Everson Evo III

The Everson Evo III was a long range racing aircraft from New Zealand.

Brothers Arthur, Ronald and Ernest Everson built three aircraft from the late 1920s. The Evo I was built in the late 1920s and it is unclear if the aircraft actually flew. The Evo II, powered by a 80 hp Hall Scott engine, made its first and last flight from Murawai beach on 4 December 1930, being destroyed in what was either a forced landing or a crash. Against this background the brothers' decision to enter the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race between England and Australia seems ambitious, but they came surprisingly close to achieving their goal with the Evo III.

The Evo III was a braced high wing monoplane with spatted tailwheel undercarriage, of conventional fabric covered construction, powered by two Bristol Cyrus engines mounted beneath each wing. Built by the brothers in the Waikato, it first flew on May 1934 at Te Kawhata and subsequently completed a successful test flight programme (albeit performance was hardly in the league of the De Havilland DH.88 Comet). The Evo III was then flown to Hobsonville to be assessed by the NZPAF, where it failed to obtain a certificate of airworthiness, due to the proximity of the propellors to the (open) cockpit and the poor view on approach for landing. Although both problems could be rectified by a rebuild the brothers now had no hope of making the October 20 start of the race, and development of the Evo III ceased.

Two other New Zealand aircraft competed in the race, without placing.