We read with interest the plight of alternate airfields for emergency use by aircraft flying ETOPS routes (Flight International, 3-9 June).
It was, however, perhaps remiss of the author, given the date, not to mention the plight of Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew of Charles Ulm (co-pilot), Harry Lyon (navigator) and James Warner (radio operator) who, in the Fokker Tri-Motor Southern Cross, made the first aerial crossing of the Pacific Ocean.
Seventy-five years ago, on 9 June, our father, who was a schoolboy of 10, watched Smithy land the Southern Cross at Eagle Farm in Brisbane. What is taken as routine today had captured the world's admiration.
This epic flight had left Oakland airport, San Francisco, on 31 May and taken 83h 38min of flying time to cover the 11,900km (7,389 miles) route across the Pacific Ocean. The flight was not without difficulty as they encountered severe storms between Hawaii and Fiji as well as on the last sector to Brisbane. As for alternate airfields, unlike modern day aviators, they were well and truly isolated at sea.
The Southern Cross is preserved at Eagle Farm for all to see as they depart or arrive in Brisbane.
More importantly, in this year, the centenary of aviation, we should salute Smithy and his crew along with all the other great aerial pioneers.
Jeff Boyling London, UK
Janice Ivey-Anderson Brisbane, Australia
Source: Flight International
