SMITHY READY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20440, 19 October 1934, Page 1

SMITHY READY.

Hops Off To-day on Start of Pacific Flight. TO SUVA TO-MORROW. United Tress Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. vSYDNEY, October 18. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was occupied to-day in making the final tests of his Lockheed Altair monoplane Lady Southern Cross. He will leave for Brisbane early to-morrow morning, and from Brisbane will take off for* Suva on the first hop of his trans-Pacific flight. Sir Charles stated to-day that every precaution was being taken to enable the machine to float in the event of a forced landing at sea. * Suva is expected to be reached at 5 p.m. on Saturday, the landing-ground being Albert Park. A Honolulu message states that the United States Army announces that a permit has been issued to Sir Charles to land on Wheeler Field and that the Army is ready to co-operate with him. The field is in good shape and the runway has been extended two miles since Sir Charles's last flight.

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s previous crossing of the Pacific was made in June, 1928, in a second-hand, Ameri-can-built Fokker monoplane which he had bought in the United States and christened Southern Cross. Setting off from San Francisco with another Australian, Mr Charles Ulm, Mr H. W. Lyon, an American, and a wireless operator, he flew 2400 miles to Honolulu in 27i hours. On the next stage of 3200 miles to Suva, Fiji, the longest flight till then made over the ocean, the airmen encountered a terrific hurricane, but the island was reached in 34 1 hours. The third lap of 1700 miles to Brisbane Avas completed in 211 hours. This achie\ement was regarded as the greatest in the history of aA’iation and above all as a triumph of navigating skill on the part of Mr Lyon. Radio communication was maintained throughout the flight of 7300 miles, accomplished in 83 A hours’ actual flying. Smith had started £6OOO in debt, but Mr Allen Hancock, an American, Avho had adA 7 anced £6OOO on the security of the ’plane, cancelled the bill of sale in recognition of the airmen’s feat. They also recei\ r ed gifts totalling £IO,OOO. The Air Force Cross was conferred on Kingsford-Smith and Ulm.