Victor Smith’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Intro South african pilot
A.K.A. Victor Charleton Smith
Was

Pilot 

From

South Africa 

Gender male
Birth 1913
Death 2001
(aged 88 years)

Victor Charleton Smith (1913-2001) het as baanbreker-vlieënier bekend geword toe hy in 1932 in ‘n enkelsitplek-dubbeldekkervliegtuig met ‘n oop stuurkajuit van Kaapstad na Londen gevlieg het.

Opleiding en ervaring

Victor Smith is in 1913 in Ficksburg gebore en voltooi sy skoolopleiding aan Kingswood Kollege op Grahamstad. Sy pa was ‘n skoenfabrikant met fabrieke op Ficksburg en George en het oor ‘n vliegtuig beskik om sy fabrieke te besoek. Victor is in 1927 beïndruk deur Charles Lindburgh se solovlug oor die Atlantiese Oseaan. As seun bou hy reeds sy eie vliegtuig in ‘n slaapkamer van sy ouerhuis en later in sy vader se skoenfabriek op George. So bou hy besondere kennis en ervaring op as vlieënier, oor lugvaartingenieurswese, aerodinamika en vliegtuigontwerp. Smith geniet lugakrobatiek en ontwikkel so ‘n besondere behendigheid met vliegtuie. In 1930 kry hy in Port Elizabeth formele vliegonderrig in ‘n Cirrus Moth. Die volgende jaar neem hy George Bernard Shaw vir Shaw se eerste vlug. Smith is ‘n vlieënier vir 46 jaar en bou meer as 7 000 vliegure op. In die jare doen hy 21 gedwonge landings weens masjienprobleme sonder om ooit ‘n vliegtuig te verloor.

Rekordpogings

In 1932 op 19-jarige ouderdom doen hy in sy Gipsy Moth ‘n aanslag op die rekord van 8½ dag vir die afstand van 10 500 km van Kaapstad na Londen. Duisend kilometer noord van Namibe (Angola) beland hy in ‘n tropiese storm. Hy doen ‘n noodlanding in die Sahara en word vriendelik ontvang deur die andersins vyandige Toearegs. Hy sit sy reis voort en beleef nog ‘n gedwonge landing in Engeland naby sy beoogde eindpunt. Die volgende jaar probeer hy om Amy Mollison se rekord van 4 dae en 7 uur van Londen na Kaapstad te verbeter. Sterk wind veroorsaak dat sy brandstof opraak en doen ‘n noodlanding op die paas Kwaggaskop op die Knersvlakte naby Vanrhynsdorp. In 1998 is ‘n monument ter ere van Smith daar opgerig. In 1936 doen hy weer ‘n aanslag op ‘n rekord. Die keer was die roete van Portsmouth na Johannesburg. Hy het die vlug voltooi, maar ‘n olielek het ‘n goeie prestasie verhinder.

Smith se bydrae

Smith se betrokkenheid by die vliegkuns het die masjiene van vliegtuie meer betroubaar gemaak. Sy drie mislukte rekordpogings het bygedra tot die ontsluiting van onbekende dele van die Afrika-vasteland.

Later jare

Na die Tweede Wêreldoorlog begin Smith sy eie ingenieursbedryf wat spesialiseer in pyplyne en waterdigting. Hy tree einde 1964 af, maar bly nog vlieg. Vroeg in Januarie 2001 is hy in Wildernis oorlede.

Bibliografie

  • Smith, Victor: Open cockpit over Africa. Kaapstad: Faircape Books, 1998. ISBN 0-7985-0773-X
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