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KEITH
CARMODY
7 July 1926 - 20 February 2009
Keith
Carmody acquired a lifelong interest in aviation from his father who
served with the Australian Flying Corps in Egypt, Mesopotamia and France.
After four years in the services, during and after the war, Keith took
local release in Burma to take up a position with a British mining company
at a location in the north of the country near the Chinese border. A
year later, he returned to Melbourne and commenced training through
the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme, graduating in mining
engineering four years later.
Working in remote areas convinced Keith that he needed an aircraft.
Initially he hired aeroplanes but in 1960 he purchased one of the first
Cessna 210s off the assembly line. These early model 210s were very
prone to hydraulic undercarriage problems and indeed he was to experience
a wheels-up landing when the nose wheel failed to extend. Subsequently
he purchased a turbo-charged Cessna 210. In 1969 he upgraded to a twin
with the purchase of a Piper Twin Comanche. At this time Keith was making
frequent trips through Fiji to Tonga and Western Samoa usually returning
via New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Bougainville and P.N.G. The major limitation
of the Twin Comanche was carrying capacity, so in 1975 he made the never
to be regretted decision to obtain a Beech B58 Baron. Two years later
he acquired a later model Baron.
During the preceding events, Keith served for fifteen years on the Committee
of the Royal Queensland Aero Club with five years as President. Keith
joined the Board of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section)
in 1969 and was elected State President in 1977, serving two terms totalling
four years. During his time with the RFDS Keith was instrumental in
the decision to upgrade the fleet from the Beech Queen Air to the turbine
Super King Air. Keith stepped down from the RFDS Board in 1994 and was
elected to honorary membership in 2006.
In 1975, Keith accompanied the late Denys Dalton in an attempt to set
a record for a round-the-world flight in his Duke VH-TKE. This attempt
was aborted by a major engine failure thirty minutes after departure
from Toronto. A subsequent attempt to set a record on the U.K. to Brisbane
leg was also aborted by engine failure.
In 1975, Keith participated in the successful expedition to the Algerian
Desert to recover the remains of the Avro Avian Southern Cross Minor.
Keith also participated in the 1983 expedition to Burma which unsuccessfully
attempted to locate the remains of the Lockheed Altair Lady Southern
Cross.
Keith retired in 1988 but continued to share his great passion for flying
with his wife June and his three daughters, Karen, Linda and Joanne,
all of whom are licensed pilots.
Keith joined the Queensland Air Museum as a foundation member in 1974.
It was Keith's wish that the Museum be sited at Archerfield adjacent
to the RQAC clubhouse and although he worked hard towards this goal,
the bureaucracy of the day did not favour aviation museums on airports.
Many of the aeroplanes in the QAM collection were transported by the
faithful Austral Mining Dodge truck which Keith always made available
at no charge and with a full tank of petrol. Keith served QAM as a member
for 35 years and his membership renewals were always accompanied by
a generous donation.
Keith Carmody was truly a total aviation person. His log book closed
at 6714.9 hours.
KEITH'S AEROPLANES:
Cessna 210 VH-RHK
Cessna 210 VH-RDT
Piper Twin Comanche VH-EDS
Beech Baron VH-ABP
Beech Baron VH-KCN
QUEENSLAND AIR MUSEUM  www.qam.com.au
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