The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-06-26
HIGH ADVENTURE
GRAINED INTO
FLIER'S CAREER
Kingsford- Smiths SO Years
Filled With Exploits
of Daring.

n United Press
NEW YORK, June 26.-Few men
have crowded into thirty-three
years of life even small portion
Of the high adventure which Cap
tain Charles E. Kingsford- Smith
has experienced.
When not yet twenty years Of
age he was serving with the
Australians in the World war. He
followed a career as an army avn
ator with a period of commercial
flying, with Lieutenant George
Pond of the United States army
went after an endurance record,
falling by two hours, and in 1927
bought himself a bunch of junk"
to fly across the Pacific.
The bunch of junk" is the air
plane Southern Cross, which is the
only airplane ever to fly from
North America to Australia; holds
the record for the fight from
Australia to London; has made the
best fight westward across the At
lantic from Ireland to continental
North America, and will complete
its career with fight now planned
tfrom New York to Oakland, Cal,
where in 1923 it started its record
breaking tour.
Made From Two
The Southern Cross is made out
OF two Fokker monoplanes, which
George Wilkins took with him to
Alaska in 1927. The planes were
considered failures. Both partly were
wrecked.
There was plenty of skepticism
when, after much waiting, he sailed
away in his junker into the west
from Oakland, May 81, 1923. But
the skeptics had to eat their words
June 9, when word was sent around
the world that the Southern Cross
had landed at Brisbane, Australia.
The flight was remarkable one
for both plane and men From
Oakland it had gone to Honolulu,
and thence to Suva, Fiji islands. 1t
was on the flight from Honolulu to
Suva that the skill and nerve of the
men were tested.
Aimed at Tiny Spot
They had to aim at tiny dot of
an island in mid-Pacific, over I'M
charted airlanes. A deviation of a
fraction in their navigation at the
start might have sent them into
unknown regions of the Pacific,
never to be heard from again.
But they did not deviate. In
stead, they flew straight as homing
pigeons to Suva and then to Bris-
Zane, to take up tour of Austria
liza, where they were acclaimed
widely.
Next came the eight to London.
On the first start the plane came
down in the bush country of Aus
tralia. For twelve days the avn
atofs were lost and suffered hard
ships. But when they reached CT
viIization it was only to make a new
start.
Established Record
On the second flight, they estab-
lished the record for the distance
from Australia to London.
Last winter, KingSford-Smit
planned the transatlantic flight
He is not a man of many words and
few realized that he visited this
country a few months ago, viewed
flying fields and studied landing
conditions. Then he returned to
England, took his plane to Dublin
and the flight was made.
Kingsford-Smith was born in
Brisbane, Australia. SO years ago. He
enlisted with the Australian forces
in the World war, serving first in
Egypt and then was with the An
zacs" who suffered so heavily in
the unsuccessful Gallipoi campaign.
Next he appeared as an aviator
on the French front and there was
shot down by Germans while in
fight.
Kingsford-Smith is not married,
but will be this fall.