Editing Hudson Fysh (section)

==Career==

===Survey of the Great Air Race===
[[File:Hudson Fysh with Nieuport 23 during WWI.jpg|thumb|right|Lieutenant Wilmot Hudson Fysh standing in front of a [[Nieuport Scout]] aircraft]]
On 28 February 1919, at [[Heliopolis (Cairo Suburb)|Heliopolis]], Fysh received his flying licence, graduating as a [[fighter pilot|scout pilot]].<ref name=adb/><ref>{{cite web|access-date=9 October 2007|url=http://cas.awm.gov.au/PROD/cst.acct_master?surl=998615590ZZZCMLGCTSDUK71543&stype=4&simplesearch=&v_umo=&v_product_id=&screen_name=&screen_parms=&screen_type=RIGHT&bvers=5&bplatform=Netscape&bos=Win32|title=Image of Fysh' pilot licence at the Australian War Memorial}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=QAN>{{cite web|access-date=9 October 2007 |url=http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details3 |title=The Men Who Established Qantas |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008204909/http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details3 |archive-date=8 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In March 1919, an announcement was made by the [[Prime Minister of Australia]], [[William Morris Hughes]], of a [[England to Australia flight|Great Air Race]] for the "first successful flight to Australia from Great Britain in a machine manned by Australians".<ref name=pg17>Stackhouse (1995). "...from the dawn of aviation", p. 17</ref> The prize money was [[Australian pound|£A]]10,000 (or [[Pound sterling|£8,000 sterling]]), under the condition that the flight is completed within 720 hours, and before midnight of 31 December 1919.<ref name=pg17/> Deciding to join the race, Fysh regrouped with Paul McGinness as his co-pilot.<ref name=BT>{{cite web|access-date=19 July 2009|url=http://www.qfom.com.au/theBigTrip.html|title=QANTAS Founders Outback Museum—The big trip|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912074147/http://www.qfom.com.au/theBigTrip.html|archive-date=12 September 2009}}</ref><ref name=SI>{{cite web|access-date=9 October 2007 |url=http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details1 |title=Qantas history—The Inspiration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001309/http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details1 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

To fund the race, McGinness approached [[Samuel McCaughey|Sir Samuel McCaughey]], the man who donated the plane that McGinness flew in for [[World War I]].<ref name=BT/> McCaughey agreed to fund the race, and they were joined by [[Arthur Baird]], their flight-sergeant engineer during the war.<ref name=pg17/><ref name=bau>Brown (1997). "Aviation History", p. 17.</ref> Prior to the race, on 25 July 1919, McCaughey died and his executors refused to honour his agreement with McGinness. As a result, plans for the race were abandoned.<ref name=BT/><ref name=SI/> Instead, Fysh and McGinness were commissioned to survey Northern Australia for the preparation of the Air Race, by [[Major-General]] [[James Gordon Legge]] (later [[Lieutenant-General]]) from the [[Department of Defence (Australia)|Defence Department]].<ref name=SI/><ref name=gov>{{cite book |title=Linking a Nation: Australia's Transport and Communications 1788 – 1970 |url=http://www.ahc.gov.au/publications/linking-nation/index.html |year=2003 |publisher=Australian Heritage Commission |isbn=0-642-23561-9 |chapter=Chapter 8 The Rise of Civil Aviation to 1970 |chapter-url=http://www.ahc.gov.au/publications/linking-nation/chapter-8.html |access-date=16 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031222028/http://www.ahc.gov.au/publications/linking-nation/index.html |archive-date=31 October 2007 }}</ref> They were instructed to survey the route from the town of Longreach, past [[Katherine, Northern Territory|Katherine]], and ending at the state capital of [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], in the [[Northern Territory]].<ref name=pg18>Stackhouse (1995). "...from the dawn of aviation", p. 18</ref><ref name=fpoe>{{cite news |title=Flight paths of endurance |work=Features |page= 61|date=31 July 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Bruce |last=Harris |title=Magnificent machines, home-grown legends |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/16/1071336964936.html?from=storyrhs |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=17 December 2003 |access-date=8 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020013800/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/16/1071336964936.html?from=storyrhs |archive-date=20 October 2012 }}</ref>

