Dick Smith encyclopedia topics

Aviation

Smith learned to fly in 1972, graduating on a twin engine Beech Baron. In 1976 he competed in the Perth to Sydney air race. At the age of 33 he purchased his first helicopter, a Bell Jetranger. With it he made a record-setting flight from Sydney to Lord Howe Island and return, 1185 km. The helicopter opened new opportunities for exploring places otherwise innacessible. In 1978 he found the wreck of the Kookaburra aircraft, which crash-landed in the Central Australian Desert in 1929.

Smith's admiration for the early aviation pioneers led him to successfully attempt the first solo helicopter flight around the world. His flight began in Fort Worth, Texas, on 5 August 1982, in a newly purchased Bell Jetranger 206B. On 19 August, the 50th anniversary of James Mollison's solo crossing of the Atlantic, he arrived at Balmoral Castle, United Kingdom where he met Prince Charles. From there he flew to London, where, later that day, the first stage of his flight ended, after 11752 km. The second stage of his flight started in London on 13 September, and finished in Sydney, Australia, 3 October 1982, 23092 km later. On 25 May 1983 the final stage of the flight started. Not being granted permission to land in USSR, he arranged to land on a ship to refuel. His journey ended on 22 July 1983, the 50th anniversery of Wiley Post's solo aeroplane flight around the world on 22 July 1933.

Smith has been a vocal advocate for the civil aviation industry in Australia. He served as Chairman of the board of the Civil Aviation Authority from 1990 to 1992; and Chairman of the board of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority from 1997 to 1999.

In February 2000, Smith and his co-pilot John Wallington became the first people to successfully complete an east-west crossing of the Tasman Sea by balloon, from New Zealand to Australia against generally-prevailing winds.

On 7 January 2006, Smith flew his Cessna Grand Caravan from Sydney to Harihari on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island to mark the 75th anniversary of the first solo trans-Tasman flight by Guy Menzies in 1931.

Business ventures

Electronics

In 1968, Dick Smith founded a small electronics retailer Dick Smith Electronics. In 1982, he sold the business to Woolworths for $20 million, and the business still retained his name in the business title and a caricature of his image in the company's branding.

Over the years, his electronics company had many hostile fights with Radio Shack which tried to push him out of the market. He fought back (once, by staging a demonstration outside their store) and often won by Australians supporting one of their own. Dick Smith Electronics entered the United States with stores in Northern California, but were closed in the late 1980s.

Australian products

Smith founded Dick Smith Foods in 1999, marketed as a crusade against foreign ownership of Australian food producers, particularly Arnott's Biscuits, which in 1997 became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Company. Dick Smith Foods only sells foods produced in Australia by Australian-owned companies.

Dick Smith Foods' products are often named to parody the items they compete with – for example, in competition with Redheads matches, Smith sells near-identically packaged matches called "Dickheads". A chocolate biscuit called "Temptin'" competed directly with the established favourite Arnott's Tim Tam. In 2003 Arnott's took legal action against Dick Smith Foods, resulting in an out-of-court settlement that required the "p" in the Temptin' logo to be increased in size.

Publishing

In 1983 he published the book "The earth beneath me" which describes his solo helicopter flight around the world. Two documentaries were also filmed during the flight, and a third one after. In 1985, Smith founded the magazine Australian Geographic, a National Geographic-style magazine focusing on Australia. Smith didn't want to greatly expand Australian Geographic, but his friend and CEO Ike Bain convinced him to change his mind and soon it was a thriving business.

Stunts

Smith has also attempted a number of well-publicised practical jokes, the grandest of which was the "attempt" to tow an iceberg from Antarctica to Australia to obtain more fresh water. In the early 1980s Dick Smith served as the conductor aboard a London double decker bus which jumped 25 Harley Davidson motorcycles. The bus, driven by Hans Tholstrup, was an attempt to upstage Evel Knievel who was visiting Australia to jump a Harley Davidson over 24 London buses. Dick Smith's presence on the bus was a last minute decision by himself.

Awards

Smith was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours of 1999, for his services to the community, charity and business.

Dick Smith was awarded Australian of the Year in 1986.

Smith was awarded the Baden-Powell Award in 1966, the highest award in the Rover Section, after 14 years in the Scouting movement.

I began as a Cub at eight and went right through to Rovers at age 23. I was very much a loner and Scouting gave me mateship, taught me organisation and how to motivate people. That's why I was able to be the success I am.|30px|30px|Dick Smith

Smith gained his amateur radio licence at the age of 17 and holds call sign VK2DIK.

Advocacy

In 2004, Dick Smith gave public support to the asylum seeker Peter Qasim, eventually released in 2005 by the Australian Government after seven years in detainment. This support included a visit to Afghanistan seeking evidence of Qasim's claims.

Smith donated AU$60,000 in 2007 towards the campaign to secure a fair trial for Australian terrorism suspect David Hicks, who had been held in a U.S. military prison in Cuba's Guantanamo bay for five years without charge, who then subsequently pleaded guilty.

Smith is a prominent member of the Australian Skeptics, and has supported research into water divining.