The Isle of Man has issued commemorative crowns prolifically since the 1970s, and by 1994 its program encompassed nearly every conceivable aviation milestone. This piece marks the 1919 England-to-Australia flight completed by Ross and Keith Smith, who covered roughly 17,000 kilometres in a Vickers Vimy to claim the £10,000 prize offered by the Australian government — landing in Darwin on 10 December after 28 days of flying.
The Smith brothers' crew of four completed the journey just seven months after Alcock and Brown crossed the Atlantic in the same aircraft type.
The Isle of Man has issued commemorative crowns prolifically since the 1970s, and by 1994 its program encompassed nearly every conceivable aviation milestone. This piece marks the 1919 England-to-Australia flight completed by Ross and Keith Smith, who covered roughly 17,000 kilometres in a Vickers Vimy to claim the £10,000 prize offered by the Australian government — landing in Darwin on 10 December after 28 days of flying.
The Smith brothers' crew of four completed the journey just seven months after Alcock and Brown crossed the Atlantic in the same aircraft type.