After leading a survey of an air route across northern Australia, he provided much of the initial drive to establish Qantas and helped to raise capital along with a share salesman. He was instrumental in securing the involvement of Fergus McMaster who lobbied successfully for a Commonwealth air mail subsidy. he left Qantas in November 1922 shortly after the first Qantas air mail and passenger flight which he piloted from Charleville to Longreach and later farmed in Western Australia.