to Singapore to rendezvous with the Supermarine Southampton II flying boats, of the Royal Air Force Far East Flight, for the Australian leg of their "great flying-boat cruise". However the Widgeon II was not able to take off from Darwin due to its heavy load and hot tropical conditions.

Squadron Leader Wackett flew the Widgeon II along the coast to Broome and met the RAF aircraft there on 1 June 1928. The Widgeon then accompanied the four RAF flying boats to Melbourne, with stops at Port Hedland, Carnarvon, Perth, Ceduna and Adelaide. The five flying boats arrived in Melbourne on 29 June 1928.

The Widgeon II returned to Mascot in August for modifications, following its lengthy flight and in July 1929 was embarked in the seaplane carrier HMAS Albatross for a voyage of the New Guinea area to conduct flight trials under tropical conditions. At Rabaul during 16-18 July the Widgeon was craned off for test flights but failed to launch despite several attempts. The aircraft was craned back onboard Albatross and not used again. The Widgeon II was returned to Point Cook in late October 1929 and handed over to the Civil Air Board.

On 6 January 1930 the Widgeon II took off from Point Cook for a test flight but soon after crashed into Port Phillip Bay killing the pilot and two passengers.
(Source: Royal Australian Navy: https://www.navy.gov.au/aircraft/wackett-widgeon-ii)

(The following from Randwick: A Social History)
'Lawrence Wackett was one of twelve qualified pilots with whom Australia entered the First World War. An accomplished pilot and innovative engineer, Wackett was, by 1917, promoted from active duty to supervise repairs and design new planes for the Royal Air Force. When he returned to Australia in 1921, Wackett argued that an air force dependent on imported planes was a danger to our defence network, and he pressured superiors to allow his experimental work to continue. Revamping a disused factory on army property on the corner of Frenchmans Road and Avoca Street, Wackett set to work with a team of army personnel and some civilian experts who had come to Australia to work with aviator Nigel Love at Mascot. Wackett and his team designed and built the Wackett Widgeon I, a coastal
reconnaissance sea plane commissioned by the Department of Civil Aviation. The eventual success of Widgeon I and subsequent planes convinced the Royal Australian Air Force of Wackett's worth.
Pressure from British manufacturers, who saw Wackett as a threat to their monopoly on Australian orders, and a subsequent decision by Treasury to stop funding Wackett's project caused the closure of the Randwick factory in the early 1930s. Wackett left the air force in disgust and joined the ranks of Sydney's unemployed during the Depression. His factory which had seen so many advances, fell once more into disrepair. Wackett's talents were finally put to work by a private investor who saw potential for an Australian aeronautical industry. When the first Australian planes came off the production line in the Second World War to compensate for Britain's failure to supply, they came from his privately funded Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, based in Melbourne.'
(Source: Randwick: A Social History, pages 160-162)

Original Photograph Size; 300 DPI
This image was part of the Randwick Social History Project, it can be found on page 161 of Randwick; A social History
This image was held at the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney, now held in the Chau Chak Wing Museum. Curated CollectionsRandwick Social History ProjectPeople (Detailed entries)Wackett, Lawrence James, Sir, 1896-1982LocationsMascot (N.S.W.)Randwick (N.S.W.)Botany (N.S.W.)Geo Tags^[1]Beaches & ParksBotany Bay (N.S.W.)Organisations (Detailed entries)Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (Mascot, N.S.W.)Sydney Airport (Mascot, N.S.W.)Mascot Aerodrome (Mascot, N.S.W.)Organisations (Brief entries)Royal Australian Air ForceSubjectsAirplanesSeaplanesWidgeon (Amphibian planes)AirportsSourceChau Chak Wing Museum, University of SydneyFile FormatJPEGIdentifierD00064Request accessClick here to purchase a high-res file quoting the Identifier above

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The Wackett Widgeon flying boat before its test flight in 1924