On Mon 10 Sept 1928, the 'Southern Cross' departed from from Sydney to fly to Christchurch at c.5:27pm (Aus time)

NZ was 1.5 hours ahead of Sydney. (Note: Varied engine start, taxiing & lift off times are given in historical accounts)

The 'Southern Cross' was scheduled to depart from Richmond Aerodrome on 1 Sept, but bad weather delayed its take-off

Richmond Aerodrome (former RAAF Base Richmond) is located 50 kms (31 miles) northwest of Sydney

On board were letters from the Aust PM Bruce to NZ PM Coates, & Aust Gov-General Stonehaven to NZ Gov-General Fergusson

Other mail was also transported on the flight

Australian pilots Smith & Ulm had achieved first Trans-Pacific flight in June 1928 & received honorary ranks in RAAF

RAAF appointed Smith as honorary Squadron Leader & Ulm as Flight- Lt & both received the Air Force Cross

Australian navigator Harry Litchfield had worked with Smith during Australian aerial trips & was invited by Smith

He had advanced skills in astronomical & dead-reckoning navigation (calculating current position from previous one)

The NZ Govt arranged for wireless operator Tom McWilliams to represent NZ

McWilliams was a teacher at Union Steam Ship Company's radio school in Wellington

View of McWilliams' position inside the cockpit from where wireless radio & Morse code messages were sent

View of Litchfield's position on the other side of the cockpit with navigation instruments

Written notes on a long pole were passed between the cockpit & pilots' compartment due to noisiness of the 3 engines

Broadcasting Company arranged radio transmissions of the flight from IYA Auckland, 2YA Wellington, & 3YA Christchurch

Morse messages from plane were translated. 2FC Sydney used its shortwave station for listeners in Britain, Europe, & US.

On reaching c.240kms off the coasts of both Australia & NZ, memorial wreaths were dropped by the crew for 2 RNZAF pilots

Capt Hood & Lt Moncrieff had attempted first-ever trans-Tasman on 10 Jan 1928 but lost their lives

Their Ryan B.1 monoplane 'Aotearoa' went missing between Sydney & Wellington & they were not found

The NZ Govt had organised a wreath on behalf of New Zealanders, & the Australian crew decided to also drop a wreath

NZ's wreath which had NZ flowers & shrubs & a NZ Ensign was given to McWilliams to take aboard the Southern Cross

Half-way across Tasman Sea, 'Southern Cross' encountered heavy rain, hail & ice during an electrical storm

Windscreen was coated obscuring pilots' vision; 3 propellers were damaged; & radio contact lost until c.5pm (Aus time)

The Bristol Fighters were led in F2B 6857 by Captain Maurice Buckley who carried cameraman Frank McKechnie on board

McKechnie, who was from Govt's Publicity Office at Dept Internal Affairs, lashed his camera's tripod to the fuselage

At 9am, they met the 'Southern Cross' above Amberley

McKechnie can be seen filming from the cockpit of the Bristol Fighter

Preparations for the arrival at Wigram Aerodrome & traffic management were described by Evening Post (3 Sept)

(The former privately-owned Sockburn Aerodrome had been renamed Wigram when the Government took over ownership in 1923.)

At 7.30am, crowds started assembling, alerted by radio reports of the 'Cross' over Wellington, & reached 30,000 by 9am

Reports were also being received by & relayed from the Wireless Room operators at Wigram

Crowd included pupils from state schools who were given the day off

Public servants were granted time off until 11am

Police on horseback had to clear the crowd back

Co-pilot Charles Ulm climbing out of the cockpit

Pilot Charles Kingsford Smith wearing his flying helmet with black cat good luck charm on top being assisted

Commanding officer of the Wigram Air Base, Captain James Findlay welcomed each crew member

Official party: Deputy Mayor Dan Sullivan; Sir H. Rhodes (Legislative Counci) & Major Wilkes (Director of Air Services)

The Christchurch Mayor, Rev John Archer, was unable to get through the crowd to make the official welcome

After donning coats, the 'Southern Cross' crew were given silver ferns, one of which is held by the Air Force Museum

The crew wore traditional civilian/military aviator's heavy leather or wool coat

During the throng, Smith lost his flying helmet which was found later without its black cat good luck emblem

(The helmet, which he gave to the young girl who found it, is now in the Air Force Museum)

The crew changed from their flying gear & had a commemorative photograph taken by Ernest Boulter

(Later, Litchfield & sons of Kingsford-Smith, Ulm & McWilliams signed the photo at Christchurch Airport on 9 Sept 1978.)

