During and after World War One people learned to build better and better aeroplanes. For the first time it seemed possible to attempt long distance flights. In 1919 the Australian government ran a competition for the first Australian flight from England to Australia. The first aeroplane to take less than 30 days to do the flight would win £10,000 – a huge sum at that time. The Smith brothers, who had flown aeroplanes during World War One, plus two mechanics, entered the competition. Ross Smith was first pilot, while his brother Keith was navigator and copilot. They all left England on 12 November 1919. At times it was a terrible and difficult flight. It could be cold and cramped in the cockpit. The aeroplane had to land frequently – sometimes simply to refuel, sometimes for repairs, and sometimes due to bad weather. However the four men persevered, and arrived in Australia on 10 December 1919 as national heroes. The trip of more than 18,500 km took nearly 28 days altogether (27 days and 20 hours) – they had spent about 135 hours (135 hours and 50 minutes, or about 5½ days) in the air. In a modern aeroplane it takes only about 24 hours, with only one or two refuelling stops needed. Pioneer aviators like the Smith brothers needed to make the early flights so we could learn more about the best routes, and continue to develop better and better aeroplanes.