Media Release
New Documentation of Dick Smith's Epic Adventure
For the first time, Super8 footage of Australian aviator and businessman Dick Smith AC on his solo helicopter journey around the world will be on display in a new exhibition at Powerhouse Castle Hill.
The Dick Smith: First Solo Flight exhibition will showcase self-captured archival film footage that has been digitised and conserved by Powerhouse, alongside the iconic Bell 206B Jetranger III helicopter.
Dick Smith made the 55,000km round trip in 260 hours of flight between August 1982 and July 1983. During this epic flight, he established significant world records, including the first solo helicopter flight around the world (1982–83) and the first solo helicopter flight across the Atlantic Ocean (1982). Smith’s achievements also include the first helicopter flight around Australia (1984), the first helicopter flight to the North Pole (1987) and the first helicopter flight across Australia (1988).