After the police were able to clear a pathway through the crowd, the formal welcome took place by the official party

Smith addressed the crowd during the formal reception

The crew then travelled by car to stay at Ernest and Sybil Boulton's United Service Hotel in Cathedral Square

Cathedral Square was the centre of Christchurch's main tram service

The following morning (12 Sept), a crowd had begun gathering outside the Hotel

Smith stepped out onto a balcony of the Hotel at 10:10am to wave to the crowd

'Southern Cross' crew left the Hotel by open car for the civic reception being held at 12 noon at Cranmer Square

At Cranmer Square, they were officially welcomed by MP Sir Heaton Rhodes & Mayor of Christchurch The Rev. John K. Archer

Rhodes welcomed them on behalf of the Government & Archer on behalf of Christchurch

Smith speaking at the civic event

The three F2B Fighters: 6856, 6857 and the dual control 7120

Captain Buckley (front seat) & Tom McWilliams, Wireless Operator, sitting in Bristol Fighter 6856

Charles Kingford Smith & Charles Ulm in cockpit of Bristol Fighter 7120

On Govt's behalf, Prime Minister Joseph Coates congratulated Smith

'Southern Cross' crew then journeyed by car around Wellington

On 17 Sept 1928, the official Government luncheon took place at Parliament House in Wellington

On Govt's behalf, PM Coates presented a film of the arrival of the 'Southern Cross' & a £2,000 honorarium

Aircrew visited Rotorua where they were shown around the hot pool with Guide Bella

Image: Ulm & Kingsford Smith were greeted at Wanganui

Kingsford Smith & Ulm visited Blenheim

Reception at Stockton

At Wigram the 'Southern Cross' made its first flight on 27 Sept after the repairs were completed

Two further test flight were held with guests & sightseers over Christchurch

Image of one of the test flights over the Christchurch Cathedral

Sir Henry Wigram & Lady Agnes Wigram were amongst those who bid farewell to Smith & rest of the crew at Wigram

Wigram had opened the Sockburn airfield for his flying school in 1918 & gave it to Govt in 1923 who then renamed it

During the farewell, an inscribed slab was laid at the Wigram Aerodrome to mark the spot where the Southern Cross landed

Sir Henry Wigram officiated at the laying of the memorial stone slab

The spot was preserved as 'Charles Kingsford Smith Landing Site Memorial' with plan-view outline of the 'Southern Cross'

A crowd greeted the 'Southern Cross' on its arrival at Blenheim

Scenes captured at Blenheim of the 'Southern Cross' & its crew during the weekend of 29-30 Sept 1928

The 'Southern Cross' was refuelled & its propellers were adjusted in readiness for the flight back to Sydney

Evening Post reports unfavourable weather delaying the departure of the 'Southern Cross' (3 Oct)

Article also describes the various gifts the four crew received during their NZ tour

On Sat 13 Oct 1928, after weather improved, the 'Southern Cross' taxied off in front of about c.5000 people

The plane was escorted for 160kms by two Bristol Fighters flown by Captains Findlay & Buckley

The 'Southern Cross' left Blenheim at c.4:51am (NZ time) for Sydney

(NZ time was 2 hours later than Australian time due to daylight saving starting in NZ in Oct)

Fokker had arranged for engineer Reinhold Platz to modify the single-motor F.VII designed by Walter Rethal in 1924-25

F.VII & its 360 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle V-12 engine was enlarged to F.VIIa with 400 hp Packard Liberty engine in early 1925

Platz initially designed the Tri-Motor F.VIIa/3m & then enlarged its length, wingspan & motors to create the F.VIIb/3m

F.V11a maiden flight was on 4 Sept 1925; then entered in Ford Reliability Tour in US which led to designing the F.VIIb

FVIIb length was c.40 feet & its single cantilever wing c.73 feet long built from spruce & covered with a plywood skin

The welded steel-tube fuselage was covered with plasticised lacquered fabric for airtightness & weather-proofing

Australian George Wilkins intended to use Fokkers to explore Arctic north of Alaska for uncharted lands in March 1926

Aim was to map & explore unknown areas of the Arctic Ocean & drop American flags to claim land for the US

He'd been notified by his friend Vilhjalmur Stefansson that businessmen in Detroit wanted to sponsor an Arctic flight

Stefansson had led Canadian Arctic Expedition in 1913 with Wilkins as photographer, & saw Wilkins as an ideal leader

In Dec 1925, Wilkins ordered a Fokker Tri-Motor with J-4 engines & a single-motor with Liberty engine from New Jersey

A 2d Tri-Motor was burnt in factory's fire & not reordered. (Wilkins' background reported by Evening Post, 6 Feb 1926)

