Charles Kingsford Smith essays

Charles Kingsford Smith essays Charles Kingsford Smith was born at Hamilton, Queensland 9th February 1897. Charles was the youngest of his six siblings, he was a small and energetic boy who would do anything for a dare and loved adventure. He was educated in Canada and Australia and graduated from Sydney Technical College as an Electrical Engineer at age 16. In 1915, Charles joined the AIF, and later he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, and then he was commissioned in 1917. By this time he became widely known for his excellent flying skills. In World War 1, at Gallipoli, 1915 Charles served the Signal Corps as a dispatch rider. He was with the squadron for six weeks, and had four victories. He also had to amputate three of his toes because of a sortie over the Somme. After he was done at Gallipoli, Charles received the Military Cross from the King while he was on crutches. After the World War 1 Smithy, as he known as, did joy riding and stunts aboard before returning to Australia in 1921. He then gave joy rides and exhibitions at Wellington NSW, before joining the pioneer Western Australian Airways to fly a mail route between Geraldton and Derby, WA. At the end of 1926 Kingsford Smith purchased two small Bristol aeroplanes and returned to eastern Australia. In July 1927, Smithy traveled to America to organise finance for a Trans-Pacific flight. There he purchased a Fokker tri-motored aircraft, which he named Southern Cross. He and his friend, Ulm, took off from California on the 31st of May 1928 and after 83 hours and 28 minutes of flying they landed in Brisbane on the 9th of June. They were the first men to cross the Pacific by air. In 1930, still in partnership with C.T.P. Ulm, Smithy founded Australian National Airways and began a Sydney to Brisbane air service on 1 January, followed in by a Melbourne-Sydney service and a Melbourne-Hobart service. Later on Smithy returned to barnstorming for a living, and bec ...