Arriving in Longreach in August 1919, they acquired a [[Ford Model T|Model T Ford]], as a transport for the survey, and were accompanied by a mechanic, George Gorham.<ref name=pg18/><ref name=QAAG>{{cite web|access-date=9 October 2007|url=http://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/FactFiles.pdf|title=Fact File—Qantas at a Glance|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927230839/http://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/FactFiles.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref> Leaving Longreach on 18 August 1919, the group traveled through [[Winton, Queensland|Winton]], Kynuna and McKinlay, reaching the town of [[Cloncurry, Queensland|Cloncurry]] on 20 August 1919.<ref name=BT/> They were the first people to travel across the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]], using an automobile.<ref name=adb/><ref name=pg18/> The team traveled through [[Burketown, Queensland|Burketown]], the stations of Westmoreland and Wollorgorang, before reaching Hobble Chain Creek.<ref name=BT/> From there, they traveled through Big Running Creek, Calvert River, Warbys Lagoon, Snake Lagoon, Fulch River, Werrin River, Fletcher River, Feathertop Creek.<ref name=BT/> As none of the rivers have bridges, the group had to wade across the rivers.<ref name=BT/> Following a route taken by [[Ludwig Leichhardt]] in 1845, they reached [[Borroloola, Northern Territory|Borroloola]].<ref name=BT/> Fysh began a diary of maps and photography, to record their journey across Northern Australia.<ref name=BT/>

[[File:Great air race survey.jpg|thumb|left|George Gorham, Paul McGinness and Hudson Fysh in [[Longreach]]]]
Leaving Borroloola on 25 September 1919, they followed the [[Roper River]], and arriving at Katherine on 8 October 1919. From Katherine, they took a train, ''Leaping Lena'', to Darwin.<ref name=BT/><ref name=pg18/> In total, the pair had traveled through 2180 kilometre in their Model T Ford, taking up 51 days for their trip from Longreach to Katherine.<ref name=fcthkoc>{{cite news |title=Fledgling company that has kept on changing |page=7|work=News and Features |date=15 December 2006 }}</ref> As a result of their journey across the outback, the group found Legge's route lacking the necessary open space for aircraft landing. Fysh and McGinness became convinced that an alternate route through the [[Barkly Tableland]] will be more convenient for the winners of the air race, after talking to some motorcyclists from Sydney.<ref name=pg18/>

Upon reaching Darwin, McGinness and Gorham traveled back to Cloncurry to survey and build landing routes on the way there, while Fysh was to stay in Darwin and create suitable landing strips there and at Katherine.<ref name=pg18/> In a letter addressed to General Legge dated to 30 October 1919, Fysh rejected the use of the [[racecourse]] in Darwin, which was originally picked by [[Reginald Lloyd]] (the head of the first ground survey to find a suitable route for the aircraft), as the landing ground for the winning aircraft. He then suggested an alternate strip, locating one near [[Fannie Bay, Northern Territory|Fannie Bay]], to the north of Darwin.<ref>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 12</ref> Shortly before the landing of the Smith brothers, the landing strip at Fannie Bay was completed at the cost of £A700.<ref>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 13</ref>

On 10 December 1919, the team of [[Ross Macpherson Smith|Ross Smith]], [[Keith Macpherson Smith|Keith Smith]], Jim Bennett and Wally Shiers, winners of the Great Race, arrived in Darwin and were greeted by Fysh (as the official representative of the Defence Department).<ref name=BT/><ref name=pg18/><ref>{{cite web|access-date=9 October 2007 |url=http://www.australianflyingcorps.org/2004_2002/people/aces/smithross.html |title=Captain Ross M. Smith. KBE, DFC and two bars, MC and bar, AFC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927003239/http://www.australianflyingcorps.org/2004_2002/people/aces/smithross.html |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Deciding to return to Longreach in May 1920, Fysh met [[Alexander Kennedy (colonist)|Alexander Kennedy]], when he was given hospitality in Kennedy's homestead, ''Bushby Park''.<ref name=pg22>Stackhouse (1995). "...from the dawn of aviation", p. 22</ref><ref name=ake>{{cite book|last=Fysh|first=Hudson|year=1974|title=Australian Dictionary of Biography|publisher=Melbourne University Press|edition=Volume 5|url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/|chapter=Kennedy, Alexander (1837—1936)|chapter-url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050018b.htm|pages=14–15|access-date=16 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613123624/http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/|archive-date=13 June 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> As McGinness had stopped at the homestead earlier on his way to Cloncurry, Kennedy told Fysh about McGinness' idea of an airline service for the region.<ref name=pg22/><ref>{{cite news|first=Leon|last=Gettler |page=12|title=How to succeed in business without really naming |work=Business |publisher= The Age (Melbourne)|date=8 January 2007 }}</ref>

