On May 31, 1928 pioneer aviators Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm flew their fabric-covered Fokker trimotor, named the Southern Cross, across the Pacific Ocean from Oakland, Calif. to Brisbane, Australia with stops in Honolulu and at Barking Sands, and two stops in the Fiji Islands.
Also on board were two Americans, Jim Wamer as the radio operator, and Harry Lyon as the navigator. The flight was made from May 31 to June 9 and the longest leg was 3,150 miles from Barking Sands, Kauai to Suva, Fiji which was about 700 miles more than the distance from Oakland to Honolulu.
An account of the flight appeared in the June 5, 1928 issue of The Garden Island. The uncredited account was likely written by editor Charlie Fern. Fern was a World War I aviator, and arrived on Kauai after the war during a barnstorming flight from Honolulu, landing at Waipouli and making what is considered the first cross-channel air flight between Oahu and Kauai.
The flight came just over one year after Charles Lindbergh made his historic non-stop flight from New York to Paris in 33.5 hours.
QANTAS, Australia’s international airline, is marking the anniversary of the flight with a special flight today from Oakland to Honolulu to Suva to Brisbane.
Daring Airmen Achieve New Mark In Aviation When They Complete Flight From Kauai To Fiji Islands In 34 Hours, 42 Minutes
SUVA, Fiji, June 5.-A new chapter in aviation history was written today when the airplane Southern Cross and its gallant crew lande,d here this afternoon after a flight of 34 hours and 42 minutes from Barking Sands Field, Mana, Kauai. The flight of 3,180 miles is the longest over water flight to be made in the history of aviation. To Captain Kingsford-Smith and his gallant crew, including C. P. T. Ulm, Navigator Harry Lyons, and Radio Operator, James Warner, must go the credit for one of the greatest achievements in aviation history.
When the four men climbed out of the plane after it landed on the local cricket field, Captain Kingsford-Smith’s first words were, “Gee, we are glad to get here. We are tired.”
During the brief reception accorded the flyers before they were allowed to go to rest, the mayor of Suva acclaimed Kingsford-Smith and Ulm as the two greatest men Australia has produced. He then congratulated the Americans of the crew and called for three cheers for America. James Warner responded for the Americans and called for three cheers for Australia. The flyers were allowed to go to bed and even the irrepressible Lyons, who at the end of the previous hops, seemed not to care to rest, stated that sleep was all he had in mind.
Warner’s radio messages kept the waiting throngs here informed as to the progress of the plane, and when he stated that land was sighted the crowd began to get excited. Bedlam broke loose in Suva when the plane was sighted and the cheering continued lpng after the plane landed.
The future plans of the flight are uncertain, as Albert Park, where the flyers landed, is not large enough for the take-off for Australia with the 900 gallon load of gasoline necessary for the hop. The flyers plan to look for another runway tomorrow. No definite information on the amount of gas left can be secured until it is checked by Captain Kingsford-Smith.
The Southern Cross’s take-off in its third and longest hop was made without any fuss or delay from the Mana field. Captain Kingsford Smith and his companions arrived at the field shortly before 5 o’clock and immediately began stowing their gear into the plane.
Captain Smith climbed into the cockpit soon after his arrival and within a short time the army mechanics had cranked the three engines and had them turning over slowly to warm them up. Captain Ulm was busy with other arrangements in connection with the take off while Warner was busy with his radio set, getting it fixed and seeing that everything was in place.
Harry Fyons, the navigator, was the only one of the four who took the time out from the more important duties on hand. He visited with friends who were present to see the take-off and even after he had climbed out again to shake hands with Sheriff Rice.
Captain Kingsford-Smith had asked Major Henry Miller and Captain Lowell Smith, pilots of the army Fokker, to station themselves at the 3500-foot mark with a flag aloft as a signal to stop. If Smith dropped the flag it was understood that they had a good chance to get off.
GAINS SLOW HEADWAY As Capt. Kingsford Smith opened up the three motors, the big plane seemed to gain headway quite slowly and to the spectators who were all tense watching the attempt, it appeared as if there was no chance for the Southern Cross to gain flying speed before it reached the end of the runway. It continued to gather momentum as it sped up the field but even when Captain Lowell Smith droppod his flag as signal that all was well, there were many who thought that the Australians had no chance to get their ship into the air.
A slight bump near the 3500-foot mark sent the ship into the air, but Kingsford-Smith wisely made no attempt to hold the plane off but let her settle back to the ground to gain additional speed. Again a bump sent the plane into the air and again it settled back to earth. Shortly after the second bump the plane gained sufficient flying speed and rose gracefully a few feet off the earth. The plane was now close to the end Smith held off. At the end of the runway there was a drop down to the ocean and as the big plane passed over the sea, Kingsford Smith nosed her down to accelerate her flying speed to the utmost. Many spectators thought for a moment that the plane was dropping into the ocean, but soon it swung into sight as it described a wide turn to the south.
HOLDS SHIP DOWN Kingsford Smith made little or no attempt to gain altitude as the big ship started off on the longest flight ever made, but held the plane down in order to maintain as much flying speed as possible. As the Southern Cross disappeared toward the southern horizon the prayers of those who saw the plane went with the four intrepid flyers whose names will go down in history among the great pioneers of aviation.
Major Miller and Captain Lowell Smith both described the take-off as perfect and both believed that Kingsford-Smith could have carried one hundred additional gallons of gasoline for his flight to Suva.
The second and shortest hop of the great flight from Wheeler field to Kauai was without incident. The Southern Cross and the army Fokker took off from Wheeler field at 4:30 Saturday afternoon and about 5:45 were sighted over Kekaha. The army plane landed first showing the way to its trans-pacific sister ship, and shortly after the Southern Cross landed and taxied to the south end of the field. Here a group of army mechanics that had flown over in the army plane were awaiting the ship and it was soon turned around and headed up the runway for the take-off.
CHECK MOTORS, GAS, PLANE The army mechanics soon were checking over the motors and then began gassing the plane. The takeoff from Wheeler field had been made with about 800 gallons and something slightly over 500 gallons were added here.
After seeing the gassing under way, Kingsford-Smith, Ulm and Warner left for Lindsay Faye’s home where they were to be the guests for the night. Lyons had proceeded to the home of E. F. Nichols at Port Allen where he was to have dinner. Later he returned to the Faye home and spent the night with the three members of the party. Nichols had known Lyons in Hilo when the latter was in the Inter-Island service.
After bathing the men were given supper, and shortly after supper they retired. Lyons, however, had not returned when the others retired, and when he did arrive, efforts were made to get him to get some sleep.
NO USE FOR SLEEP In a good-humored manner he voiced his resentment of any attempts to send him to bed. “I spent one watch of 72 hours on the bridge during the war,” he said, “and after that, a little thing like 34 hours without sleep is nothing but a summer vacation for me.”
All of the four flyers arose at 3:20 a.m. and were given a breakfast of fruit, soft-boiled eggs, coffee and toast. During the night several different kinds of sandwiches had been made under the supervision of Mrs. L. A. Faye, Mrs. J. T. Moir Jr. and Mrs. William Gorham, as food during their long flight to Suva. The sandwiches were made up into four packages, two for the forward cockpit where Kingsford-Smith and Ulm piloted the ship, and two for the after cabin where Navigator Lyons and radio operator Warner hold forth. Captain Lowell Smith superintended the packing of the sandwiches in order to keep them from drying out. Water was carried in bottles, with an equal amount for each compartment.
The flyers left the Faye home shortly before 4:30 and arrived at the field at around 4:45.
A huge crowd was on hand to see the take-off, many spending the entire night on the field, waiting for dawn. Many spectators drove into the field during the early morning hours, and even after the plane had taken off some late comers were still arriving at the field. The crowd was estimated to be about two thousand when the plane got away.
