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Voyage of the Southern Sun: An Amazing Solo Journey Around the World
Entrepreneur Michael Smith built a multimillion-dollar business fitting out movie theatres around the world, before buying and restoring Melbourne’s Sun Theatre and becoming one of Australia’s last independent cinema operators. Next he took an even bigger risk: to become the first person to fly solo around the world in an amphibious plane, retracing the 1938 Qantas, Imperial and Pan Am routes between Sydney, Southampton and New York.
With limited flying experience, no support team and only basic instruments in his tiny flying boat, the Southern Sun, Smith risked his life to make modern aviation history. His adventures include an unexpected greeting by Special Branch on his arrival in the UK, a near-death experience while leaving Greenland, and a wondrous journey up the Mississippi. He made eighty stops around the globe, exploring cities and communities, and visiting some seventy cinemas. All along the way Smith updated his online journal, cheered on by 50,000 followers.
Smith’s seven-month flight took him from Australia to East Timor, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Crete, Croatia, Italy, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the USA, Japan and the Philippines.
This is the incredible story of his journey.
With limited flying experience, no support team and only basic instruments in his tiny flying boat, the Southern Sun, Smith risked his life to make modern aviation history. His adventures include an unexpected greeting by Special Branch on his arrival in the UK, a near-death experience while leaving Greenland, and a wondrous journey up the Mississippi. He made eighty stops around the globe, exploring cities and communities, and visiting some seventy cinemas. All along the way Smith updated his online journal, cheered on by 50,000 followers.
Smith’s seven-month flight took him from Australia to East Timor, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Crete, Croatia, Italy, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the USA, Japan and the Philippines.
This is the incredible story of his journey.
320 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2017
7 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Michael Smith
1 bookLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Michael Smith is the owner of the Sun Theatre in Yarraville, Melbourne, which he bought in 1995 and restored, and a keen flyer. He made a full-length documentary about his record-breaking round-the-world flight, which will be screened around Australia. He was recently named the 2016 Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year.
Michael Smith is the owner of the Sun Theatre in Yarraville, Melbourne, which he bought in 1995 and restored, and a keen flyer. He made a full-length documentary about his record-breaking round-the-world flight, which will be screened around Australia. He was recently named the 2016 Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 18, 2025
“Voyage of the Southern Sun” is the true story of an underprepared private pilot’s foolhardy attempt to circumnavigate the planet in a single-engine float plane. To hear the pilot tell it (in his own voice, in the audiobook), the tale is a testament to daring, will, and the power of a dream. But I’m an airline pilot with a list of certifications as long as my arm and a circumnavigation of my own in my logbook. I found it more an astonishing tale of hubris, dumb luck, and the kind of stuff you can get away with if you’re a white guy with money.
The book is part autobiography, part aviation memoir, and part travelogue. Michael Smith is an entrepreneur who made his fortune building movie theaters throughout Australia, Southeast Asia, and India. He’s an elite sailor and aggressive booster of the small, local theater that serves as event space, community center, and entertainment hub. I like him! He bought a small, single-engine float plane, logged a few hundred hours in it, and thought it’d be fun to fly it all the way to from Sydney to London, following the routes of the passenger float planes of yesteryear. Lacking the training and certification to fly by instruments only, his plan was to do it under visual flight rules in a plane that lacked anti-icing capability. Shockingly, astoundingly, amazingly, he survived this foolhardy voyage. Then he thought, “Why not keep going? Maybe I can make it around the world.” And he did. Again: shock, astonishment, amazement.
But oh, Michael. You almost got yourself killed so many times. You made so many rookie mistakes. You’re so lucky to have seen the sun at just the right time, to not get vertigo flying over water at night, to not have had any of the many, many mistakes you made kill you. [Credit to the writer: way to own up to those mistakes! A memoir that only said “Look how awesome I am!” would have been unreadable.] I mean, good for your. I’m glad you survived. But a few hundred more hours, a couple more certifications, and the odds would have been much more in your favor. Additionally, good for you for being a white guy with money, but your experiences made me wonder how things would have gone with the people you charm had that not been the case.
In the end, I found “Voyage of the Southern Sun” to be equal parts fascinating, aggravating, and impressive. If you’re an aviation professional or enthusiast, this book will make you tear your hair out. It’ll also make you think, “That was badass. Chapeaux, Michael Smith.”
The book is part autobiography, part aviation memoir, and part travelogue. Michael Smith is an entrepreneur who made his fortune building movie theaters throughout Australia, Southeast Asia, and India. He’s an elite sailor and aggressive booster of the small, local theater that serves as event space, community center, and entertainment hub. I like him! He bought a small, single-engine float plane, logged a few hundred hours in it, and thought it’d be fun to fly it all the way to from Sydney to London, following the routes of the passenger float planes of yesteryear. Lacking the training and certification to fly by instruments only, his plan was to do it under visual flight rules in a plane that lacked anti-icing capability. Shockingly, astoundingly, amazingly, he survived this foolhardy voyage. Then he thought, “Why not keep going? Maybe I can make it around the world.” And he did. Again: shock, astonishment, amazement.
But oh, Michael. You almost got yourself killed so many times. You made so many rookie mistakes. You’re so lucky to have seen the sun at just the right time, to not get vertigo flying over water at night, to not have had any of the many, many mistakes you made kill you. [Credit to the writer: way to own up to those mistakes! A memoir that only said “Look how awesome I am!” would have been unreadable.] I mean, good for your. I’m glad you survived. But a few hundred more hours, a couple more certifications, and the odds would have been much more in your favor. Additionally, good for you for being a white guy with money, but your experiences made me wonder how things would have gone with the people you charm had that not been the case.