===Foundation of Qantas===
[[File:T Ford 1919.jpg|thumb|right|Model T Ford used in the 1919 survey]]
After reuniting at the Cloncurry Post Office, McGinness and Fysh started to make plans to build their airline service, confident in the future of commercial aviation.<ref name=esq>{{cite web|access-date=19 July 2009 |url=http://www.qfom.com.au/establishingQF.html |title=QANTAS Founders Outback Museum—Establishing Q.A.N.T.A.S. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912074120/http://www.qfom.com.au/establishingQF.html |archive-date=12 September 2009 }}</ref><ref name=hsm>{{cite news|title=Jetting to global high|work=News|page=21|publisher= Herald Sun (Melbourne) |date=15 December 2006 }}</ref> Writing about his experiences in the outback in his autobiography, Fysh commented that: {{quote|We could not help being struck by the natural advantages which favoured the establishment of an air service in the district...<ref name=BT/> We were convinced of the important part aircraft would eventually play in transporting mail, passengers and freight over the sparsely populated and practically roadless areas of western and northern Queensland and North Australia.<ref name=SI/>}}

Earlier on, McGinness had met a grazier, Fergus McMaster, when McMaster's car [[axle]] had broken down on a bed in [[Cloncurry River]]. McGinness fixed the car, gaining the respect of McMaster.<ref name=adbf>{{cite book|last=McDonald|first=Lorna L.|year=1986|title=Australian Dictionary of Biography|publisher=Melbourne University Press|edition=Volume 10|url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/|chapter=McMaster, Sir Fergus (1879—1950)|chapter-url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100330b.htm|access-date=16 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613123624/http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/|archive-date=13 June 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> McGinness and Fysh headed off to [[Brisbane]], further developing their plan along the way. Coincidentally, McMaster also went to Brisbane. Upon realising this, Fysh and McGinness, explained their airline plans to him.<ref name=pg22/> The initial plans for the airline service consisted of joyriding, [[air taxi]] trips and [[Charter airline|charter service]]s spanning the Northern Territory— Western Queensland region of Australia.<ref name=otm>Simpson (2004). "On The Move", p. 139.</ref><ref name=SB>{{cite web|access-date=9 October 2007 |url=http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details2 |title=Qantas history—Small Beginnings |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001545/http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details2 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_history_concise/index.htm|title=A Concise History of Australia|access-date=14 October 2007|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216201832/http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_history_concise/index.htm|archive-date=16 December 2007}}</ref><ref name=twp>{{cite news |title= Sir Hudson Fysh, Founded Airline|work= METRO Local News Obituaries Classified |date= 9 April 1974 | page = C5}}</ref> As a result, on 20 June 1920 in Brisbane's [[Gresham Hotel]], McGinness, Fysh, McMaster and Alan Campbell, an adviser for the Queensland Primary Producers, began to register the new airline company.<ref name=esq/> The registration of the company was not finalised that day. It took several months before a name and the necessary funds were found for the business.

Funds for the company were lacking. Demonstrating his faith in the airline, Fysh invested his savings of £A500 (£400 sterlings), while McGinness invested £1000.<ref name=pg22/> After being contacted by the group, Arthur Baird joined them in the idea, once again closing his garage business.<ref name=dd23>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 23</ref><ref name=ab>{{cite web|access-date=19 July 2009|title=QANTAS Founders Outback Museum—Meet the Originals: Arthur Baird|url=http://www.qfom.com.au/arthurBaird.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912074725/http://www.qfom.com.au/arthurBaird.html|archive-date=12 September 2009}}</ref> A main investor for Qantas was Ainslie Templeton, a friend of Fergus McMaster and a woolgrower in the Longreach district, who promised to match McMaster's investments in the "air service project", upon being told of the idea.<ref name=bau/><ref>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 20</ref> Fysh and McGinness then traveled through the towns in the Northern Territory and Queensland, asking for investments for the airline. They were met with positive responses.<ref name=esq/> After observing a shareholder writing "Donation" across the [[cheque]] butt, Fysh wrote:{{quote|...like others, he subscribed out of postwar patriotic sentiment for two young returned men, and out of the hope that in the roadless and bridgeless western plains, where all road transport ceased following heavy rain, perhaps the aeroplane might serve a useful purpose.<ref name=esq/>}}

