Outback test for Alex Kingsford Smith, aviation royalty

With a surname like Kingsford Smith, aviation would seem an obvious career choice for Alex Kingsford Smith.

Alex Kingsford Smith, right, with Soar Aviation’s Neel Khokhani at Moorabbin Airport, Melbourne. Picture: Aaron Francis

With a surname like Kingsford Smith, aviation would have seemed like an obvious career choice for Alex Kingsford Smith, but that was not the case.

The great, great nephew of ­pioneering aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith tried a variety of jobs, from apprentice mechanic to motorcycle sales, before embarking on a pilot training course after spotting an ad on Facebook.

“I’m almost a little bit annoyed at myself that I didn’t come across this sooner,” said the student of Soar Aviation at Moorabbin Airport.

“The more I get into it, the more I enjoy it.”

And while he is not planning to emulate Sir Charles’s historic trans-Pacific adventure any time soon, Mr Kingsford Smith is preparing to take part in his first Outback Air Race this month.

The 4663km trek from Brisbane to Broome is a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and tests competitors’ navigation skills.

“You have to estimate what time you’re going to get to a certain destination, and the closer you are to your estimation, the higher you score,” Mr Kingsford Smith said.

“It’s a good cause and I’ll be able to see parts of Australia most people don’t get to see in their lifetime, and from a different perspective because I’ll be flying lower than all the commercial ­aircraft.”

The solo flight will be undertaken in a small low-wing, two-seater Bristell aircraft over two weeks.

“A few years ago, I never would have believed it if someone told me I’d be flying across Australia on my own in 2018,” said Mr Kingsford Smith, who is currently training for his commercial pilot’s licence.

The 24-year-old is among 500 students of Soar Aviation, which has campuses at Moorabbin, Bendigo and Bankstown.

Headed by Neel Khokhani, the flight training school operates in partnership with the Box Hill Institute, targeting mostly “mature age” students, aged 24 to 44.

“We’re looking for people seeking a career change, who have a day job and a mortgage to pay, who want to study at night and fly on the weekend,” Mr Khokhani said. “By unlocking this larger demographic pool, we’ve been able to find success.”

With the demand for pilots expected to exceed 650,000 in the next two decades, Mr Kingsford Smith said he was satisfied with his almost accidental career choice.

“I didn’t really know about the demand when I started flying but that is certainly good news for me,” he said.

He also likes to think he is doing the Kingsford Smith name proud.

“My grandfather was really the last person in my family to learn to fly, and he was taught by Sir Charles — they were quite close in age and good friends,” Mr Kingsford Smith said. “I’d like to think they’d be proud of me for doing this, for sure.”