Estimates of each plane's engine capacity & flying distance without refuelling were stated by Evening Post (22 Jan 1926)

Supply bases were set up in Alaska at Fairbanks near rail from Seaward port & 500 air miles north at Point Barrow

Plan was to ship & reassemble the Fokkers at Fairbanks; then fly to Point Barrow to conduct searches over Arctic Ocean

Oil, supplies & tri-motors were shipped from the US & sledges bought from Seaward for 1000 mile trek to Point Barrow

After 65 miles, the snow-motors were replaced by husky dogs due to the deep snowdrifts & gasoline usage

During the test runs on 18-19 March, 'Alaskan' was partly wrecked on landing & 'Detroiter's engines & propeller damaged

Repairs began on both planes with the spare parts (which included one engine each) that had been shipped with the planes

On 31 March, repaired 'Alaskan' flown by Wilkins & pilot Carl Eielsen on expedition's first flight to Point Barrow base

By mid-April, 'Detroiter's bent metal propeller was replaced by a wooden one & its engines refixed

Evening Post reported that by 15 April one of the Detroiter's engines had been fuelled and fired up (16 April 1926)

On 19 April 1926, 'Detroiter' had test run with pilot Lanphier & reached 10,000 feet in 30 mins during its hour trial

"The machine...was handled beautifully during an hour's trial" reported the Evening Post (21 April 1926)

On 22 April, when helping search for overdue 'Alaskan', 'Detroiter' had engine trouble near Arctic Circle & turned back

Cargo had to be jettisoned as its central engine's cylinder had died, making it unable to rise up over the Brooks Range

On 6 May 1926, 'Alaskan' was damaged beyond repair on landing at Fairbanks & 'Detroiter' was used to fly to Point Barrow

Media reported Alaskan's propeller was splintered; wings torn to shreds; & landing gear on right side a tangled wreck

On 8 May, during a trial flight, the 'Detroiter' was the first aircraft seen by Eskimoes living beyond Point Barrow

It had flown from Fairbanks to Point Barrow & then northward; & then back to Point Barrow to return to Fairbanks

On 30 May 1926, it was reported Lanphier, after repeated trial flights, was dissatisfied with Detroiter's performance

As the weather was also foggy, it was speculated the expedition would not be extended over the icepack that year

In early June 1926, Detroit Arctic Expedition was halted by the Board of Control due to engine issues & foggy weather

The Board intended to discuss with Wilkins the expedition's future plans & possible purchase of new aircraft

On 2 Jan 1927, Wilkins announced the Arctic expedition would resume with the Detroit News as sponsor

The Detroit businessmen had ceased their sponsorship & the expedition was renamed 'Detroit News Expedition'

In March 1927, Wilkins brought 2 lighter planes to Fairbanks: Stinson SB1 Detroiter 4 seat bi-planes built in Michigan

He thought the Stinsons would be easier than the Fokkers to land & manage on uneven polar ice

As Stinson had less room for supplies & crew, Wilkins tried to rebuild 'Alaskan' with Detroiter's wing & use metal skis

However, during take-off, the skis didn't slide easily. 'Alaskan' fell over & snapped a ski. Wilkins discarded his idea.

In June 1927, following foggy weather, Wilkins returned to US & sent Detroiter to Boeing factory in Seattle for repairs

Detroiter's wing was transferred back from the Alaskan & it was shipped in crates without its 3 damaged J-4 engines

Wilkins then decided 'Detroiter' was too large & heavy for Arctic weather & to sell it to buy a Lockheed Vega 1

Vega 1 had 225hp, air-cooled 9-cylinder Wright Whirlwind J-5 radial engines & room for pilot & 4 passengers

During 1926, the Australian Government had increasingly encouraged flying for travel purposes & subsidised aero clubs

Flights within Australia & to Pacific Islands were also carried out by the RAAF for future defence purposes during 1926

Smith, a former WWI pilot, had formed Interstate Flying Services in Sydney in early 1927 with Lt Keith Anderson

They'd met in 1922 when flying with Western Australian Airways in Perth; then began a trucking business in 1924

Ulm, a former soldier, had begun a commercial aviation business after learning to fly & contacted Smith to amalgamate

Smith, Anderson & Ulm formed a partnership & unsuccessfuly tendered for new Adelaide-Perth mail delivery contract

The successful tenderer, West Australian Airways in Perth, already had experience in mail delivery

They began planning a trans-Pacific flight from San Francisco to Sydney with fuel & rest stops at Honolulu & Suva

A trans-Tasman flight had also been considered, but they decided to focus on the trans-Pacific flight first