[[File:Qantas First Office Longreach Queensland 1921slnsw a1178007u.jpg|thumb|The original Qantas Office, Longreach, Queensland, vintage photographic print, Sir Hudson Fysh papers, ca.1817-1974]]
After trying many different names for the company, the Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited or Qantas was chosen, a name that McMaster later stated was created "with Anzac as its inspiring factor".<ref name=pg24>Stackhouse (1995). "...from the dawn of aviation", p. 24</ref> Qantas was formed on 16 November 1920, with Fysh, McGinness, McMaster, Ainslie Templeton, and Alan Campbell in the Gresham Hotel,<ref name=adb/><ref name=SB/><ref>{{cite news|title=Flying high on the smell of castor oil|work=Features|date=16 November 2005|page=40}}</ref> with an initial paid-up capital of £A6,700 (£5,360 sterlings).<ref name=ttl>{{cite news |title=Sir Hudson Fysh – The founding of Qantas Airways |work=Obituary |publisher=The Times (London) |page= 16|date= 9 April 1974}}</ref> The job of [[executive chairman]] of the airline was given to McMaster, with Winton becoming the head office and "the official birthplace of Qantas".<ref name=ppp>{{cite web|url=http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details4 |title=Qantas history—The Plane, the Place and the Passenger |access-date=14 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010112527/http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details4 |archive-date=10 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=hs>{{cite news |first=Geoff |last=Easdown |title=Qantas through the years |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20801657-662,00.html |work=Herald Sun |date= 22 November 2006|access-date=27 October 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Kevin |last=Meade |title=The town where a sacred name took flight |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20930483-2702,00.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121215183143/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20930483-2702,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2012 |work=The Australian |date=15 December 2006 |access-date=14 October 2007 }}</ref>

Partially due to McMaster's intervention, the original plans for air-taxi work and joyriding gave way for airmail services,<ref>{{cite news |first= Leora|last=Moldofsky |title=Business Builders |work= Time 100|publisher=Time South Pacific (Australia/New Zealand edition)|page=119 |date=25 October 1999 }}</ref> which would link communication in the settlements between Darwin and Longreach.<ref name=pg24/><ref name=pg30>Stackhouse (1995). "...from the dawn of aviation", p. 30</ref> McMaster summarised it as "an aerial mail service from Longreach to Port Darwin, connecting at Winton, Cloncurry, Avon Downs, Anthony Lagoon, Newcastle Waters and The Katherine", therefore making it the longest direct air service in the world at that time.<ref>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 25</ref> Another plan for Qantas came forth with Dr [[Frederick Archibald Michod]], a doctor and aviator in Longreach who became foundation director of Qantas after its formation. Visiting cattle stations and private properties to give medical treatment, Michod was aware of the difficulties faced in the outback. Establishing a hospital in Longreach, he often used his aircraft as an aerial ambulance. He proposed an idea for a "[[Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia|flying doctor]]",<ref name=MAQ>{{cite speech| title = They still call Longreach Home| author = Richard Wesley| date = 15–16 September 2001| location = MAQ State Conference, Cairns| url = http://www.magsq.com.au/_dbase_upl/Longreach.pdf| access-date = 12 October 2006| format = PDF| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071127030328/http://www.magsq.com.au/_dbase_upl/Longreach.pdf| archive-date = 27 November 2007| url-status = live| df = dmy-all}}</ref> which would later take form in the late 1920s with the Presbyterian minister, [[John Flynn (minister)|John Flynn]].<ref>Lock (2001). "The Oxford Illustrated Companion to Medicine".</ref>

