fokkerf73m

The wreckage of Lt. Cmdr. Richard Byrd's (USN) Fokker C-2 (F.VII/3m) "America", (NX206; c/n 706). In addition to Byrd, "America" was crewed by Lt. George O. Noville, Bert Acosta, and Bernt Balchen. As per Wikipedia: For eight years after the first non-stop heavier than air Atlantic crossing by a British Vickers Vimy in 1919, there were no further such flights. Then, in 1927, three crossings were made by American flyers, the America's being the third after Lindbergh's first solo crossing in the Spirit of St. Louis flight and Clarence Chamberlin's Columbia flight from New York to Berlin. All three were aspiring to win the Orteig Prize. It was also the first aircraft to carry official airmail across the Atlantic. The America was destroyed after it was ditched near the French village of Ver-sur-Mer after having flown to Paris but unable to land due to fog. Distance covered was about 3,800 miles not counting the time and distance spent at Paris waiting in vain for the fog to clear. After it was towed ashore, it was torn apart by souvenir hunters. Portions of the aircraft reside in several museums in Europe and in the United States. The America is a subject of the America/Goldbeach Museum, located in Ver-sur-Mer. See also: www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/America-NX206.htm aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=65208

This is a photo of Charles Kingsford-Smith's June 1, 1928 arrival in Hawaii at Wheeler Field, Honolulu aboard his Fokker F.VIIb/3m (registration: VH-USU), "Southern Cross". At center, in the flying helmet with goggles upon his head, greeting radio operator James Warner to his right and Kingsford-Smith to his left, is Hawaii-based aviator Martin Jensen (who finished second in the 1927 Dole Air Race). To Warner's right is Hawaii Governor, Wallace R. Farrington. Not captured in this photo are Kingsford-Smith's co-pilot, Charles Ulm, and navigator Harry Lyon. Here is a photo from the same day of Art Goebel (1st Place finisher in the 1927 Dole Air Race), Governor Farrington, and Martin Jensen, apparently awaiting Kingsford-Smith's arrival at Wheeler Field (note Jensen's tie and flight helmet). www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/4728489699/

This is (Sir) Charles Kingsford Smith's Fokker tri-motor "Southern Cross", the first aircraft to fly trans-Pacific from the mainland US to Australia in May/June 1928. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Cross_(aircraft)

Fokker F.VIIa-3m NC1985 c/n 4954, later G-AUSU, then VH-USU, now displayed at Brisbane as '1985'.