Fokker FVIIB Southern Cross Replica

Southern Cross is a flying replica of the famous record breaking Southern Cross Fokker FV11B of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith from the 1920s and 1930s.

Built in South Australia in the period 1980 to 1987 as a tribute to Smithy, the aircraft toured Australia during the 1988 Bicentenary raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

She is a faithful replica built to modern standards using the traditional aircraft construction of steel tubing and timber with doped Irish Linen for the fuselage and an all wooden (spruce and plywood) wing. She is the largest “exact replica” aircraft in the world and has the largest one piece wing ever made in Australia.

On the 25th May 2002 at Parafield South Australia she lost a main wheel on takeoff. Landing on the one good wheel and the tail, the pilot kept the damaged wheel off the ground by keeping its wing high in the air. When the aircraft stopped the high wing came down and snapped off ~3m of the wing tip.

After considerable negotiation HARS acquired the aircraft from the SA Government in 2010. It has now been restored to full airworthy status.

Non-Flying Replica at the Balranald Southern Cross Museum

A non-flying replica is located at Balranald in New South Wales. It was originally built in the 1980s for the television miniseries A Thousand Skies, which dramatised Kingsford Smith’s life. When it became available, Balranald Southern Cross Incorporated—an organisation of dedicated locals—arranged its transport from Oakey in Queensland to the museum. The Australian Army provided logistical support for the move, recognising the importance of the project for regional heritage.