Southern Cross (aircraft)
Encyclopedia
Southern Cross is the name of the Fokker
F.VIIb/3m
trimotor
monoplane
which in 1928
was flown by Australian aviator
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
and his crew in the first ever trans-Pacific flight, from the mainland United States to Australia, about 7250 miles (11,667.7 km).
-Wilkins Arctic expedition. The aircraft had crashed in Alaska in 1926
, and was recovered and repaired by the Australian expedition leader, Hubert Wilkins
. Wilkins, who had decided the Fokker was too large for his Arctic explorations, met with Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm
in San Francisco and arranged to sell them the aircraft, without engines or instruments.
Having fitted the aircraft out with engines and the other required parts, Kingsford Smith made two attempts at the world endurance record, in an attempt to raise funds and interest for his trans-Pacific flight. However, after the New South Wales government withdrew its sponsorship of the flight, it looked as if the money would run out and Kingsford Smith would have to sell the Southern Cross. The aircraft was bought by American aviator
and philanthropist
Allan Hancock
, who then loaned it back to Kingsford Smith and Ulm.
(navigator
) and James Warner
(radio operator)—took off from Oakland, California
, United States. The Southern Cross first stopped for rest and refueling in Hawaii before setting off for Fiji. This leg of the journey took 34 and a half hours of flight across open seas before gliding past the Grand Pacific Hotel
in Suva, where a large and enthusiastic crowd saw the first aircraft to land in Fiji touch down at Albert Park. The Southern Cross landed at Eagle Farm Airport
in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, on 9 June, where a crowd of 25,000 people were waiting to greet the Southern Cross on its arrival at the airport. The Southern Cross flew on to Sydney the following day (10 June).
flight in the Southern Cross – over the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand and back (c. 2500 miles (4,023.4 km)) – beginning with the first crossing on 10/11 September 1928. Guy Menzies
completed the first solo trans-Tasman flight in the Southern Cross Junior in 1931.
Shortly before Kingsford Smith's death in 1935
, he donated the Southern Cross to the Commonwealth of Australia, for display in a museum. The aircraft was brought out of retirement briefly in 1945 for the filming of the movie Smithy. The Southern Cross is now preserved in a special glass hangar
memorial on Airport Drive, near the International Terminal at Brisbane Airport
in Queensland, Australia. There is also a full-sized flying reproduction of the Southern Cross in South Australia. This aircraft was built in the 1980s and is the largest known reproduction aircraft in the world.
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
F.VIIb/3m
Fokker F.VII
The Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence....
trimotor
Trimotor
A trimotor is an aircraft powered by three piston engines.Trimotor designs were relatively common in the early days of aviation, as engines were less powerful and less reliable.-Notable types:* Armstrong Whitworth Argosy...
monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
which in 1928
1928 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1928:- Events :* The Soviet Unions First Five-Year Plan begins, placing a high priority on the construction of new aircraft factories...
was flown by Australian aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
Charles Kingsford Smith
Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith MC, AFC , often called by his nickname Smithy, was an early Australian aviator. In 1928, he earned global fame when he made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia...
and his crew in the first ever trans-Pacific flight, from the mainland United States to Australia, about 7250 miles (11,667.7 km).
History
The Southern Cross began life as the Detroiter, a polar exploration aircraft of the Detroit NewsThe Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
-Wilkins Arctic expedition. The aircraft had crashed in Alaska in 1926
1926 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1926:- Events :* United Airlines established.* Award of the Harmon Trophy begins. A set of three trophies is awarded annually to the worlds outstanding aviator, aviatrix , and aeronaut for the year, and a fourth trophy is awarded to the outstanding...
, and was recovered and repaired by the Australian expedition leader, Hubert Wilkins
Hubert Wilkins
Sir Hubert Wilkins MC & Bar was an Australian polar explorer, ornithologist, pilot, soldier, geographer and photographer.-Early life:...