In the end, I found “Voyage of the Southern Sun” to be equal parts fascinating, aggravating, and impressive. If you’re an aviation professional or enthusiast, this book will make you tear your hair out. It’ll also make you think, “That was badass. Chapeaux, Michael Smith.”
February 12, 2018
If I had not previously been a (night VMC rated) private pilot, I would have given this a 4, but given my experiences pushed it to a 5. It is hard to believe this journey actually happened it was so amazing. Like Michael, I too have done some dumb things while flying (e.g., reporting over a wrong river) but as he knows, when the stress of navigating, reporting and then flying is operating, it is hard to add 2+2 and come up with 4. Experience certainly helps. I know one thing - I would NEVER have attempted even part of this journey without a basic autopilot (a wing leveller)! Never. Quite a few times I had been caught out in solid cloud and in those circumstances, I am glued to the artificial horizon, direction indicator and airspeed. Anyway, this adventure (seems a mild work for this story) was totally awesome, scary (as I found it easy to put myself in Michael's position) and downright intimidating much of the time. For example, dealing with ATC in primary airports is rarely fun. A great read indeed.
June 15, 2025
There is something magical about flying. Even with current mass market airline options with the time sucking queues, officialdom, screaming toddlers and uncomfortable seating this is still true. Describing his solo adventure the author removes some of these negatives and introduces a whole new set as unfeeling and unsympathetic bureaucracy still manages to manifest itself. This book is an account of an incredible solo voyage around the globe and has much to recommend it. The author captures the thrill of this adventure and if you have ever been flown somewhere and been curious about what is needed just to get airborne it will give you a new perspective from the view of the pilot. There are occasions when the author seems selfish particularly when he puts others in danger but on balance you just cannot help but be dazzled by the journey he undertakes.
March 3, 2018
Absolutely Thrilling read.
Got this book as a Christmas present, and I got really stuck into it last week after a but of wanderlust kicked in. Reading this book as a commercial pilot, it stuck me just how ambitious and daunting a trip this must have been. Flying 1500ft over the ocean, single engine VFR at night is no joke!! The writing style reads like a journal, but there are a few chunks missing at the beginning of chapters where I found myself thinking, what happened between X and Y? It doesn’t detract from the story though, which is a real nail biter at times. It’s a brilliant tale of modern exploration, that has inspired me to go on an aerial adventure of my own (on a slightly smaller scale, and in a slightly larger Aeroplane!)
Got this book as a Christmas present, and I got really stuck into it last week after a but of wanderlust kicked in. Reading this book as a commercial pilot, it stuck me just how ambitious and daunting a trip this must have been. Flying 1500ft over the ocean, single engine VFR at night is no joke!! The writing style reads like a journal, but there are a few chunks missing at the beginning of chapters where I found myself thinking, what happened between X and Y? It doesn’t detract from the story though, which is a real nail biter at times. It’s a brilliant tale of modern exploration, that has inspired me to go on an aerial adventure of my own (on a slightly smaller scale, and in a slightly larger Aeroplane!)
August 16, 2018
Cracking stuff.
One man, one small amphibious plane, and one heck of an adventure - living the spirit of Jonathan Livingston Seagull (follow your heart and not your head).
This is a down to earth and uplifting story of a 'why not?' kind of guy, reliving an historic age of flight and cleverly interweaving his journey with the magic of the cinema.
It is a while since I have read such an enlivening story. Travel. Adventure. Human nature. Ambition. Passion. This book has the lot, is beautifully written and highly engaging - really bringing the highs and lows to life.
A fabulous read and an inspirational tale.
One man, one small amphibious plane, and one heck of an adventure - living the spirit of Jonathan Livingston Seagull (follow your heart and not your head).
This is a down to earth and uplifting story of a 'why not?' kind of guy, reliving an historic age of flight and cleverly interweaving his journey with the magic of the cinema.
It is a while since I have read such an enlivening story. Travel. Adventure. Human nature. Ambition. Passion. This book has the lot, is beautifully written and highly engaging - really bringing the highs and lows to life.
A fabulous read and an inspirational tale.
July 6, 2018
What an inspiring story! I devoured this book and loved reading about Michael Smith’s adventures in his tiny seaplane. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a secret dream! This book might just prompt you to make it a reality!
January 30, 2022
What a read! What a story. Michael Smith's story is up there with Earnest Gann's and Neil Armstrong.. His.
voyage and the telling of it has made the world more liveable. Neither one ever built a movie house. Mr. Smith built 30.
voyage and the telling of it has made the world more liveable. Neither one ever built a movie house. Mr. Smith built 30.
January 18, 2024
Interesting adventure.
September 23, 2021
Inspiring adventure
Definitely a dream come true for dedication to a goal
The account of such an adventure has all the elements of travel that keeps the reader totally involved
The experiences with different cultures and the physical and mental challenges faced are truly inspirational to the adventurous
Definitely a dream come true for dedication to a goal
The account of such an adventure has all the elements of travel that keeps the reader totally involved
The experiences with different cultures and the physical and mental challenges faced are truly inspirational to the adventurous
February 1, 2018
Having heard Michael Smith speak about his adventure, I looked forward to reading his book. I wasn't disappointed. As an amateur pilot, I am in awe of Michael's achievement. Having myself once flown a single engine aircraft over a stretch of water just 16 km wide, taking about 30 minutes, I cannot begin to imagine how he coped with the crossing from the Aleutian Islands to Japan, which took about 18 hours. One becomes hyper sensitive to the sounds of the aircraft and the engine in particular - any tiny change is scary, and one has to keep calm and resist pressing the proverbial panic button.
A great story told in a humble way.
A great story told in a humble way.
September 10, 2022
Very good book!
April 21, 2018
Gutsy effort. Inspirational.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews