The Greatest Air Race is a one-hour documentary presented
by former NASA astronaut Andy Thomas. It first aired across Australia on SBS TV in December 2019 and is now available on DVD.
Please visit our shop to order.

In 1919, four Australians became the first men to fly across the globe. Theirs was an extraordinary feat of endurance, and a milestone for mankind. A century later, The Greatest Air Race pays tribute to South Australian brothers Sir Ross & Sir Keith Smith and their mechanics Wally Shiers and Jim Bennett — and the many other young aviators who risked their lives to compete in that audacious race across the world.

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DOCUMENTARY PARTNERS

We are sincerely grateful to our partners, the Sir Ross & Sir Keith Smith Fund,
Screen Australia, the South Australian Film Corporation, Nova Systems, the History Trust of South Australia, Documentary Australia Foundation and Adelaide Airport for their generous support of The Greatest Air Race.

View fullsize Very moving sight today as a P8-A Poseidon flew low over Mt Lofty on its way to honour Sir Ross Smith and the Vickers Vimy crew over the skies of Adelaide. On board to mark the centenary of their Adelaide landing were the Smith brothers’ fabric
View fullsize One hundred years ago tomorrow (23 March), Sir Ross Smith and his crew made a triumphant landing in their home city of Adelaide after a three-month victory lap of the eastern states. To celebrate the centenary, we're giving away a free, limited-editi
View fullsize The Greatest Air Race will air nationally on SBS at 7.30pm on Sunday 8 December. Huge thanks to Wallis Cinemas Mitcham for hosting a special screening this week. Andy Thomas is now officially a NASA astronaut AND doco presenter!
View fullsize ABC Adelaide Radio presenter Spence Denny spoke with the documentary team at the War Memorial after today’s Dawn Service in #Adelaide. Malcolm McInerney joined us to speak about the Premier’s Anzac Spirit School Prize - which has a speci
View fullsize ‪"What a privilege to spend time with Andy Thomas and the Vickers Vimy. Surrounded by flying royalty!" - Mike Smith, commercial photographer, after a photo shoot with astronaut (and doco presenter extraordinaire) Andy Thomas at @AdelaideAir
View fullsize Director Susan Harrington and post-production editor Paul McDonald (2oc Productions) hard at work on the edit for The Greatest Air Race. That’s Jim Whalley from Nova Systems on the screen - SA’s chief entrepreneur flew his restored WWII C
View fullsize A sneak peek at our UK shoot over the past week. Our presenter Andy Thomas was a trooper in the very icy conditions!
View fullsize Headed to outback #SouthAustralia this week to film at Mutooroo Station, the childhood home of #aviation pioneers Ross and Keith Smith. The footage is spectacular.
View fullsize Ross Smith the aviator, first man to fly across the world. Andy Thomas the astronaut, first South Australian in space. Both Australian heroes.
View fullsize Our photogenic presenter Andy Thomas looking more than a little like Robert Redford in Out of Africa today! A huge day of shooting with some beautiful old planes on the south coast - including this glorious 1939 Tiger Moth. Go-pros, drones, aerials a
View fullsize Fantastic coverage in today’s Sunday Mail newspaper in #Adelaide on Andy Thomas and the importance of honouring the Smith crew and their Vickers Vimy.
View fullsize Talking all things Vickers Vimy and the 1919 Air Race with Andy Thomas, David Byrne from the SA #Aviation Museum and Fiona Croall, who’s making a radio feature on the Smith brothers’ epic flight for #ABC Radio National next year.
View fullsize Astronaut turned doco presenter Andy Thomas on location in his trailer during filming of The Greatest Air Race - the story of the first flight from England to Australia in 1919.
View fullsize First day of filming The Greatest Air Race doco with former @NASA astronaut Andy Thomas in #Adelaide.
View fullsize The Greatest Air Race doco director Susan Harrington with presenter (and former #NASA astronaut) Andy Thomas ahead of filming in Adelaide this week.
View fullsize Nova Systems founder and SA Chief Entrepreneur Jim Whalley and I down with the Vickers Vimy at @adelaideairport urging govt support to move the plane to a more prominent location.

Banner image: State Library of South Australia [PRG280/1/19/55]