The Forgotten Exploit of Kingsford Smith, First Winner of the Aerial Pacific

98 years ago, Australian Charles Kingsford Smith accomplished the first aerial crossing of the Pacific, a spectacular feat overshadowed by Lindbergh.

On June 9, 1928, Australian Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew made history by completing the first aerial crossing of the Pacific. Aboard the tri-motor Southern Cross, Smith, Charles Ulm, Harry Lyon, and James Warner connected the United States to Australia via Hawaii and Fiji, after a journey of nearly 11,500 kilometers that pushed the limits of emerging aviation.

Yet, nearly a century later, the name Kingsford Smith remains largely unknown outside the aeronautics world. In contrast, Charles Lindbergh’s name is instantly associated with the conquest of the skies. A year earlier, in May 1927, the American had shaken the world by making the first solo transatlantic flight between New York and Paris. His feat made headlines in all newspapers and turned him into a global hero.

History is Treacherous

Kingsford Smith suffers first from a scheduling issue. His flight occurred only thirteen months after Lindbergh’s. In an age fascinated by records, public opinion had already found its pioneer. Moreover, the Pacific crossing seems less symbolic to contemporaries. The Atlantic connects Europe and America, the two centers of economic, political, and media power in the West. The Pacific, vast and empty, appears more distant, almost abstract to readers of European and American newspapers.

The very nature of the two feats also plays a role. Lindbergh embodies the romantic figure of the pilot alone against the ocean, a heroic image that endures in the collective imagination. In contrast, the flight of the Southern Cross is a collective adventure. More complex technically, it relies on the complementary skills of a crew of four men. This collaborative dimension, essential for the success of the endeavor, lends itself less to the creation of a single hero.

However, the Australian feat is at least as sensational. The journey is longer, the infrastructure even scarcer, and the chances of rescue virtually nonexistent. The crews must deal with gigantic distances over the ocean, without the navigational aids that would become common several decades later.

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By opening an aerial route between North America and Australia, Kingsford Smith demonstrates that the Pacific is no longer an insurmountable barrier. His achievement has never reached the fame of Lindbergh’s, but it remains one of the greatest aerial adventures of the interwar period and a major milestone in the history of aviation.

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Photo Credit: Brisbane Airport