Newspapers had reported on the speculation in Australia & NZ as to who would be first to achieve a trans-Tasman flight

As publicity for trans-Pacific flight, Smith & Ulm flew a Bristol Tourer on 18-29 June 1927 from Sydney around Australia

Funded by Vacuum Oil Co, they flew record time of 10 days & 5.25 hours, beating 44 days set in 1924 by two RAAF officers

On landing back at Sydney, they were greeted by NSW Premier Lang who pledged $3500 grant for their trans-Pacific flight

On 15 July 1927, Smith, Ulm & Anderson left Sydney on SS Tahiti & sailed via Wellington to San Francisco

Whilst Smith & Ulm bought the Fokker plane, Anderson planned to checked out an ideal fuel stop site at Honolulu

When berthed at Wellington, Smith met ex-RAF friend F.S. Napper & discussed having a trans-Tasman flight

Napper, who lived in Christchurch, was invited to be a passenger on the Tasman flight & to be the contact/agent in NZ

After leaving Wellington on 18 July, Smith, Ulm & Anderson arrived at San Francisco on 5 Aug 1927

When in Wellington, they'd declined to discuss their plans with reporters as had a contract with an Australian newspaper

Meanwhile, Anderson had continued on to Honolulu to check a suitable fuel stop landing place for the Pacific flight

Smith & Ulm installed three larger J-5B Whirlwind engines with £1,500 grant from Melbourne retailer Sidney Meyer

One engine was mounted directly on the nose & one under each wing (Image: 1928)

Evening Post (29 Sept 1927) gave plane's dimensions as wingspan: 73ft & length: 40ft; & petrol capacity of 1600 gallons

(Note: Other media reports & sources have variously described the plane's dimensions & fuel capacity)

In Oct 1927, Smith asked newly elected NSW Premier Bavin for further funding but was denied over flight safety concerns

Groups, including RSA, had voiced concerns over safety of the airmen who, although brave, would be risking their lives

The trans-Pacific flight was postponed & Smith set out to beat world's non-fuel endurance record to raise funds

As the flights were to be held across north & south Califonia, an US pilot was required & Lt George Pond joined Smith

On 31 May 1928, they left Oakland, California at 8:53am & arrived at Honolulu on 2 June 1928 at 9:49am

At Wheeler Field in Honolulu, they refuelled the Southern Cross & had a rest stop

On 2 June, they departed Honolulu at 5:20am & arrived at Suva, Fiji on 4 June at 2:21pm

They landed at Albert Park cricket ground

They were greeted by a crowd who were seeing the first plane to land at Fiji

On 7 June, they flew to Nasilani Beach (30 kms away) to refuel for their departure the next day on 8 June at 2.52pm

When the 'Southern Cross' neared the coast of Queensland, the news was received by Smith's parents

On 9 June 1928, the 'Southern Cross' landed at Brisbane's Eagle Farm Airport at 10:50am

They were met by c.15,000 at touchdown & c.25,000-30,000 lined the road to the civic reception held at the Town Hall

The trans-Pacific flight covered c.7,250-mile (11,670km) & totalled c.83 hours & 11 mins of flying time

(Smith & Ulm wrote "Story of the 'Southern Cross" 1928")

The crew then flew 'Southern Cross' to Sydney (10 June), Melbourne (13 June) & Canberra (15 June) for civic receptions

At Melbourne, Smith was appointed RAAF honorary Squadron Leader & Ulm Flight-lieutenant; & both awarded Air Force Cross

By 12 June 1928, £16,500 had been raised from Federal, State, private & public subscription grants for Smith & Ulm

Further sums were later raised, including $10,000 each for Lyon & Warner from Californians & William Randolph Hearst

Earlier on 10 Jan 1928, 2 RNZAF pilots had attempted first-ever trans-Tasman but lost their lives

Smith & Ulm discussed routes from Sydney to NZ with their US navigator Lyon & wireless operator Warner

During June 1928, speculation rose in NZ as to where Smith would fly to - Christchurch or Wellington

On 11 June 1928, Mr Napper who was Smith's agent in NZ was "practically certain" Christchurch would be the landing place

He'd sent a cablegram to Smith & was awaiting a reply. (They'd first met in Wellington when Smith went to US in 1927)

On 11 June 1928, the Canterbury Progress League & Canterbury Aviation Club invited Smith to land at Christchurch

On 12 June 1928, a deputation met with the Wellington Mayor George Troup who agreed to cable an invite to Smith

Deputation: Wellington Chamber of Commence, Manufacturers' Association, Employers' Association, & the Civic League

