First Transpacific Flight
The first transpacific flight was completed by Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith and his crew on June 9, 1928. Departing from Oakland, California, on May 31, 1928, they traveled in a three-engine aircraft named the Southern Cross, named after a prominent constellation in the Southern Hemisphere. Their journey involved multiple stops for fuel and supplies, including layovers in Hawaii and Fiji, before landing in Brisbane, Australia. This landmark flight was notable for its challenging route, which required more logistical planning than transatlantic flights due to the vast distances over the Pacific Ocean. Kingsford-Smith later achieved additional aviation milestones, including the first flight across the Pacific from west to east in 1934. His contributions to aviation were significant, and he published his autobiography, "My Flying Life," posthumously in 1937 after his untimely death in 1935. This event marks an important chapter in the history of aviation and showcases the spirit of exploration during that era.
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First Transpacific Flight
First Transpacific Flight
Australian aviator Sir Charles Edward Kingsford-Smith completed the first transpacific aircraft flight with his companion Charles Ulm and two assistants on June 9, 1928. They had left from Oakland, California, on May 31, 1928, in a three-engine aircraft named the Southern Cross after the most famous constellation of the Southern Hemisphere, where Australia is located. Their flight path took them from Oakland to Hawaii, then to Fiji and Brisbane, Australia, where they landed on June 9 in a paddock (later the site of Eagle Farm Airport). It was not a nonstop flight; they had to make several stops on the way for fuel and supplies due to the vast distances involved, which dwarf those of transatlantic travel. Kings-ford-Smith went on to establish several other aviation records, making the first flight across the Pacific from west to east (the trip from America to Australia was, of course, east to west) in 1934. He died shortly thereafter, in 1935. His autobiography, My Flying Life, was published posthumously in 1937.