CHARLES LINDBERGH IS THE FIRST PERSON TO FLY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
On, 20 - 21st May back in 1927 many other pilots had crossed the Atlantic before him. But Lindbergh was the first person to do it alone nonstop.when Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly across the Atlantic in his monoplane.He covered the 33 1⁄2-hour, 3,600 statute miles (5,800 km) alone in a single-engine purpose-built Ryan monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis .Yet, when Charles Lindbergh landed safely in Paris less than 34 hours later, becoming the first pilot to solo a nonstop transatlantic flight, he changed public opinion on the value of air travel and laid the foundation for the future development of aviation.But he did achieve the first solo transatlantic flight and the first non-stop flight between North America and the European mainland.
Only a year earlier whilst working as a mail pilot he’d heard of the $25,000 prize money for the first flight between New York and Paris. Confident that he could make the flight he sought backing from a group of businessmen from St. Louis, and then he supervised the construction of his specially designed plane. He took off from a dirt runway at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, and barely cleared the telephone wires at the field's edge as his plane was so heavy with fuel. Lindbergh had made preparations for the flight too, and had packed four sandwiches and two canteens of water. When he finally spotted the coast of France, he followed the Seine River to Paris and landed at Le Bourget Field. A huge crowd of 100,000 rushed the plane and the world record holding pilot was seriously concerned that his propeller would kill someone. Thankfully ‘The Spirit of St. Louis’ came to a stop without the loss of life. Charles Lindbergh had crossed the Atlantic, a distance of 3,500 miles in 33.5 hours. He became an instant star and was given a huge parade in New York as well as an award from the President, the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Lindbergh was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve, and he received the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for the feat.And Lindbergh's feat gained him immediate, international fame. The press named him "Lucky Lindy" and the "Lone Eagle." Americans and Europeans idolized the shy, slim young man and showered him with honors.
Before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Lindbergh campaigned against voluntary American involvement in World War II. Many Americans criticized him for his noninvolvement beliefs. After the war, he avoided publicity until the late 1960's, when he spoke out for the conservation of natural resources. Lindbergh served as an adviser in the aviation industry from the days of wood and wire airplanes to supersonic jets.
Before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Lindbergh campaigned against voluntary American involvement in World War II. Many Americans criticized him for his noninvolvement beliefs. After the war, he avoided publicity until the late 1960's, when he spoke out for the conservation of natural resources. Lindbergh served as an adviser in the aviation industry from the days of wood and wire airplanes to supersonic jets.
"The life of an aviator seemed to me ideal. It involved skill. It brought adventure. It made use of the latest developments of science. Mechanical engineers were fettered to factories and drafting boards while pilots have the freedom of wind with the expanse of sky. There were times in an aeroplane when it seemed I had escaped mortality to look down on earth like a God."– Charles A. Lindbergh, 1927