Transatlantic Flights

Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown, in a modified Vimy IV, made the first non-stop aerial crossing of the Atlantic. They took off from Lester's Field, near St. Johns, Newfoundland on June 14, 1919, and landed June 15, 1919, at Clifden in Ireland. The time for the crossing was 16 hours, 27 minutes.

Charles Augustus Lindbergh, (1902 - 1974) became the first pilot to accomplish a solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.



On May 20, 1927, just after 07:50, New York time, Lindbergh took off for Paris.
At take off he barely cleared the trees and power lines at the end of the unpaved runway. The plane, The Spirit of St. Louis with its engine and pilot weighed only 2,500 pounds (1134 kg). However it carried a full load of fuel that weighed 2,700 pounds (1224 kg), that is more than doubling the weight of the plane.

Lindbergh carried with him just five sandwiches, drinking water, some maps and charts. Lindbergh flew alone for more than 30 hours, heading first toward Nova Scotia to minimize his time over water.

The next 15-hour leg over the Atlantic Ocean was a real adventure. He had only a compass and maps for navigation, and magnetic storms interfered with the compass. He had no way to account for wind, no landmarks to steer by and no one to talk to. He encountered storms and other obstacles along the way and overcame them despite the total lack of sleep.

When he finally spotted land, he was over Ireland and from there flew to Paris.
On May 21, just after 22:50 Paris time, Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Airport, just south of Paris.

Over 150,000 Parisians rushed towards his aircraft. In the coming days, Lindbergh became the most photographed, most filmed, and most famous living person on earth.

On May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in history, flying his Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" 5,810 kilometers (3,610 miles) between Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, and Paris, France, in 33 hours, 30 minutes.

"Spirit of St. Louis"

Wingspan: 14 m (46 ft)
Length: 8 m (27 ft 8 in)
Height: 3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Weight, gross: 2,330 kg (5,135 lb)
Weight, empty: 975 kg (2,150 lb)
Engine: Wright Whirlwind J-5C, 223hp
Manufacturer: Ryan Airlines Co., San Diego, Calif., 1927

Five years to the day that American aviator Charles Lindbergh became the first pilot to accomplish a solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, female aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first pilot to repeat this, landing her plane in Ireland after flying across the North Atlantic.

Earhart flew over 2,000 miles (3200 km) from Newfoundland to Ireland in just under 15 hours.

Back to Main Page