Kingsford Smith Southern Cross Fokker Trimotor First Display Flight after 12-Year Reconstruction

In 1928 Australian aviation pioneer, Charles Kingsford Smith, flew a Fokker F.VIIb/3m trimotor (Southern Cross) monoplane from mainland US to Australia, achieving the first-ever trans-Pacific flight covering a distance of about 11,670 kilometres (7,250 miles). Featured in this video is the replica of the original Southern Cross. This full-sized flying reproduction of the Southern Cross was built in South Australia between 1980 and 1987, and is the largest known reproduction aircraft in the world.

On 25 May 2002, the Southern Cross suffered a takeoff accident with major structure damage. The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) acquired the aircraft from the South Australia (SA) Government in 2010. After 12 years of meticulous reconstruction by HARS volunteers, the Southern Cross achieves airworthiness in 2023. On 8th December 2023, the first public flight demonstration was achieved with a great success. Veteran Qantas pilots Bruce Simpson and Mark Thurstan are at the helm.

00:00 Engine Electric Motor Check
00:37 Start Engine 3
01:45 Start Engine 2
02:36 Start Engine 1
02:53 Engine Run-up
03:46 Outbound taxi
04:44 Takeoff
05:31 Low flyby
06:21 Landing
06:58 Inbound taxi
07:53 Engine Shutdown
08:28 Close inspection
09:51 Happy Pilots
10:33 Cockpit and Cabin
10:57 Towing

#southerncross #fokker #plane

[rescue]

Southern Cross nearly ended up in the water about 10 years after the expedition, while humbly transporting mail to the islands. By this time she was well-worn and poorly maintained. While over the ocean, the right propeller threw a blade and the engine had to be shut down. Then the left engine developed a massive oil leak. The airplane cannot hold altitude on one engine. One of the crew climbed out into the right struts and drained some oil into briefcase, then climbed out into the left struts and somehow got some of the oil into the leaking engine and restored some oil pressure. They then powered up the left engine and climbed as high as they could on two engines until left oil pressure began dropping again, shut down the left engine, and repeated the process as the airplane slowly descended on the nose engine alone, then power up left and climb again. They kept this up for thirty minutes until they reached some land and an airstrip, at which they made a safe landing.

[glennmagann]

Fantastic achievements in 1928 and now with the restoration. I am currently halfway thru reading Peter Fitzsimon's book on "smithy". A great read.Visited HARS in October and saw the dedicated team working on "the Southern Cross". Congratulations to all involved.

[blindpugh]

Beautiful aircraft, sounded and looked right; and brilliant handling coming in to land. Very enjoyable video.

[brianwhetton]

Congratulations to all involved in the restoration of this aircraft. She's a credit to you all :)

[martinoude-vrielink]

In one word....BEAUTIFUL. Great job. I like all (the) trimotors, like Great to see another Fokker flying again. Greetings from the Netherlands.

[downwindchecklist]

Really great to see those fantastic machines being kept in working order. No small feat to maintain and fly it, I am sure. Thank you for documenting and sharing!

[thFoot]

I made a model of the Southern Cross as a kid. Gold wing and deep blue fuselage. Quite a plane, quite a story.

[WarblesOnALot]

G'day,

Yay Team!

This is indeed a magnificent Video of a great achievement.

I used to know a bloke who
Flew
In the
Original.

In 1928 or '29, when
Smithy put down
On the Beardy Plains, Southeast of Glen Innes,
Neville Fakes, son of the Farmer who owned the Paddock Smithy landed in...,
Ran errands, to oblige, on his bicycle.

After Repairs had been effected,
Smithy took young Neville up on the
Test Circuit, before getting on with being
Smithy...

It had a BIG impression on him.

He wrote his High School Science Project about the Belt & Pulley Setup in my Grandfather's Coachbuilding Workshop/Garage (Horseless Carriages were winning, my father became an Engine Reconditioner, my son is the town's Auto Electrician !).

