Famous Names on the Tasman Again

The clock turned back to 1928 at Sydney airport in September when four great names in aviation were linked again for the first time in 30 years. Occasion was the 30th anniversary of the first air crossing of the Tasman Sea by the "Southern Cross".

Two of the surviving members of the first crew, H. A. Litchfield, the navigator, and T.

H. McWilliams, the radio operator, joined the nephew of the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, Rolo Kingsford Smith, and the son of the late Charles Ulm, John Ulm, on the flight. There were many of the same faces from 1928 among the crowd to farewell the commemorative aircraft. The TEAL Super DC6 airliner flew to Christchurch along practically the same course taken by the "Cross" including the circuit of Wellington.

Even the kiwi mascot which "Smithy" carried in his cockpit was aboard the aircraft.

The commemorative flight was sponsored by the Air Leagues of Australia and New Zealand In the photo above, Mr. McWilliams is on the left and Mr. Litchfield on the ri ght, Mr. Kingsford Smith and Mr. Ulm are in the centre, and at rear are Mr. Laurie Archibald, president of the Australian Air League, and Mr. Geoff Wells, engineer for many of "Smithy's" early flights.