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

[@rescue270]

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.

[@DrBearAviation]

Thanks mate for this piece of interesting history of this lovely bird.

[@BrianMorrison]

Patrick Gordon 'Bill' Taylor was the engineer who did the oil transfer using a leather tool case. I think this was on a flight from New Zealand back to Australia. It's one of the stories in the "True Adventure Stories of the Air" book. It happened in 1935.

[@rescue270]

@BrianMorrison The version I read called it a leather briefcase, but pretty much the same thing.

[@BrianMorrison]

@@rescue270 Yeah, possibly a satchel, all words meaning about the same thing. I know that Taylor ended up covered in oil from head to knees, and subsequently was awarded the George Cross for his actions. He did 6 trips to each wing engine during the flight.

[@rescue270]

@@BrianMorrison I read that story many years ago. I still don't know how he kept from slipping and falling from the oil blowing everywhere.

[@glennmagann8648]

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.

[@brianwhetton9621]

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

[@downwindchecklist6567]

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!

[@blindpugh12]

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

[@martinoude-vrielink7956]

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

[@stephenberriman1]

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.

[@biplaneflights]

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

[@95thFoot]

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

[@95thFoot]

Great job on the restoration, by the way! Quite an undertaking!

[@williammecham7038]

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

[@DrBearAviation]

Thanks mate for your watching and good words. I am glad that you enjoyed it. Yes, Fokker Trimotor is absolutely gorgeous.

[@deskennedy6375]

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.

[@ThomasTarowsky]

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

[@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!

[@billwendell6886]

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

[@antestankovic4846]

The propellers do not spin backwards. This is an optical illusion depending on camera speed and number of propeller revolutions.

[@benjigray8690]

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.

[@NewRailBasher]

Absolutely stunning

[@DavidScott-g8g]

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

[@FitzArias]

So lucky to live in an era were we are able to build replicas of historic machines. To catch it only weeks after it was done is a real honour.

[@christopherpardell4418]

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.

[@homesteadpickers]

I always loved the sound of those engines

[@davidbamford4721]

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

[@rescue270]

The Fokker Trimotors originally had Wright R-760 Whirlwind engines, but the replica has Jacobs R-755 radials, probably the R-755-B2, 275 hp variants. They are still widely supported by Air Repair, which makes them a very logical replacement powerplant for flying examples of historic aircraft in the 21st Century. Air Repair owns the Type Certificate for these engines, and has made a number of improvements that greatly enhance reliability, such as automatically retarding magnetos with booster coils that really help with starting, and redesigned pistons that reduce oil consumption. The previous Type Certificate holder, Jacobs-Page, even fitted some with Bendix fuel injection systems retrofitted from Lycoming IO-720s, and still others with turbocharging (the R-755SM TurboJake). Air Repair does not recommend these conversions but they still support them to a degree.

[@robertwalker7924]

thrilling to see, thanks for sharing 👌

[@DrBearAviation]

Thanks mate for your watching and support. I am glad that you enjoyed it.

[@JR-vs4fy]

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

[@mongolike513]

Most Australian act i have seen in years. Thumbs up and thanks. That bird moved around beautifully in the air, crisp as - though i realise it wasn’t fully loaded. Sweet as.

[@stevewhalen6973]

Just a Beautiful old plane ❤

[@IntrospectorGeneral]

I saw this replica back in 1988 when it toured Australia for the Bicentenary. It was wonderful to see it fly but an odd sensation as I was very familiar with the original Southern Cross which has been on display at Eagle Farm/Brisbane Airport since 1958.

[@mikekennedy4572]

A replica Ford Trimotor similar to this, but metal skin, used to regularly fly over our house for a few years out of Fullerton Airport. It gave sightseeing tours and charter flights. Sadly, the day of an airshow at the airport several years ago, it took off for a check flight but only got 50 feet high before it veered to one side and crashed. The pilot was thrown clear alive and the mechanic was badly burned but rescued. That beautiful plane is no more. Some kind of rudder tie down was accidentally left in place as the pilot did not do a complete preflight check and remove it as he should have.

[@johngunther6333]

What a beauty!

[@indigenoussober407]

Just look at how thick the wing gets right over the cockpit! I love the design of this thing!

[@ngauruhoezodiac3143]

The cantilever has to support the weight of the engines so it has to be thick in the middle to get rid of drag inducing bracing.

[@indigenoussober407]

@@ngauruhoezodiac3143 Form and Function, BEAUTIFUL!

[@tigeryoung8611]

Outstanding. Marvellous work.

[@ronlokk]

Just as cool as it gets!

[@marcinp1-c5e]

What a beautiful airplane.

[@andredeboni7025]

PENA, FALTOU O BARULHO DA DECOLAGEM COMPLETA! Lindo Fokker Trimotor. Parabéns pela recuperação. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🇧🇷

[@Lordcirdan]

Que hermoso avión! gracias por subir esta joya!

[@WilliaminOz]

My late father flew in that very plane when he was a lad in Bundaberg. They were selling tickets to fundraise and he and my grandmother went up in the Fokker. (I read a bit below and this is a replica. He flew in the original, nearly 100 years ago..)

