In 1934, the "London to Melbourne Air Race" known as the "MacRobertson Trophy Air Race" named after Sir Macpherson Robertson, a wealthy Australian confectionery manufacturer, was announced as a long-distance race open to competitors from all over the globe. As part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations, the idea of the race was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne with a prize fund of £50,000 put up by Sir Macpherson Robertson. The race was organised by the Royal Aero Club to fly from RAF Mildenhall in East Anglia to Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, approximately. Five compulsory stops at Baghdad, Allahabad, Singapore, Darwin and Charleville, Queensland were scheduled although the competitors could choose their own routes. In England, two special purpose de Havilland DH.88 Comet racers were built by Geoffrey de Havilland for the teams of Captain Tom Campbell Black and Flight Lt. C. W. A. Scott as well as the husband and wife team of Jim and Amy Mollison. Many other entries from England were production aircraft that could not compete with the Comets. The other serious contenders were from the United States where celebrity pilots such as Roscoe Turner, Clyde Pangborn and Jacqueline Cochran were entered with potent long-distance racing aircraft. The most unusual entry was from KLM with a Douglas DC-2 airliner that would fly the course as part of a proving flight to establish the efficiency and safety of the airline. Starting on 20 October 1934, the 20 competitors set off with many dramatic twists. Nearly all the competitors faced some adversity although the KLM crew flying an example of the new generation of American all-metal passenger transports, proved to be dependable, actually finishing second behind only the purpose-built de Havilland DH.88 racer Grosvenor House flown by Campbell Black and Scott.
Although Half a World Away has a proviso in the end credits indicating that the story is fictionalized, the production closely replicated actual events and depicted individuals involved in MacRobertson Air Race. The aircraft in the film included a North American AT-6 Texan, Avro Anson, Douglas DC-3, DH.83 Fox Moth, DH.82 Tiger Moth and Boeing-Stearman Model 75. A pair of non-flying replica DH.88 Comets were also featured, with "G-ACSS" being taxiable, and "G-ACSP", static.
Reception
Film Critic Hal Erickson noted: "Enhanced by the utilization of genuine vintage aircraft, 'Half a World Away' originally aired in Australia in May 1991. It has since been released to video as 'The Great Air Race'." In a similar review, Mark Deming commented: "The Great Air Race is a made-for-TV movie that presents a fictionalized version of this thrilling moment in the history of air travel..." The film was released as The Great Air Race in a DVD format by BFS Entertainment on 8 August 2000.
