"Well, it is too hazy for me to speculate in".

C. T. P. Ulm was a pioneer Australian aviator whose forte was organisation and logistics, he partnered Kingsford Smith on several record breaking flights and carried the first air mails from Australia to New Zealand and New Guinea. Ulm was adventurous and sometimes daring  to the edge of recklessness and a romantic, he enlisted in the Army before his sixteenth birthday under a favourite uncles name, 'Charles Jackson', and landed at Gallipoli with the First Battalion A. I. F. on 25/04/1915. He was wounded several days later, and as a consequence his true age came to light and young Ulm was shipped home and discharged at his parents request.

As a measure of his spirit he reenlisted in January 1917, this time with parental consent and under his true name. The Army noticed Ulm's talents and at various times this very young Digger, as he truly was, found himself acting Sergeant with opportunities ahead. By June 1918 Ulm was on the Western front where he was wounded a second time and repatriated to England where he convalesced for nearly six months before returning to Australia in Jan 1919, and discharged medically unfit in March that year.

Ulm renewed civilian life as a wealthy fellow with a keen interest in commercial aviation, scant record has it that he made nearly £5000 from 'wise investments' while recuperating in England. Over the next decade Ulm, usually in company with Kingsford Smith, became involved with aircraft construction, pilot training, stunting and any 'reasonable' aerial venture and in December 1928 he realised an ambition when the prospectus for Australian National Airways was announced, Ulm, Kingsford-Smith , F. R. Stewart and M. C. Reid were the first Directors. In 1928 Charles Ulm met Errol Coote, probably as his flying instructor and it was through Coote's invitation that Ulm was present at the inaugural meeting of the Central Australian Gold Exploration Syndicate.

He is remembered for several astute comments at this meeting where Lasseter told his story to fifty or so potential shareholders in the syndicate, Ulm who would be one of the more sagacious and experienced listeners had everyone's attention when he questioned Lasseter's navigation, especially the return journey with Harding to Carnarvon after relocating the reef and discovering that their watches were out by an hour or more, Ulm made the now famous and pointed statement for all present to hear, "That in turn means that, on your bearings, the reef must be somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Lasseter's reply was unconvincing, the watches weren't out by an hour when he and Harding took the bearings on the reef and Lasseter emphasised that he could relocate the reef by landmarks alone.

Ulm made the sharp observation that relying on landmarks was all very well, but after thirty years or more, "I am afraid those landmarks would become slightly hazy in the mental picture". Lasseter's reply was certain, he would never forget those landmarks after his terrible experiences in the desert. By now Ulm had determined that Lasseter knew very little about navigation and less about Central Australia and amidst a chorus of hears hears in support of Lasseter, left the meeting declaring that Lasseter's Reef was too hazy for me to speculate in". On the way out he offered the Syndicate generous help in aerial matters, and made a keen aside to Coote, "Errol, you plurry adventurer." Coote took this as an accolade and seems to have missed Ulm's point, that Coote was indeed an adventurer (Coote admitted to the Director of Civil Aviation the following day that he was travelling with the expedition, "purely from the spirit of adventure") and taking advantage of the crowds gold fever to finance an aircraft and a journey to Central Australia. Coote knew Lasseter's story was nonsense.

Within the week Coote took up Ulm's offer and sought his advice on purchasing a light aircraft for the Syndicate, Coote was very interested in buying the famous super charged Gypsy Moth 'Black Hawk' until Ulm squashed that fantasy by pointing out that the Black Hawk was a racing and stunting plane and quiet unsuited for Outback conditions. He then arranged the purchase of the Golden Quest on behalf of the Syndicate. In due course it became apparent that Ulm had made the right choice of plane but the C.A.G.E. had chosen the wrong pilot.

On the 3rd December 1934, Charles Ulm, George M. Littlejohn co-pilot, and J. Skilling radio operator, left Oakland California, flying a twin engine Airspeed Envoy named Stella Australis (VH-UXY) to Australia via Hawaii, the first refueling point. The purpose of the flight was to test the commercial possibilities of trans Pacific aviation. Apparently they overflew Hawaii and the plane ran out of fuel somewhere to the west, no trace of the plane or crew was found despite a massive air and sea search. A great loss to Australian and International aviation.