The airline was provided with a wool store as their first [[hangar]] by A.J.B. McMaster, owner of Alba Woolscour, original Qantas shareholder and older Brother of Sir Fergus McMaster.<ref>web|url=http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2008/10/17/andrew-john-baxter-mcmaster/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621143326/http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2008/10/17/andrew-john-baxter-mcmaster/ |date=21 June 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.matildacentre.com.au/EducationCentre_Timeline.asp |title=Education Centre: Winton Timeline |access-date=14 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829014328/http://www.matildacentre.com.au/EducationCentre_Timeline.asp |archive-date=29 August 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 7 February 1921, the first and only Qantas [[Board of directors|board meeting]] in Winton was held in the Winton Club, three days after the pilots landed, on 10 February. A quick decision was made to move Qantas headquarters to Longreach, which would be more central to operations, with easier access to passengers and spare parts.<ref name=esq/><ref name=ppp/>

===Qantas first fleet and flight===
[[File:QANTAS B.E.2e.jpg|thumb|right|Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e biplane from the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service]]
In August 1920, Fysh and McGinness ordered their first aircraft for the company from [[Sydney Airport|Mascot Aerodrome]], the first airport in Australia<ref name=SidAir>Eames (2000). "Sydney Airport".</ref> – two Avro 504K with [[Sunbeam Dyak]] engines, bought at £A1,425 each.<ref name=pg22/><ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Cockington |title= Catch the flying kangaroo |work=Money |date=17 October 2007|page=13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=9 October 2007|url=http://www.blueaustral.com/travel/qantas/|title=Qantas profile at Blueaustral|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707071657/http://www.blueaustral.com/travel/qantas/|archive-date=7 July 2007}}</ref> The purchase for the 504K was dated 19 August 1920, and under the name of ''The Western Queensland Auto Aero Service Limited''.<ref name=SB/> The Avro was one of the original, of six, military aircraft built in Australia by AA & E Co. Ltd. upon the orders of the Commonwealth Government for the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF). AA & E later went into [[liquidation]] after falling to their cheaper British competitors.<ref name=SidAir/>

However a delay in the engines caused anxiety in the pilots, with their financial circumstance lingering.<ref name=pg22/> A decision was soon put up to order a third aircraft, with the company considering both the [[Avro 547]] triplane and the [[Westland Limousine]].<ref name=dd23/> After initial misgiving by McMaster, Fysh and McGinness finally settled for the Avro triplane. The Avro 547 was bought for £A2,798, and was considered a revolution in airplane technology, able to hold 4 passengers in an enclosed cabin.<ref name=esq/> The Avro had also won a £A10,000 competition sponsored by the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' for the "best commercial aircraft". Due to their financial circumstances however, the order for one of the Avro 504K was cancelled.<ref>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 24</ref>

After being informed that the Dyak engine was ready by the owner of the Aerodrome, Nigel Love, on 23 November 1920; they were told that the Avro 504K would be ready by December. However the aircraft was delayed until 25 January 1923, upon which McGinness send a wire message to McMaster stating that all tests have been complete with satisfactory results. Fysh, who was also in Mascot, was left redundant due to the cancellation of the second Avro 504K,<ref name=dd26>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 26</ref> until Charles Knight, a Longreach stock and station agent, requested him to fly a [[Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2|RAF B.E.2e]] back to Longreach. Despite only having thirty minutes of practice on the BE2e during his pilot licence training, Fysh agreed to fly it, with Baird as his passenger. Fysh later stated that "when I took the aeroplane over, the problem of my own temporary redundancy was solved".<ref name=dd27>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 27</ref>

On 31 January 1921, 6 days after McGinness sent the message to McMaster, McGinness, Fysh and Baird took off from Mascot aiming to reach [[Moree, New South Wales|Moree]] before dark.<ref name=dd26/> Due to the strong winds and [[turbulence]], the BE2e began to spin, disorientating Fysh in the process. Landing his aircraft on an upside slope of a hill, they came to rest near a miner's cottage. Fysh and Baird soon found out that they were near Red Head mine (formally named "Lambton B Pit"), close to [[Singleton, New South Wales|Singleton]].<ref name=fp>{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Scanlon |title=Fright path|work= The Newcastle Herald|date=16 June 2007 |page=14 }}</ref><ref name=dd28>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 28</ref>

