WHO SAID FLYING?

Chronicle (Levin), 6 July 1946, Page 6

WHO SAID FLYING?

Everyone knows that Smithy was one of the world's greatest flyers. But, in these days when every sec- , on d lad has built up fiying hours, rnany people find their memory growing dim about some of Smithy's greater exploits. Who can remember, for instance, the account of his landing at Suva, Fiji, on the trans-Pacific hop? An eyewitness gave this story : The beacli was short and narrow. Few pilots would even attempt to land m such a constricted space. Trees iined- one side — the ocean the other. Smithy arrived over the landing ground after 33 hours in the air — no sleep, exhausted, and fiying 011 his nerves. Charles Ulm; suggested that he circle the plane firsc, and get the feel of the field. Smithy quietly nodded, swung the plane around, and came flat into the beach. He landed while Char- , iie Ulm was still talking about how it should be done. .The old Southern Cross had no brakes, which nieant turning the aircraft round wmle still travellingi at speed. Incidentally, no other; plane of similar size hasjanded on: that beach since — just another instance ' of Smithy's more-than- , liuman prowess. See the "old ship," • as "Smithy" used to term her, in the forthcoming Australian Col- , umbia production, "Smithy," to be, released shortly-