science | March 10, 2026

What did Charles Kingsford Smith do for a living?

What did Charles Kingsford Smith do for a living?

Charles ‘Smithy’ Kingsford Smith was renowned as Australia’s boldest pilot, pioneering routes that include the first trans-Australian, trans-Tasman and trans-Pacific flights. As well as completing other record flights, he helped usher commercial aviation into Australia.

Where was Charles Kingsford born?

Brisbane, Australia
Charles Kingsford Smith/Place of birth

How old was Sir Charles Kingsford Smith when he died?

38 years (1897–1935)
Charles Kingsford Smith/Age at death

Is Charles Kingsford Smith related to Ross Smith?

CHARLES Kingsford Smith is, rightfully, remembered as a legend in the history of Australian aviation. But over the decades, Smith’s fame has overshadowed the daring efforts of another pioneering aviation family with the Smith name, South Australian brothers Ross and Keith.

What plane did Kingsford Smith fly?

The Southern Cross
The Southern Cross is a Fokker F. VIIb/3m trimotor monoplane that was flown by Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Harry Lyon and James Warner in the first-ever trans-Pacific flight to Australia from the mainland United States, a distance of about 11,670 kilometres (7,250 mi), in 1928.

Did Sir Charles Kingsford Smith have children?

Kingsford Smith was survived by his wife, Mary, Lady Kingsford Smith, and their three-year-old son Charles Jnr.

Where did Charles Kingsford Smith go missing?

In the late hours of 7 November 1935, while attempting the fastest flight from London to Australia, the 38-year-old and his co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge vanished off the coast of Myanmar in south-eastern Asia.

Where did Kingsford Smith land in NZ?

Wigram
Kingsford Smith lands at Wigram in the ‘Southern Cross’. At 9:30 am on 11 September, 1928, Southern Cross and pilot Charles Kingsford Smith touched down at Wigram Airfield after crossing the Tasman Sea.

How many children did Charles Kingsford Smith have?

In which year did Sir Charles Kingsford Smith disappear after taking off from India?

Kingsford Smith disappeared in 1935 with Australian Thomas Pethybridge after passing over Calcutta (Kolkata) during a flight from London to Australia. The two were presumed lost.

Who flew with Kingsford Smith?

Kingsford Smith was met by a huge crowd of 26,000 at Eagle Farm Airport, and was welcomed as a hero. Australian aviator Charles Ulm was the relief pilot. The other crewmen were Americans, they were James Warner, the radio operator, and Captain Harry Lyon, the navigator and engineer.

Where was Charles Kingsford Smith born?

Childhood & Early Life Charles Kingsford Smith was born on 9 February 1897 at Hamilton in Brisbane, Australia. He was the seventh child of banker William Charles Smith and his wife Catherine Mary, née Kingsford. At the age of six, he along with his family moved to Canada, however, the family returned to Sydney in 1907.

Where did Charles Smith go to school?

The family returned to Sydney in 1907. Charles was educated at Vancouver, Canada, at St Andrew’s Cathedral Choir School, Sydney, and at Sydney Technical High School. At 16 he was apprenticed to the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd. In February 1915 after three years with the Senior Cadets Kingsford Smith enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force.

Where did the name Kingsford Smith School come from?

Opened in 2009, Kingsford Smith School in the Canberra suburb of Holt was named after the famous aviator, as was Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

What happened to Kingsford Smith?

After the war, Kingsford Smith piloted joy flights and joined an aerial stunt team before setting up an aerial transport service in Australia. To generate publicity he and partner Charles Ulm achieved a series of aviation firsts.