1997 $1 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith The World's Greatest Pioneering Aviator Silver Proof CoinIn the 1920s and early 1930s Charles Kingsford Smith (1897 1935) made his mark upon the world by breaking or creating many long distance air records, the most famous being the 1928 first transpacific flight. In June 1927, Kingsford Smith and co pilot Charles Ulm flew a Bristol Tourer bi plane with a single Puma engine around Australia. They covered the 12,000 kilometre route in the record time of 10 days, 5 1 4 hours.