---
node: au_kingsford_smith
type: person
slug: charles_kingsford_smith
title: "Charles Kingsford Smith"
lead: "Australia's leading aviator, who made the first flight across the Pacific Ocean in 1928."
published: 2026-07-15
updated: 2026-07-15
image_file: charles_kingsford_smith.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Kingsford_Smith_1925.jpg"
image_author: "Fairfax Corporation"
image_license: "Public domain"
---

## Who they were

Born in Brisbane, Kingsford Smith flew as a pilot in the First World War and then took on long-distance flight.

## What they did

In 1928 he made the first flight across the Pacific, from the United States to Australia, in the three-engined Southern Cross, and went on to set many more long-distance records.

## Legacy

In 1935 he vanished on a flight. Known affectionately as Smithy, he is a hero of Australian aviation history, and Sydney's airport bears his name.