b'Flying high The 1950s was the golden age of air travel. Eager for Allen Allen Allen Hemsley) and on 10 June 1951 the two a commercial edge, airlines lavished customers withadventurers set off. Their journey took six weeks, involved temptations including buffet tables laden with lobster,over thirty layovers and included some heart-stopping caviar and full-leg hams. Such luxury came with a heftymoments including the time when they almost ran out price tag. of fuel on their approach to Indonesia and were forced to perform a night-time emergency landing in Kupang on the When David Allen was looking to return home fromisland of Timor. They had 3 gallons (just over 11 litres) of England in 1951 he was shocked to discover a four-day airfuel remaining. passage to Sydney would cost 325. David had been a pilot during the Second World War and decided to enlist the helpFor a total cost of 300, the duo arrived in Sydney on of his friend Robert (Bob) Arnott (the great-grandson of24July pleased with themselves for having saved 350. William Arnott, founder of Arnotts biscuits) to find someDavid had high hopes of using the plane as a marketing other way home.tool for the firm, but the other partners who had never spent a penny on marketing were unpersuaded and the Calculating that it would be more cost-effective thanplane was sold. buying a commercial airline ticket, together they bought a single-engine Percival Proctor plane to fly themselves hometo Australia. David registered the plane as DAAAH (David Calculating that it would be more cost-effectivethan buying a commercial airline ticket, together theybought a single-engine Percival Proctor plane to fly themselves home to Australia.143'