History behind the Name
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith the name behind Sydney Airport
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith - skilled pilot and energetic adventurer - was one of the worlds leading pioneer aviators. Better known to his fellow Australians simply by his nickname Smithy, he was born in Brisbane on 9 February, 1897
The thought of conquering time and distance by air was a passion from an early age and following service as an infantryman in Gallipoli, Smithy joined the Royal Flying Corps. In 1928, while in the USA, he purchased a Fokker Tri-Motor and named the aircraft Southern Cross in honour of Australia.
Soon after he set out on a record-breaking flight that would capture the imagination of the world. On 31 May Smithy took off with a crew of four to fly from the USA to Australia. After flying 83 hours and 42 minutes, refuelling at tiny islands along the way, Smithy and his crew arrived in Brisbane having created the first air link between Australia and the United States. The spanning of the ocean was acclaimed as the most brilliant feat of aviation and navigation the world has witnessed.
Kingsford-Smith was knighted in 1932 for services to aviation and later was appointed honorary Air Commodore of the Royal Australian Air Force.
After a lifetime of accolades for record- breaking flights and heroic feats, Smithy was lost attempting a world record flight from England to Australia in November 1935. Some months later a wheel was salvaged off the coast of Burma.
Sydneys Kingsford Smith Airport was so named to honour an Australian pioneer of the skies and one of the worlds greatest aviators.
(from Sydney Airport Media Centre)
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