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Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men

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Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men

By: Peter FitzSimons
Narrated by: Richard Aspel
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About this listen

Known to millions of Australians simply as "Smithy", Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was one of Australia's true 20th-century legends. In an era in which aviators were superstars, Smithy was among the greatest and, throughout his amazing career, his fame in Australia was matched only by that of Don Bradman

Among other achievements, Kingsford Smith was the first person to fly across the Pacific. He broke the record for the fastest flight from England to Australia, and at one point he held more long-distance flying records than anyone else on the planet.

If that wasn't enough, Smithy was also a war hero, receiving the Military Cross for gallantry in action after being shot - and losing three toes - during one of many flying missions during World War I. Smithy was not the lone adventurer of the skies. Early aviation drew to it a company of daredevils who all challenged gravity and fear.

This comprehensive biography, written with typical flair by best-selling author Peter FitzSimons, covers the triumphs and tragedies of not only Kingsford Smith's daring and controversial life but also those of his companion aviators.

©2009 Peter FitzSimons (P)2009 Bolinda Publishing Aviation War Military Air Force
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Smithy was a boyhood hero of mine. I was astounded by the normal days to day dramas he experienced and just how poor he was with business.

As usual with Peter, all the side stories were just as amazing as the core topic.

A true Aussie hero who should be cherished.

Really disappointed with the narrator. Mispronunciations, really BAD American accents just took away from a tremendous book.

Loved the history

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loved the whole book. would highly recommend it too anyone
if your into aviation definitely well worth it

the whole book was fantastic

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what an amazing story of a pioneer in aviation, incredibly well written and performed

absolutely captivating

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Great listen. Well worth it. Fascinating story of the life and times of "Smithy". Another superb book from Peter Fitzsimons. Recommended.

Entertaining

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Absolutely loved the story, unfortunately the narrator sounds like he’s got a lolly in his mouth half the time. I found the ‘mouth noises’ throughout to be torture at times and although I stick with it for the story it was not an ultimately enjoyable experience.

Great story let down by awful narration

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A fascinating biography of one of Australia's most famous men. A contemporary biography of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, set against the context of an easy to read history of aviation.

Entertaining and informative

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I have been taken on such an engaging journey not only of the pioneering days and history of aviation but in particular the most famous of all
Charles Kingsford Smith. I felt like I in some way shared, or should I say felt albeit a small measure of what it must have been like for those pioneers. The way this book shared the accounts was very well done to the point it felt like a novel that you had to keep reading to the end to see what happened, of which I did not actually know. It has left me feeling quite emotional at the finish of the book and with such respect for the pioneers of our aviation world.
Thank you to Peter FitzSimons for all you and the other people that have helped research and recall this account of such an epic part of our history.
This is a book I will recommend to anyone who will listen

Educational and moving

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very hard to listen to the narrator's attempts at different accents. made it in listenable.

narrator is very annoying . very bad at accents.

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Unusual for FitzSimmons this book is all over the place. Kingsford Smith plus other aviators of that time. (It includes repetition from another book). KS sounds like he was a selfish drunk who did ‘some’ remarkable things. I would not have bothered if I’d had any idea

Boring

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more tall tails with a Republican under tone go to hell Pete you just want to be king of Australia

Republican wanker

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.