[Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith with Lockheed Model 8-D Altair aircraft]

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Identifier2008-03-31_image_660SourceThe Peter M. Bowers Photograph Collection and Papers (2008-03-31), Lockheed Altair 8D Prints FolderSeries2008-03-31, Series I-ACreatorLockheedDescriptionPhotograph of Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith with his Lockheed Model 8-D Altair aircraft "Lady Southern Cross" (tail number VH), October 20, 1934.

Typed caption on verso: "NEWSBUREAU / LOCKHEED / BURBANK / AUSTRALIA'S MOST FAMED PIONEER -- Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith posed beside his Lockheed Altair, "Lady Southern Cross," on October 20, 1934, as workmen and admirers gathered around the sleek plane which, with its open cockpit and increased speed, was a sport model of the Orion. In this ship with his copilot, P. G. Taylor, Kingsford-Smith made the first west-to-east crossing of the Pacific Ocean, from Brisbane, Australia, to Oakland, California. Making the 7,356-mile trip in less than 55 hours flying time, in three hops, Kingsford-Smith's fame spread even further. Already he had established his place in aviation history by piloting the "Southern Cross," an earlier plane, in the first trans-Pacific flight, U.S. to Australia, in 1928; flying Australia to England in 1929; Ireland to America in 1930; and in the same year setting a new speed record England to Australia in the same year. The above photo was one of the last made of the famed Australian airman.

"Altair specifications: Wing span: 42 feet, 9 1/4 inches, 13 meters / Length: 27 feet, 1 inch, 8.25 meters / Height: 9 feet, 3 inches, 2.8 meters / Gross weight: 5200 pounds, 2359 kilograms / Useful load: 2003 pounds, 908.5 kilograms / Engine: Pratt & Whitney Wasp SD, SC-1, 450 horsepower / Cruising speed: 200 m.p.h., 322 km./hr. / Maximum speed: 230 m.p.h., 370 km./hr. / W-6197."Creation Date1934-10-20SubjectLockheed Model 8-D AltairKingsford Smith, Charles, Sir, 1897-1935Lockheed Model 8-D "Anzac"/"Lady Southern Cross"Extent1 photograph : print, black and white ; 8 x 10 in.LanguageEnglishOriginal Formatphotographic printsBibliographic CitationThe Peter M. Bowers Photograph Collection and Papers/The Museum of FlightRightsCopyright undetermined

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CollectionPeter M. Bowers Photograph Collection and PapersSub-CollectionSeries I-A - Aircraft FilesCollection AreaArchives

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