Bass Strait mail service

In about 1932 Norman joined the fledgling Matthews Aviation, owned and operated by 'Skipper Matthews', a well known Melbourne pilot and businessman in that era. Matthews held a PMG contract to operate an airmail service across the Bass Strait to Tasmania and King Island.

Two types of amphibious aircraft were used on this service: the three-engined Windhover and the twin-engined Cutty Sark, both of them the products of the British Saunders-Roe aircraft manufacturer. Pictures of both these aircraft appear on this page.

Betsy Thain-Gewin flew with Norman on the first flight to King Island, and wrote an account of the event, which you can read here.