Charles Ulm
Encyclopedia
Charles Thomas Philippe Ulm AFC
(18 October 1898 — 3 December 1934) was a pioneer Australian aviator
.
in September 1914, lying about his name and age to get in. He fought and was wounded at Gallipoli
in 1915, and on the Western Front
in 1918.
Charles Ulm was married twice. In 1919 he married Isabel Amy Winter. After divorcing his first wife, in 1927 he married Mary Josephine Callaghan.
in the Southern Cross
. Ulm was the "business brains" in the partnership, and acquired the funding necessary for the journey. Ulm was also Kingsford Smith's partner in establishing Australian National Airways
.
to Australia at 6 days, 17 hours and 56 minutes, and made several trans-Tasman
flights.
Ulm disappeared in December 1934, together with copilot G.M. Littlejohn and navigator/radio operator J.S. Skilling, while flying from Oakland, California
to Hawaii
in VH-UXY Stella Australis, an Airspeed Envoy
. It is believed an unexpected tailwind and bad weather caused them to fly past the islands in the dark. The wind was about 35 knots from the south-southeast and the aircraft may also have been pushed north of the islands. At approximately 10 am local time on the 3rd of December, after sending a series of Morse code
d radio messages to Hawaii advising that they were lost and running out of fuel, the Envoy ditched into the sea. Despite an extensive and immediate search by aircraft and 23 naval ships, no trace of Stella Australis or her crew was ever found. Ulm had chosen not to carry a life raft on board, preferring to save weight and predicting that the aircraft would float for two days if it were forced to land on the water.
The plane had been customized by Airspeed to meet Ulm's own specifications; Airspeed's manager, Nevil Shute Norway, suggested in his autobiography that the internal cabin design may have contributed to the navigational problems, because the inexperienced navigator had to sit some distance from the pilot.
issued by Australia Post
depicting Ulm and the Southern Cross
.
Qantas
has recently announced that they will be naming one of their Airbus A380
's after Charles Ulm in recognition of his contribution to the aviation industry. This A380 (registration: VH-OQG) entered service on 03.11.2010.
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(18 October 1898 — 3 December 1934) was a pioneer Australian aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
.
World War I
Ulm joined the AIFFirst Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
in September 1914, lying about his name and age to get in. He fought and was wounded at Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
in 1915, and on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in 1918.
Charles Ulm was married twice. In 1919 he married Isabel Amy Winter. After divorcing his first wife, in 1927 he married Mary Josephine Callaghan.
Partnership with Charles Kingsford Smith
Ulm is best known for his partnership with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, and was Kingsford Smith's copilot on many of his famous flights, including the 1928 first crossing of the PacificPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
in the Southern Cross
Southern Cross (aircraft)
Southern Cross is the name of the Fokker F.VIIb/3m trimotor monoplane which in 1928 was flown by Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew in the first ever trans-Pacific flight, from the mainland United States to Australia, about ....
. Ulm was the "business brains" in the partnership, and acquired the funding necessary for the journey. Ulm was also Kingsford Smith's partner in establishing Australian National Airways
Australian National Airways (1930)
Australian National Airways was a short-lived Australian airline, founded in 1929 by Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm.The airline began operations in January 1930 with five Avro 618 Tens, similar aircraft to Kingsford Smith's famous Southern Cross...
.
Later flights and disappearance
After the failure of Australian National Airways, Ulm bought one of the airline's Avro X aircraft for himself, and named it Faith in Australia. In this aircraft in 1933, Ulm set the speed record from EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Australia at 6 days, 17 hours and 56 minutes, and made several trans-Tasman
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
flights.
Ulm disappeared in December 1934, together with copilot G.M. Littlejohn and navigator/radio operator J.S. Skilling, while flying from Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in VH-UXY Stella Australis, an Airspeed Envoy
Airspeed Envoy
The Airspeed AS.6 Envoy was a British light, twin-engined transport aircraft designed and built by Airspeed Ltd. in the 1930s at Portsmouth Aerodrome, Hampshire.-Development and design:...
. It is believed an unexpected tailwind and bad weather caused them to fly past the islands in the dark. The wind was about 35 knots from the south-southeast and the aircraft may also have been pushed north of the islands. At approximately 10 am local time on the 3rd of December, after sending a series of Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
d radio messages to Hawaii advising that they were lost and running out of fuel, the Envoy ditched into the sea. Despite an extensive and immediate search by aircraft and 23 naval ships, no trace of Stella Australis or her crew was ever found. Ulm had chosen not to carry a life raft on board, preferring to save weight and predicting that the aircraft would float for two days if it were forced to land on the water.
The plane had been customized by Airspeed to meet Ulm's own specifications; Airspeed's manager, Nevil Shute Norway, suggested in his autobiography that the internal cabin design may have contributed to the navigational problems, because the inexperienced navigator had to sit some distance from the pilot.
Tributes
In 1978 he was honoured on a postage stampPostage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
issued by Australia Post
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
depicting Ulm and the Southern Cross
Southern Cross (aircraft)
Southern Cross is the name of the Fokker F.VIIb/3m trimotor monoplane which in 1928 was flown by Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew in the first ever trans-Pacific flight, from the mainland United States to Australia, about ....
.
Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
has recently announced that they will be naming one of their Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
's after Charles Ulm in recognition of his contribution to the aviation industry. This A380 (registration: VH-OQG) entered service on 03.11.2010.