Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith

	SIR CHARLES KINGSFORD-SMITH Pioneer Aviator; Explorer
	Born at Hamilton, Brisbane, Australia; 9 February, 1897. Graduated from Sydney Technical College as an Electrical Engineer at age 16. In World War I, Kingsford-Smith served first in the australian ground forces in the Middle East and later as a fighter pilot in France. He achieved six aerial victories and earned the Military Cross for gallantry in action. From the end of the war until 1927, Kingsford-Smith championed commercial aviation throughout Australia. In that year he travelled to the United States to purchase and prepare a Fokker tri-motor aircraft for his assault on the Pacific. The ship was named "Southern Cross" after the great constellation of the southern skies. On 31 May 1928, Kingsford-Smith took off from Oakland, California and without major incident arrived in Brisbane via Honolulu and Fiji eight days later. The world was electrified by this daring conquest of the Pacific Ocean by air. In succeeding years, piloting "Southern Cross" Kingsford-Smith established a host of records. On 6 November 1935, seeking another speed record on a flight from England to Australia, the intrepid airman and his companion disappeared in typhoon weather over the Bay of Bengal. In the Golden Age of aviation this champion of commercial avaition and daring pioneer aviator held more trans-oceanic flight records than any other pilot. Died 6 November 1935.
	Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 1986