On 13 June 1928, UPA reported Smith had announced "the New Zealand trip will be undertaken within a few weeks"

The UPA (United Press Association) announcement was published by the Evening Post on 13 June 1928)

On 15 June 1928, APA unofficially stated flight to NZ would be conducted under auspices of Australian & NZ govts

The news from APA (Australian Press Association) was published by the Evening Post on 16 June 1928

On 15 June 1928, APA also reported Smith had invited Warner & Lyon to join the NZ flight but they wanted to return to US

Evening Post: "... they have withheld their decision to see whether any Australians will volunteer for the honour"

On 21 June 1928, media reported Smith & Ulm were planning non-stop flights from Sydney to Perth & to NZ "within a month"

The order of the non-stop flights from Sydney was undecided. The news was reported by the Evening Post on 4 July 1928.

On 28 June 1928, Ulm proposed the trans-Pacific & internal Australian flights as precursors to future air services

He foresaw an air service between Melbourne & Sydney, via Canberra. (See Evening Post, 3 July 1928)

On 19 July 1928, media announced the trans-Tasman flight would take place in Sept after the Sydney to Perth flight

On 30 March 1929, 'Southern Cross' left Sydney to fly to England, but weather forced it to land in Western Australia

Smith & Ulm landed on a mudflat & were rescued on 13 April. Southern Cross was repaired & flown back to Sydney.

On 25 June 1929, 'Southern Cross' flew from Sydney to Croydon, England in record time of 12 days, 14 hours & 18 mins

The crew (Smith, Ulm, Litchfield & Williams) flew via Southeast Asia, the Middle East, & Southern Europe

On 19 July 1929, Southern Cross was flown to Fokker factory in Amsterdam for an overhaul which was completed in May 1930

Meanwhile, the crew visited Netherlands, Germany, France & England, & bought 4 Avro-10 planes for ANA in Sydney

In Nov 1929, Smith returned by ship to Sydney to plan first flights by ANA for Jan 1930; then went back to Amsterdam

The new Avro 10 planes began flights between Sydney - Brisbane on 1 Jan 1930; then added Sydney - Melbourne on 1 June

Smith flew 'Southern Cross' to Dublin & departed on 24 June 1930 for first east-west trans-Atlantic flight

3 new crew: Evert van Dijk (co-pilot, Dutch), Paddy Saul (navigator, Irish) & John Stannage (radio operator, NZ)

They planned to fly to New York & Oakland in California, but landed beforehand in Newfoundland after c.32 hours flying

Due to strong winds & fog, decision was made to land at Harbour Grace in Newfoundland; then fly to NY & on to Oakland

On 10 Jan 1931, the 'Southern Cross' was shipped back to Sydney after Smith decided against another trans-Pacific flight

After Smith & Ulm's ANA had financial issues following plane crashes in March & Nov 1931, only passenger rides kept

The 'Southern Cross' had been deployed to assist during April 1931

In June 1932, at the King's Birthday Honours, Smith received a knighthood for services to Aviation in the Commonwealth

The Evening Post (28 June 1932) also commented that Smith's only income was from 10s joyrides around Australia

On 18 July 1935, Smith sold 'Southern Cross' for £3000 to Commonwealth of Australia who wanted to nationally preserve it

Smith requested it not flown again & it was placed in storage at RAAF's No. 2 Aircraft Depot in Richmond, Melbourne

During WWII, it was taken from Melbourne to Sydney (see image) & Canberra. It is now on display at Brisbane Airport.

It is preserved in a glass hangar memorial on Airport Drive, near the international terminal at Brisbane Airport

In 1945, RAAF overhauled 'Southern Cross' for the film "Smithy' about Smith who'd passed away on 8 Nov 1935

Smith & his new plane had disappeared over Andaman Sea near Burma (Myanmar) during flight to England

1928 souvenir

1928 souvenir

(Image: 1931) A 1:24 scale model of the 'Southern Cross' created by Austin Byrne & held at National Museum of Australia

(Image: 1932) A plaster bust of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith by Enid Fleming & held at MOTAT

In 1937, plaque presented to the Auckland War Memorial Museum by Sir Ernest Davis, Mayor of Auckland

In 1958, six-penny stamp "30th Anniversary of First Tasman Flight 1928" was issued

A 1958 radio documentary recalling the first trans-Tasman flight produced by 1YA, Auckland (29:21 min)

(Image: c.1961) Framed oil on board painting by artist Patrick Hayman & held at MOTAT

In 1978, MOTAT was presented with ‘Southern Cross Memorial’ made by Australian Austin Byrne