First Solo Transatlantic Flight
Charles Lindbergh completed the first nonstop transatlantic flight
May 21, 1927
Alone Across the Ocean
On May 20–21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew solo and nonstop from New York to Paris in a single-engine monoplane called the Spirit of St. Louis, completing the first solo transatlantic flight in history. He took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island at 7:52 AM and landed at Le Bourget Airport near Paris 33 hours and 30 minutes later, having flown 3,600 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. A crowd of around 100,000 people broke through the barriers at Le Bourget and mobbed his plane as it landed. Lindbergh was 25 years old, a relatively unknown airmail pilot from the Midwest, and overnight he became the most famous person in the world.
The Prize and the Preparation
Lindbergh was competing for the Orteig Prize — a $25,000 reward offered in 1919 to the first aviator to fly nonstop between New York and Paris. Several well-funded teams with experienced aviators had tried and failed before him. Lindbergh's approach was unconventional: he flew alone to save weight, removing everything that was not absolutely necessary, including a radio and a parachute. He had the Spirit of St. Louis built to his specifications by Ryan Airlines in San Diego in just 60 days. The plane's fuel tanks were so large that Lindbergh could not see directly forward — he had to use a periscope. He stayed awake for the entire 33-hour flight by sticking his hand into the slipstream to feel the cold air.
The Age of Air Travel Begins
Lindbergh's flight proved that long-distance aviation was possible and practical. It electrified the public's imagination and triggered a massive surge of investment in aviation. Applications for pilot licenses soared. Airlines began expanding routes. Within just a few years, transatlantic passenger service was being planned. Lindbergh himself went on to promote commercial aviation routes around the world. His flight transformed him into an international celebrity, but his later life was marked by tragedy — the kidnapping and murder of his infant son in 1932 — and controversy, including his public opposition to American entry into World War II. His 1927 flight, however, remains one of aviation's most celebrated milestones.