A remarkable moment in aviation history has played out in Ballina, as 97-year-old Peter Budd — one of the last living people to have flown with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith — took to the skies once again.
The flight, arranged by retired Qantas pilot and family friend Brad Fisher, saw Peter take the controls of a two-seater Cessna 152. While Fisher was legally pilot-in-command, he said Peter was in control for much of the flight — including the landing.
“He flew the whole circuit,” Fisher said. “It wasn’t just symbolic — he was really flying. Everyone at the airport and in the control tower knew what was happening and were in awe of his place in aviation history.”
Peter’s aviation story began in 1933, at just five years old. He was taken to a makeshift airstrip near Murwillumbah, where Sir Charles Kingsford Smith — known affectionately as “Smithy” — was barnstorming through regional Australia to raise funds during the Great Depression.
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Smithy had landed his famous Southern Cross nearby, while another pilot was offering short joy flights in a vintage biplane to paying passengers. According to Peter, it was part of a desperate bid by Smithy and his co-pilot Charles Ulm to keep their fledgling airline, Australian National Airways (ANA), financially afloat.
“He was desperately short of funds. Public confidence faltered following the disappearance of their aircraft Southern Cloud in the Victorian Alps,” Peter recalls, showing his faultless memory for aviation history.
What happened next changed Peter’s life.
“I had no idea I’d be going up,” Peter recalled. “One minute I was staring at this incredible machine, and the next I was in the cockpit with Sir Charles himself at the controls. It cost five pounds — a fortune at the time — but I still remember the thrill. The smell of oil and fabric, and the countryside laid out below. I was hooked.”
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith remains one of Australia’s most iconic aviators. In 1928, five years before Peter’s flight, Smithy and his crew completed the first trans-Pacific crossing, flying from San Francisco to Brisbane in the Southern Cross, with stops in Hawaii and Fiji. They crossed the Australian coast at dawn over Ballina on June 8, 1928, before continuing on to Brisbane and Sydney, where they were welcomed by a crowd of 300,000 people .
Despite international fame, the Depression hit Smithy and Ulm hard. Their airline venture struggled, and the pair took to brainstorming to stay solvent. Ulm disappeared over the Pacific in 1934, and Kingsford Smith was lost the following year attempting a speed record from England to Australia.
That first flight with Smithy left a lasting mark on young Peter Budd. After World War II, he earned his private pilot’s licence and flew recreationally for decades. He also restored and flew a rare 1941 Fairchild Argus, his pride and joy for 20 years. Though never a commercial pilot himself, Peter inspired both his sons to take up flying. His son Peter Jr. recently retired from Qantas after a distinguished career.
Now nearing 98, Peter remains impressively fit. He trains at the gym four times a week, eats just one meal a day, and still reads aviation manuals for fun.
“He was up the night before going through flight plans in his head,” Fisher said. “I think he was testing me as much as himself.”
For Peter, the Ballina flight was more than nostalgia.
“It feels natural being back in the cockpit,” he said. “I still love the feel of the plane — the freedom of it. It’s about mastering something, or at least trying to.”
Ballina continues to honour its historical link to Smithy, with local streets and parks bearing his name. The town is expected to play a key role in the 100th anniversary of the trans-Pacific crossing in 2028.
And if fortune favours, Peter Budd — perhaps the last man alive who flew with Kingsford Smith — may be there to witness it from the ground, or perhaps even from the air as he celebrates his own centenary.
Judging by this week’s flight, Brad Fisher thinks there’s every chance.
Lovely article
Well done, Peter and Brad.
What a lovely article. Thanks also for bringing some wonderful Ballina history out.