Summary Charles Kingsford Smith's transpacific flight comprised of three legs totaling 7,306 miles in 82 hours. His three-legged journey from the United States to Australia involved stops in Hawaii and Fiji. Kingsford Smith's aircraft 'Southern Cross' had a cruising speed of 106 mph and was registered under NC1985, G-AUSU, VH-USU.
Australia and New Zealand are renowned for being some of the most isolated countries on the planet, located deep in the South Pacific ; international travel to and from this area usually requires a substantial amount of time on an airplane. However, while aviation today is contrastingly different from many years ago, it's worth acknowledging those who pioneered aviation in this region. Charles Edward Kingsford Smith and his crew onboard their May and June 1928 flight earmarked how we travel today.
Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (Sir, Military Cross, and Air Force Cross) was born in Brisbane on February 9, 1897, and was more commonly known as Smithy. He was an Australian aviation pioneer and the first to pilot a transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. He grew up in Sydney and left school at 16 to become an apprentice in engineering.
He joined the army in 1915 and was a motorcycle despatch rider in the Gallipoli campaign, later transferring to the Royal Flying Corps. After being shot, he was awarded the Military Cross in 1917. Once the war was over, he worked as a barnstormer in England and the US before returning to Australia in 1921, where he joined West Australian Airways as one of the first commercial pilots in the country.
In 1928, Kingsford Smith, with his co-pilot Charles Ulm, completed the first transpacific flight between California and Brisbane , stopping in Hawaii and Fiji en route. The two became overnight celebrities, alongside their crew members James Warner and Harry Lyon. Subsequently, they completed the first non-stop flight across Australia, from Melbourne to Perth, and eventually established Australian National Airways.
Kingsford Smith and his co-pilot at the time, Tommy Pethybridge, were presumed dead after their flight disappeared over the Andaman Sea when attempting to break the Australia to England speed record; where he died at age 38. Love aviation history ? Discover more of our stories here 1 'Southern Cross' Fokker F.VIIb/3m Kingsford Smith chose the aircraft to complete the transpacific flight.
It was initially designed and built as a commercial airliner. It was 47.9 feet (14.
6 meters) long, had a wingspan of 71.2 feet (21.7 meters), and was 12.
8 feet (3.9 meters) high. The aircraft had a cruising speed of 106 miles (170 kilometers) per hour and, at its maximum, could achieve 118 miles (190 kilometers) per hour.
Built by N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandse Vliegtuigenfabriek fokker in Amsterdam, initially for Hubert Wilkins for Arctic exploration, the aircraft was crated and shipped to the United States, where the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation reassembled it.
During a hard landing under Wilkins's watch, the damaged aircraft was shipped to Boeing in Seattle for repair, where it is believed that two airplanes were merged to rebuild the 'Southern Cross.' During the repair, it was sold to Kingsford Smith, which replaced the original Wright J-4 engines with J-5 Whirlwinds, and increased its fuel capacity to 1,267 gallons (4,872 liters). Want answers to more key questions in aviation? Check out the rest of our guides here .
2 Aircraft registration NC1985, G-AUSU, VH-USU When the 'Southern Cross' was registered to Kingsford Smith, the US Department of Commerce Aeronautics Branch assigned the registration NC1985, which was later canceled on March 20, 1930. However, upon the aircraft arrival to Australia, the Fokker was re-registered under British registration G-AUSU. When Australia then started issuing its own aircraft registration, it gained VH-USU.
The aircraft is now displayed at the Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial at Brisbane Airport . 3 Oakland Field, CA to Wheeler Field, HI 2,406 miles With a three-engined Fokker plane named 'Southern Cross' purchased from Sir Hubert Wilkins, Kingsford Smith and Ulm embarked on one of their biggest journeys yet. Crossing the Pacific Ocean from the United States to Australia.
The first leg of the journey departed from Oakland Field, California (now San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport - OAK), where their flight was destined for Wheeler Field (more commonly known as Wheeler Army Airfield today) in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii. This leg of the trip took 27 hours and 27 minutes and covered 2,406 miles (3,873 kilometers). The crew rested in Hawaii before embarking on their next leg to Fiji.
4 Wheeler Field, HI to Suva, Fiji 3,167 miles The next part of the journey saw Kingsford Smith and his crew be destined for the South Pacific archipelago of more than 300 islands, Fiji, which lies 1,100 nautical miles (1,300 mi or 2,000 kilometers) northeast of New Zealand . The distance covered was 3,167 miles (5,097 kilometers), marking the first time an aircraft landed in Suva, Fiji , at Albert Park outside the Fijian Houses of Parliament. Albert Park is precisely how it sounds: a park in the city center.
It is named after Prince Albert, the Consort of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Today, the park can hold two rugby matches at a time, and there is also a hockey pitch with a grandstand and cafeteria. The leg from Hawaii to Fiji was the longest in the transpacific journey, encompassing 34 hours and 33 minutes.
Charles Kingsford Smith was the first man to fly across the Pacific. Have you heard the Simple Flying podcast recently? 5 Suva, Fiji to Brisbane, Australia 1,733 miles Kingsford Smith's journey's third and final leg transported him from Fiji to Brisbane, Australia. This leg covered 1,733 miles (2,788 kilometers) and took 21 hours and 35 minutes.
An estimated 25,000 people greeted Kingsford Smith and his crew as the aircraft touched down at Eagle Farm Airport, northeast of Brisbane, at 10:50 on June 9, 1928. Eagle Farm was eventually superseded by the now Brisbane Airport , which was built just north of Eagle Farm, and the original grounds are now mainly under the Gateway Motorway. A special anniversary for the Queensland hub.
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