What is Charles Kingsford Smith?
'''Sir''' '''Charles Edward Kingsford Smith''' (February 9, 1897 - November 8, 1935) was a famous [[Australia]]n [[airplane]] [[pilot]].<ref>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |last= Howard |first= Frederick |authorlink= |year= 1983 |id= http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/kingsford-smith-sir-charles-edward-6964 |title= Kingsford Smith, Sir Charles Edward (1897–1935) |accessdate= 27 February 2016 }}</ref> He is famous for being the first person to fly across the [[Pacific Ocean]] from the [[United States]] to Australia. He was also the first person to fly non-stop across the entire country of Australia. He made the first flight from Australia to [[New Zealand]]. In another famous flight, he flew from Australia to [[London|London, England]], in ten and a half days, which was a new record at that time. == Early life == Smith was born on February 9, 1897, in Hamilton, [[Brisbane]] (the [[capital city]] of [[Queensland]], a state in Australia). He went to school at St. Andrew’s Cathedral Choir School and Sydney Technical High School. When he turned 16, Smith became an [[Apprenticeship|apprentice]] at Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd., where he got training in [[engineering]]. == Military career == In 1915, Smith joined the 1st Australian Imperial Force (AIF), the main branch of the Australian [[Army]] that fought outside of Australia in [[World War I]]. In the AIF he was a sapper (someone who builds and repairs roads and [[bridge]]s) and a [[motorcycle]] [[dispatch]] rider (someone who delivers important messages). In 1916 he transferred to the [[Royal Flying Corps]] (RFC), where he became a pilot and a second [[lieutenant]]. In 1917, Smith's plane was shot down during [[battle]]. He survived, but was [[Injury|injured]] and had to have part of his left foot [[Amputation|amputated]] (removed by [[surgery]]). He received the [[Military Cross]] for his bravery in battle. Because of his injuries, Smith was made an RFC flying teacher. He was also promoted to [[Captain]]. In April 1918, Smith was assigned to the [[Roya