focusinterview.
Charlie Smith is a local legend, having taught many people to fly over the years – and he’s still a skilled and enthusiastic pilot at age 84! We visited Charlie at the Coffs Harbour Aero Club, an organisation he’s been involved with since 1967 ...
H
ow long have you lived in the Coffs area? It has been over 45 years.
What are some of the biggest changes in aviation you’ve seen since you began flying?
When I learnt to fly, it was what you called the ‘rag and bag days’, or what we call the ‘Tiger Moth days’ – then they advanced to the ‘Cessna days’. The hours in aviation have dropped dramatically to what they were, I learnt to fly in 1955 and I wanted to be a and it’s becoming a lot more expensive to learn fighter pilot, but the war stopped and I to fly. was cranky! I got back into it at 21 – Now most of the flying time that is and I am now 84 and still doing it! being done is by recreational pilots. I Two years ago, m fro What was the first plane you The Coffs Harbour Aero Club had e an took a pl h, ut ul D at 6 aeroplanes here at one stage, flew, and how did it feel to y or the fact ew owned by the club. fly for the first time? Minnesota and fl to across the States ross It was a Tiger Moth that I You have been flying for Honolulu and acpan and learnt to fly in; it was exciting, many years now. What is it the bottom of Ja rea.” and I was not nervous. My first that keeps you enthusiastic Ko to it delivered flight was actually in aerobatics. after all this time? How long have you been I am still learning how to fly! You never stop learning. I fly pretty well, I teaching other people to fly? Since 1970, but I was only doing adhave been assessed, and my flying is pretty vanced training in the early days. I did instructor good. training in 1990 ... but initially I was training in multiIf money wasn’t an object, what would be your engines and instrument ratings. dream plane to own – and why? If you had to ‘guestimate’, how many students A Lear Jet! It’s quick, and I have flown one. I used to work for North Coast Airlines, and we did the first service do you believe you have taught to fly over the to Bribie Island, where they made the strip when they years? In excess of 50, but more likely 100. gave the flying boats away. When did you first become involved in the Coffs We actually had the first airline that made all the stops. We used to fly out of Brisbane and first stop was NewAero Club? When I first arrived here in 1967. castle, Tamworth and Armidale. That was for passengers,
How old were you when you learnt to fly; was it always a dream of yours to be airborne?
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64 coffs coast focus.
and I got over 16,000 hours up there. I have done a lot of charter work – and tourist work too. I have kept all my log books. I first crossed the channel in 1968. I went to the United States to Midway Island, and I have flown around the world – including to Damascus.
What are some of the other flights you’ve done? 1967/1968 we travelled to San Francisco, Lake Tahoe to Las Vagas, Grand Canyon, Hawaii, San Jose, Honolulu, and we were guests for 3 days at a USA Navy base on the insistence of the Lieutenant Commander of the United States Navy. Two years ago, I took a plane from the factory at Duluth, Minnesota and flew across the States to Honolulu and across the bottom of Japan and delivered it to Korea. That was a single engine plane.
Can you tell us a flying experience you’ve had, possibly a scary one or even a joyous one, that sticks in your mind? I had a tip of a propeller fall off in a twin engine aeroplane – nine inches were off the propeller. I immediately felt the vibrations, but I didn’t know what was wrong ... so I ‘feathered’ the plane, as the temperatures were all OK. I continued on for 40 miles and landed OK.
Any plans to hang up the pilot’s hat soon? I am going to retire soon from here, as I am getting a bit older – but I will keep flying!
Thanks Charlie. Interview by Sam Dawson.