[@montbrehain]

Lovely! Great to see..

[@MultiCconway]

Outstanding! Don't see that every day.

[@spdyrzr01]

Paid $40 to fly on one of the later flights of the Kalamazoo Air Zoo's Ford Trimotor before it was retired because of substantial crack in the main wing spar. The small hard metal formed seat would be reasonably fit a small teenager. What's really crazy, while in flight was seeing traffic passing us on I94. Totally historic and fun at the same time.

[@rudolfkrebs2311]

Hat Fokker auch eine "Trimotor" gebaut? Ich dachte, es wäre Ford gewesen!🤔 Super Video, super Flugzeug! Bitte weiter so! 👍😎🇦🇹

[@gappleton8255]

Quite the airfoil!

[@KO-pk7df]

His book, the Southern Cross was one of the best aviation books I have ever read!

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

"Carby Heat" - that makes so proud to be Australian! 😆 For those interested, from Vintage Aviation News (as I was curious HOW they went about it): The modern replica of the Fokker airliner was conceived by John Pope and built in Adelaide, South Australia between 1980 and 1987 as a tribute to ‘Smithy’ - as he was widely known. The ‘Southern Cross’ replica design was mastered by C. W. ‘Bill’ Whitney. Following available drawings and inspections of the original aircraft, the replica concept was redesigned and drawn by Bill to comply with modern airworthiness requirements and different (albeit correct period) radial engines. The team were able to obtain the Australian civil registration worn on the original aircraft; VH-USU, to use again. The ‘Southern Cross’ is a faithful replica built to modern standards using the traditional aircraft construction of steel tubing and timber with doped Irish linen for the fuselage, and an all-wooden (spruce and plywood) one piece wing. It is the largest one-piece wing ever made in Australia.

[@DrBearAviation]

Thanks mate for watching and the detailed history of this beautiful bird.

[@jaapbruijn1300]

Yess, Fokker. Fantastic piece of Dutch engineering!!

[@DrBearAviation]

Yes, it is a true piece of beauty and power. It is hard to believe that human could cross the Pacific diagonally, through just three legs, back in 1928 in this plane.

[@kwerk2011]

I have a wonderful photograph of my late father at age 5, dressed like KIngsford Smith (really he was just wearing a winter coat and motorcycle goggles) getting ready to go to Wigram Aerodrome in Christchurch for the arrival of the second trans-Tasman flight, also in USU, and the first ever trans-Tasman commercial flight (Kingsford-Smith brought a single paying passenger) in 1933. It's my favourite photo.

[@brianohehir9515]

If i am not mistaken this aircraft was flown by george wilkins prior its disposal. Now there is an amazing ozzy pilot and explorer worthy of your interest. Look for “The Last Explorer” by Simon Nasht, great read about a little known yet extraordinary australian!

[@gunterscholl9952]

Very Cool Sound

[@QueenFlora-b5w]

Nice. Job i.m watching from the Netherlands. AMSTERDAM

[@goodo5691]

i remember going to parafield when this was being built. the wing frame was huge , and i also remember it was a huge job to rotate it. also i recall a guy from work calling me (i think it was a sat morning) saying.. "hey i just saw the southern cross crash land at parafield"

[@albertorafaelcisnerosperfe4899]

Awesome 👍❤

[@bobbates7343]

Fantastic old plane . Well worth fixing up so people can see such a plane fly

[@HockOoiOng]

woah amazing

[@bobmillerick300]

Beautiful aircraft.

[@georgegeyer3431]

Beautiful airplane 😊.

[@DrBearAviation]

Indeed. Such a graceful and elegant aircraft, not to mention that the design was one century ago.

[@albertsilva747]

Beautiful plane ❤

[@mattipollari8905]

The Sky Beyond by Sir Gordon Taylor is one of the best aviation books I have read- gives a real account of the flight and engine failure.

[@dja1353]

She’s a beauty. I didn’t realise that it’s open cockpit.

[@kkteutsch6416]

Just Great !

[@Patshes]

Magnificent!!!🆒😎👍!

[@thosoz3431]

The original was donated to Kingsford Smith by George Hubert Wilkins. The greatest explorer of his day. As famous as Charlie Chaplin Knighted twice, tried to take the first submarine to the Arctic. Was called, 'The bravest man in my army', by General Sir John Monash. Perhaps Australia's greatest son, but almost completely unknown.

[@Philippe-q5m]

Part of aviation's history

[@orgcoast5990]

The verticle stabilizer seems small for the size of the aircraft.

[@gunterscholl9952]

Very Cool Plain

[@arthurthomasware5004]

To think these old aircraft were flying into mountain strip aerodromes like Bullolo and Wau in Papua/New Guinea way back in the 1930's - how brave our pioneer aviators!

[@DrBearAviation]

Absolutely. They are real aviators.

[@kurtv4946]

Great camera work! I noticed the #2 engine has some down thrust and 1 and 3 seem to follow the centerline of the aircraft.

[@DrBearAviation]

Thanks mate for watching. Yes, the #2 engine tilts down a bit. I don't know the exact reason. However, my conjecture is: 1) it could give better forward vision for pilots; or 2)This plane needs a bit down thrust for balance purpose.

