Aviator's Helmet
Object detail
Description
Aviator's Helmet, dark brown leather cap with chamois lining, buckled chin strap and two cotton ear protectors sewn into the inside of the helmet. The helmet is made up of four separate pieces of leather stitched together. The helmet features a rolled leather cylinder positioned in front of each ear.
Classification
COSTUME Headwear man
Measurements
H320 x W250mm
Media/Materials description
leather, cotton
History and use
This helmet is reputed to have been worn by Charles Kingsford Smith on the first aerial crossing of the Pacific in 1928.
Australians Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm, together with Americans Harry Lyon and Jim Warner made the first flight across the Pacific Ocean in a tri-motor Fokker monoplane named the Southern Cross. The plane left San Francisco on 31 May 1928, and flew west across the Pacific, via Hawaii and Fiji. They landed at Eagle Farm aerodrome in Brisbane, Queensland ten days later on 9 June 1928.
The day after the completion of the famous journey, Kingsford Smith and Ulm were greeted by a crowd of over 200,000 people at Mascot Airport in Sydney and given a civic reception. It is thought that this helmet was given to Kingsford-Smith’s cousin and good friend Ray after the aviators arrived in Sydney.
Uploaded to the Web 27 May 2011.
Australians Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm, together with Americans Harry Lyon and Jim Warner made the first flight across the Pacific Ocean in a tri-motor Fokker monoplane named the Southern Cross. The plane left San Francisco on 31 May 1928, and flew west across the Pacific, via Hawaii and Fiji. They landed at Eagle Farm aerodrome in Brisbane, Queensland ten days later on 9 June 1928.
The day after the completion of the famous journey, Kingsford Smith and Ulm were greeted by a crowd of over 200,000 people at Mascot Airport in Sydney and given a civic reception. It is thought that this helmet was given to Kingsford-Smith’s cousin and good friend Ray after the aviators arrived in Sydney.
Uploaded to the Web 27 May 2011.
Associated person
Registration number
H44453
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