. Wilkins, who had decided the Fokker was too large for his Arctic explorations, met with Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm
Charles Ulm
Charles Thomas Philippe Ulm AFC was a pioneer Australian aviator.-World War I:Ulm joined the AIF in September 1914, lying about his name and age to get in. He fought and was wounded at Gallipoli in 1915, and on the Western Front in 1918.Charles Ulm was married twice. In 1919 he married Isabel...
in San Francisco and arranged to sell them the aircraft, without engines or instruments.
Having fitted the aircraft out with engines and the other required parts, Kingsford Smith made two attempts at the world endurance record, in an attempt to raise funds and interest for his trans-Pacific flight. However, after the New South Wales government withdrew its sponsorship of the flight, it looked as if the money would run out and Kingsford Smith would have to sell the Southern Cross. The aircraft was bought by American aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
Allan Hancock
Allan Hancock
George Allan Hancock was the owner of the Rancho La Brea Oil Company. He inherited Rancho La Brea, including the La Brea Tarpits which he donated to Los Angeles County. He also developed Hancock Park, Los Angeles...
, who then loaned it back to Kingsford Smith and Ulm.
Trans-Pacific flight
On 31 May 1928, the crew—Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, and Americans Harry LyonHarry Lyon (aviator)
Harry Lyon , was the navigator for the first flight across the Pacific in 1928 with Charles Kingsford Smith , Charles Ulm and fellow-American James Warner as the in the Southern Cross....
(navigator
Flight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
) and James Warner
James Warner (aviator)
James Warner is noted as the radio operator on the aircraft Southern Cross piloted by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith for the first trans-Pacific flight in 1928, during which radio was first used successfully on a long distance flight.-Early life:...
(radio operator)—took off from Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, United States. The Southern Cross first stopped for rest and refueling in Hawaii before setting off for Fiji. This leg of the journey took 34 and a half hours of flight across open seas before gliding past the Grand Pacific Hotel
Grand Pacific Hotel (Fiji)
The Grand Pacific Hotel is located on the main sea front, on Victoria Parade in Suva. It was built by The Union Steamship Company in 1914 to serve the needs of passengers on its transpacific routes...
in Suva, where a large and enthusiastic crowd saw the first aircraft to land in Fiji touch down at Albert Park. The Southern Cross landed at Eagle Farm Airport
Eagle Farm Airport
Eagle Farm Airport was a small airport located south-west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:An area located near Eagle Farm Racecourse was initially used as a landing field in 1922 and Eagle Farm Aerodrome was officially opened in 1925...
in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, on 9 June, where a crowd of 25,000 people were waiting to greet the Southern Cross on its arrival at the airport. The Southern Cross flew on to Sydney the following day (10 June).
Trans-Tasman flights
Kingsford Smith and Ulm also made the first nonstop Trans-TasmanTrans-Tasman
Trans-Tasman is an adjective used primarily in Australia and New Zealand, which signifies an interrelationship between both countries. Its name originates from the Tasman Sea which lies between the two countries...
flight in the Southern Cross – over the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand and back (c. 2500 miles (4,023.4 km)) – beginning with the first crossing on 10/11 September 1928. Guy Menzies
Guy Menzies
Guy Lambton Menzies was the Australian aviator who flew the first solo trans-Tasman flight, from Sydney, Australia to the West Coast of New Zealand, on 7 January 1931....
completed the first solo trans-Tasman flight in the Southern Cross Junior in 1931.
Preservation
1935 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1935:- Events :* Employing aerial refueling, a sustained flight record of 653 hours 33 minutes is set...
, he donated the Southern Cross to the Commonwealth of Australia, for display in a museum. The aircraft was brought out of retirement briefly in 1945 for the filming of the movie Smithy. The Southern Cross is now preserved in a special glass hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
memorial on Airport Drive, near the International Terminal at Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...
in Queensland, Australia. There is also a full-sized flying reproduction of the Southern Cross in South Australia. This aircraft was built in the 1980s and is the largest known reproduction aircraft in the world.