Charles Kingsford Smith

Encyclopedia : C : CH : CHA : Charles Kingsford Smith

Kingsford Smith in his flying gear

Air Commodore Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith MC, (February 9, 1897 - November 8, 1935), often called Charles Kingsford-Smith, or by his nickname Smithy, was the best-known early Australian aviator. He completed the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland and the first flight from Australia to New Zealand, and was also the first to complete the more difficult eastward Pacific crossing from Australia to the United States, in 1934.

Kingsford Smith was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and was one of seven children. From 1905 to 1909, he and his family lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

On 2 January 1907 young Charlie Smith was rescued from certain drowning at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach by bathers who, just seven weeks later, were responsible for founding the world’s first official surf lifesaving group at Bondi Beach on 21 February 1907, at a meeting held at the Royal Hotel Bondi Beach.

Upon returning to Australia, he attended St Andrew's Cathedral School in Sydney where he was a treble chorister in the cathedral choir. He then studied electrical engineering at Sydney Technical College (now known as Sydney Technical High School). He was reportedly expelled from this school. At 16 he became an engineering apprentice with the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. After that, he enlisted for duty in the armed services in 1915 and served at Gallipoli. Initially, he performed duty as a motorcycle despatch rider, before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps, earning his wings in 1917. For his services in battle, he was awarded the Military Cross.

On May 31, 1928, Kingsford Smith and his crew left the United States to make the first Trans-Pacific flight to Australia in the Southern Cross, a Fokker FVII-3M monoplane. The flight was in three stages, from Oakland, California to Hawaii, then to Suva, Fiji, and on to Brisbane, where he landed on June 8. On arrival, he was met by a huge crowd at Eagle Farm Airport, and was feted as a hero. Australian aviator Charles Ulm was the relief pilot, and the other two crew members were Americans James Warner and Captain Harry Lyon (who were the radio operator, navigator and engineer for the trans-Pacific flight).

In 1930, he competed in an England to Australia air race, and, flying solo, won the event.

In 1933 Seven Mile Beach was used by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith as the runway for the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.

It was during another epic flight that Kingsford Smith met his end. Once again flying from England to Australia, he and his copilot departed Allahabad, India for a leg to Singapore, flying in Lockheed Altair Lady Southern Cross. The aircraft did not arrive at its destination. Eighteen months later, wreckage from the aircraft was located off the south coast of Burma. The remains of the crew have never been located.

The major airport of Sydney, located in the suburb of Mascot was named Kingsford Smith International Airport in his honour. A federal electorate, for the federal parliament of Australia, which encompasses the airport is called Kingsford Smith. His aircraft, the Southern Cross, is now preserved and displayed in a purpose built memorial at the International Terminal at Brisbane Airport. Kingsford Smith Drive in Brisbane passes through the suburb of his birth, Hamilton. He was also pictured on the Australian $20 paper note (in circulation from 1966 until 1994, when the $20 polymer note was introduced to replace it) to honour his contribution to aviation and his accomplishments during his life.

Kingsford-Smith was knighted in 1932 for services to aviation and later was appointed honorary Air Commodore of the Royal Australian Air Force.

He was a Freemason [link].

Film and television tributes to Charles Kingsford Smith

The 1946 Australian film "Smithy", with Ron Randell as Charles Kingsford Smith and John Tate as Charles Ulm). [link]

The 1985 Australian television mini-series "A Thousand Skies", with John Walton as Charles Kingsford Smith and Andrew Clarke as Charles Ulm). [link]

External links

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.