Charles Kingsford Smith, an Australian aviator, completed the first trans-Pacific flight in his Southern Cross, a Fokker Trimotor monoplane.
Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm (also Australian), along with 2 American crew members, started from Oakland, California on 31st May 1928 and reached Brisbane, Australia on June 9. They had travelled a total distance of 11,566 kilometres.
The Southern Cross was sold to Kingsford Smith and Ulm by famous Australian polar explorer, Sir Hubert Wilkins.
Smithy, as Charles Kingsford Smith was popularly known, made several other “firsts”. He was the first to fly non-stop across the Australian mainland and the first flight between Australian and News Zealand. He had also set a new record of 10.5 days flying from Australia to London.