[@nigel900]

Beautiful airplane 👍🏻

[@earhart1000]

Precioso avión . From Spain 👏👏👏👏

[@bertoverweel6588]

Fantastic aircraft build by Anthony Fokker, one of the first aircraft used by KLM the oldest Airlines in the world.

[@AeroTravels]

Amazing! Like it!

[@chuckcawthon3370]

Incredible Airplane.

[@Luke-ot6mk]

Awesome!

[@martyb6903]

Wow 3 jacobs radials on one bird! Sweet

[@rescue270]

I have a Callair agplane with a Jacobs on it.

[@joelhenderson4450]

That is some wing.

[@viewfromafar475]

Let’s not forget that the original Southern Cross had previously been used by the Australian Arctic and Antarctic explorer, Sir Hubert Wilkins.

[@terra2jaquesmuller333]

Esse avião é muito bonito

[@nihilmiror6312]

Pretty bird. 👍🇦🇺🦘

[@guenthermeyer9603]

Excellent Plain

[@tominmtnvw]

My grandfather flew these over the Grand Canyon on sightseeing charters.

[@rossmansell5877]

Nice..very nice

[@adrianodagenova247]

Unbeleivable!!! Do you have to do a major inspection / teardown after such a first flight?

[@rescue270]

I'm sure it is given a thorough shakedown for any defects, but there is no need to tear it all apart unless something alarming is discovered.

[@thegreat_I_am]

Elbow out the window - like driving an old Landrover!

[@janb.6194]

Wauw waanzinnig mooi.

[@obelic71]

Onze Fokker VIIA in het aviodrome is helaas niet luchtvaardig. Elk stukje Fokker luchtvaart history bewaard is mooi meegenomen. Zo zie je maar weer dat we een diepe historische culturele band hebben met Australië. Onze DC2 ( Uiver replica ) is ook zo een voorbeeld.

[@DrBearAviation]

Yes, it is such a beauty. Hope that it will continue to grace the sky in the many years to come.

[@25chief39]

Is this the same aircraft that visited Wellington NZ in the late '80s? I went to see that one on the tarmac. I recall the pilot commenting how he had to land very much in a nose down tail up attitude, orherwise the rudder wouldn't bite and he'd have trouble with directional control.

[@FitzArias]

Charles Kingsford-Smith and Anthony Fokker: names that will live on in aviation history.

[@DrBearAviation]

Yes, they are true pioneers.

[@alangeddes268]

Great video of a beautiful aircraft. Was that his check ride ? 😁

[@DrBearAviation]

Thanks mate for watching. This is the very first public demo of this plane after a 12-year restoration effort to achieve airworthiness.

[@philhand5830]

Sweet!!!

[@wobblybobengland]

First aircraft to cross the Pacific from the United States to Australia

[@peterhoebarth4234]

From Canada.

[@colvinator1611]

Are the propellers variable pitch ? The external control cables for the rear surfaces are novel . Was this the norm for the era ?.

[@Abandoned_Brane]

Not scared of flying, scared of crashing. Having said that, I should have gotten my license way back when. My dad pushed me towards the civil air patrol.

[@ivortoad]

I can easily imagine people betting on whether it would fly or not first time.

[@oscarduarte624]

Maravilhoso parabéns lindo

[@Smolensk18]

Precioso, pero lástima que no usaran ruedas más similares a las originales

[@yesnature33]

why all engines revolving left direction?

[@kkteutsch6416]

It's so common...

[@WilliaminOz]

Film camera is capturing the props at a different speed. The illusion is they are rotating the opposite way.

[@robertgilbert1987]

all engines reciprocate in the same direction,same engine that is. Some may rotate clockwise,others,anti clockwise.

[@ngauruhoezodiac3143]

It is the stroboscopic effect, like wheels on a stagecoach spinning backwards. Look again at the beginning of the video when the cylinders are being cleared to see the real direction of rotation.

[@threeofive9401]

You don't often see a plane that allows a passenger to have an open window with a hand out.

[@rescue270]

I had a 1938 Aeronca. I could stick my head out the window at 10,000 ft!

[@davidlong6173]

Nice looking plane like the design.

[@tomarmstrong1281]

Once I took a flight in a Trimotor over Kalamazoo Mi. God it was noisy.

[@davidmilledge221]

That replica was built in SA and the state government should never had sold it , unfortunately we public have no power over our state government selling off our beautiful assets and its sickening that they let our heritage boats go to rot too , and us people have no control on them short term idiots in power making money saving decisions to cover their nest and letting our heritage fade away 😢

[@davidblurton7158]

beautiful,,,,,,

[@giterdunpete]

Who built it in South Australia and who crashed it ? All the history is important.

[@bobbates7343]

Once up flying how many running engines does it take to keep that plane in the air ?

[@rescue270]

It can hold altitude with one engine inoperative.

[@dwightmagnuson4298]

What engine is used?

[@DrBearAviation]

Thanks for watching. Engines are three Jacobs R-755 A2, 7 cylinder air-cooled radial, about 300 bhp each.