Joining McGinness, who had safely arrived in Singleton, they flew northwards; stopping at Moree, [[St George, Queensland|St. George]], [[Charleville, Queensland|Charleville]], [[Blackall, Queensland|Blackall]], and then at [[Barcaldine, Queensland|Barcaldine]], the last stop before reaching Longreach. Meeting at Barcaldine with McMaster, who had caught the train from Rockhampton to the town, McMaster decided to fly with them to Longreach, hoping their arrival in the town would be "impressive and historical".<ref name=dd28/> Reaching Longreach in the scheduled time, the flight beat the mail train from Barcaldine by 20 minutes despite the train leaving Barcaldine 2-hour earlier. Mapping the airline's short-term future in the Shakespeare Hotel in Longreach, they soon planned the last leg of the journey to Winton.<ref>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 29</ref>

With Ainslie Templeton accompanying McMaster and McGinness in the Avro, Fysh flew with the owner of the aircraft, Charles Knight, to Winton on 7 February 1921. The trip of one and a half hours took considerably longer than that, with McGinness steering in the wrong direction, causing them to lose their path. They finally reached Winton after 3 hours of flight, with 15 minutes worth of fuel left.<ref>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 30</ref> After "landing gracefully" to the cheering of a crowd in Winton, they were "entertained at a [[smoke concert]] at the North Gregory Hotel."<ref name=esq/><ref>"Winton Herald", August 1920. Retrieved 9 October 2007.</ref> In the hotel, McMaster outlined the links between aviation and defence, in reference to the future of Qantas.<ref name=dd31>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 31</ref>

{{quote|This commercial aviation company should get your support as Australians not investors; not for the dividends it is likely to bring, but for the great influence it may have in the administration, development and defense ''[sic]'' of Australia.<ref name=dd31/>}}

The next day, the 2 aircraft took off from Winton to return to Longreach. With Knight as his passenger in the BE2e, Fysh lost his way, missing Longreach by {{convert|20|mi|km}}; he navigated his way back to the town by following the Thompson River. The journey, coupled with the earlier delayed trip when flying from Longreach to Winton, proved to be too much for Knight, who sold the BE2e to the company upon landing, swearing that "nothing would induce him to fly again."<ref name=SB/><ref>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 32</ref> The cost of the aircraft was £A450 which was partially bought, as insisted by McMaster, in the form of shares to the airline company.<ref>Gunn (1985). "The Defeat of Distance", p. 33</ref>

===Further career with Qantas===
[[File:Queensland State Archives 3051 Arrival at Longreach of the Armstrong Whitworth FK8 with the first bag of air mail on the inaugural flight of the first Qantas air service from Charleville to Cloncurry 22 November 1922.png|thumb|Arrival at Longreach of the Armstrong Whitworth FK8 with the first bag of air mail on the inaugural flight of the first Qantas air service from Charleville to Cloncurry 22 November 1922 (Hudson Fysh second from right)]]
[[File:Hudson Fysh and K.G. Jackson.jpg|thumbnail|Fysh (on the left) in 1947, opening an airmail route to Great Britain.]]
In 1922, Qantas was successful in bidding for the second Australian scheduled air route, which was to be established between [[Charleville, Queensland|Charleville]] and [[Cloncurry, Queensland|Cloncurry]]. The route was backed by the government, procured by relations between Qantas and regional politicians. While still piloting regularly until 1930, hard working Fysh studied business and management, and became managing director in 1923. When the airmail route to England was planned, Qantas successfully tendered, with Fysh involved in planning the route in the years 1931 to 1933. The final agreement saw Qantas flying the airmail to Singapore, where British [[Imperial Airways]] would take over. 1934, Qantas and Imperial Airways built a new company, Qantas Empire Airways, with both companies holding 50% of the stock. Fysh became managing director in the new formed company as well. He was also a co-founder of the [[Tasman Empire Airways Limited|Tasman Empire Airways]] Ltd in 1940, which later should become [[Air New Zealand]].<ref name=adb/>

[[Second World War]] was hitting the prospering business of Qantas hard. Japanese attacks in Singapore destroyed half of Qantas' fleet, the airport in [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] was under attack as well. Fysh, still an officer in the [[RAAF]], took responsibility for using Qantas equipment in war-related efforts, for example evacuation and supply flights. In 1946, the Australian government bought Qantas for market value. Fysh was the only manager of the company who supported this course of events. After finishing the negotiations, he became chairman of now government-owned Qantas, succeeding his co-founder McMasters. In 1955 he retired from the position as managing director. After controversies with the rest of the Qantas board, he eventually retired as chairman in 1966.<ref name=adb/>