And in 1936 (?) Neville Fakes was one of the Students, under
Lawrence Wackett,
Studying at Sydney Uni's
First Course on
Aeronautical Engineering.

My mother's father apparently knew Smithy, in London in 1919, when they were both in the AFC, after WW-1 finished...; he was closer to Bert Hinkler though - who apparently visited my Grandfather and had a meal, leaving a Puppy for my Aunt to raise (called, inevitably, "Hinkie"...) when he was in Sydney for the last time...


My father's Uncle briefly flew Camels with 4-Sqadron AFC, in late 1918. (Lt Leslie Wharton, MM).


I must admit
That it
All effected me, to the tune of
Growing up
Thinking that I WAS
Biggles...

Search YT for,

"National Transportation Museum ; Visiting My First Aeroplane...!"

In 1903
Wilbour & Orville had a
Better
Aeroplane...
3 or 4 different ways ;
But I
KNEW that it could be done,
They were merely hoping such to be the case...
And I'd had 35 minutes
Dual in a J-3 Piper Cub & a
DH-87b Hornet Moth, plus a
Joyride in a DH-82b Tiger Moth...;
And I fondly considered myself as having
Been bred and born to fly...(!).

The amazing part is that
What took me for my
First Solo
Survived
Undamaged
To have been dangling in a
Museum since a dozen years after my father sold it on me
While I was out of town !

(He hated it, expecting it to hurt me....)

Anyway,
I was the last person to ever fly it.

I doubt if anybody's flown behind
Any
Pixie-Minor (8-hp) since my last flight in the 3rd Prototype 1975
"Red Baron"
Skycraft Scout.

I
REALLY
Enjoyed this
Coverage of the
Replica Southern Cross.

Thankyou for posting.

Happy Summer Solstice Festival !

Stay safe.

;-p

Ciao!

[ThomasTarowsky]

My father-in-law worked at the Fokker plant in Glen Dale West Virginia from 1928-31, building wings for tri-motors.

[stephenberriman]

Took photos of this plane when it was at an airshow in Pt Augusta, South Australia many years ago. Was fantastic to watch it flying around.

[williammecham]

the camera work in this video is the best . what a beautiful aircraft .

[biplaneflights]

Stunning! Absolutely fantastic to see the Trimotor flying again. Congratulations to all who contributed with the 12-year reconstruction. 😀

[deskennedy]

I have a souvineer ticket that my dad had when he took a joy flight in the original Southern Cross that landed at Ikamatua West Coast SI NZ. DAD also took several photos on that day which I also have in my possession.

[christopherpardell]

I used to live on a ridge where we often had a very strong wind blowing over the top from the prevailing wind accelerating to get over from one valley to the next. One day, a Ford Trimotor Out of Gillespie field came flying directly over our house, just about 200 feet higher than the roof. Or, TRYING to. The headwind he was bucking was so close to the Ford’s top speed that it was passing overhead at around 3 miles per hour ground speed. It looked like it was just floating there, you had to watch it for a while to discern that it was moving. Once it was well past the ridge the wind speed dropped a lot and it started looking like it was flying.

[benjigray]

Thank you for putting this video out there for all to see.
While I was at school, many years ago, our school teachers encouraged us to read about
brave folks like Kingsford Smith and his equally brave mate, Charles Ulm.
I would love to see school teachers inspiring our present generation of kids with the true story of how those two kept that aeroplane aloft, as they overcame engine problems whilst crossing the oceans.

[davidbamford]

Those radial motors started quite quickly, for the normally reluctant engines. That is a real triumph!

[DavidScott-gg]

Was flying behind you in the circuit as I was learning to fly, got to say It was very impressive.

[homesteadpickers]

I always loved the sound of those engines

[billwendell]

Amazing to see that take off with the props spinning backwards. They sure knew how to make 'en then. ( insert Gomer Pyle meme ) . Beautiful, thanks for posting

[JR-vsfy]

Miss seeing the Fokker overall ( missed opportunity) stil got several in the shed