Charles Kingsford Smith became an Australian aviation hero through record flights across the Pacific, Tasman Sea and other long-distance routes. His most famous achievement was the 1928 transpacific crossing in the Fokker trimotor Southern Cross.
Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm spent years seeking money, equipment and public support. A 1927 flight around Australia helped establish their credibility before they traveled to the United States to prepare the Pacific attempt.
Southern Cross carried four crew: Kingsford Smith as principal pilot, Ulm as copilot, Harry Lyon as navigator and James Warner as radio operator. The Americans’ specialized navigation and communications work was essential and should not be omitted from the achievement.
They departed Oakland on May 31, 1928, stopped in Hawaii and Fiji, and reached Brisbane on June 9 after 83 hours and 38 minutes of flying time.
The Hawaii-to-Fiji leg exceeded 5,000 kilometers over open ocean. Weather and fuel management made the flight extremely dangerous, while Warner’s Morse transmissions allowed the outside world to follow progress.
Kingsford Smith and Ulm later made the first successful trans-Tasman flight and other record journeys. Their partnership mixed pilot skill, fundraising and commercial ambition.
Kingsford Smith disappeared in November 1935 while attempting an England–Australia record flight. Wreckage associated with his aircraft was found, but the complete circumstances of the crash remain unresolved.
For TransitSatellite, Southern Cross should be mapped as three documented legs with stops, not one straight transpacific line.