The Wright brothers made their first airplane flight in December 1903. But it took another five years before airplanes actually began to fly. An important psychological barrier was overcome on July 25, 1909, when Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel for the first time. Conquering a significant water obstacle showed that the plane is capable of being not only a new circus attraction, but also a serious vehicle. Many private aviation schools provided flight training to everyone, and airplanes were continuously improved.
Bleriot's flight stimulated a further assault on the water area. On September 11, 1910, Robert Loraine flew the Irish Sea for the first time in a Farman airplane. True, due to problems with the engine, he did not reach the Irish coast 60 m. His work was completed by Denys Corbett Wilson in April 1912. A year later - September 23, 1913, Roland Garros on the company's monoplane Morane-Saulnier crossed the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, his journey was 730 km. Then it was Atlantic's turn.
However, several aviators from Great Britain, the USA, Denmark and other countries began to prepare for a transatlantic flight back in 1910 - 1912. After the failure of Wellman's airship, pilot Harry Grahame Carter decided to challenge the ocean. He set the launch date for March 19, 1911. On a plane of his own design, Carter was going to fly from Sandy Hook, USA, to Queenstown (now Cove), Ireland. The aviator expected to cross the Atlantic in 49 hours.
According to the project, Carter's plane had an all-metal frame and a covering made of material, which the author called parchment. Two 30 hp engines were used as a power plant. unspecified model with two-blade metal propellers. The engine life was only 27 hours, but Carter hoped to increase it to 54 hours. He believed that 136 liters of gasoline would be enough for him to cover a distance of 3860 km.
Hollow tubular frame structures served as gas tanks. To build the car, Carter rented a garage in Jamaica Plain, a suburb of Boston. Even perhaps the most complete reference book on US aircraft knows nothing about what happened next, but the available description of the design makes us strongly doubt that Carter’s plane could fly long distances.
A more serious contender was Hugh Armstrong Robinson (1881-1963), a former chief pilot at Curtiss. He began preparing for the transatlantic expedition in September 1911. But having made preliminary calculations, Robinson came to the conclusion that existing technologies did not yet allow such a project to be implemented. In 1912, Robinson switched to developing the Benoist XIII flying boat, on the basis of which the Benoist XIV aircraft then emerged, which was the first in the world to begin regular passenger air transportation in January 1914.
Robinson's refusal to storm the Atlantic did not prevent his former boss Glenn Curtiss (Glenn Hammond Curtiss, 1878-1930) from completing the job. More precisely, almost to the end. In August 1913, he began building a twin-engine flying boat, the Curtiss N. The project was sponsored by Rodman Wanamaker, owner of a chain of department stores in New York and Philadelphia. The transatlantic flight was planned to take place in the summer of 1914.
The flying boat, named "America", was a wooden three-post biplane of the classical design. Ailerons were located only on the upper wing. The aircraft had two Curtiss OX 90 hp engines. between the wings with pushing two-blade propellers. The boat has a slight keel. The cockpit, designed for two pilots and a flight mechanic, was closed. The fuel supply allowed for a non-stop flight over a distance of 1770 km.
The Curtiss H-1 prototype was launched on June 22, 1914, with its first flight the next day. During intensive testing, a number of shortcomings were identified that required modification of the design. But even after this, the car could not raise the required fuel supply. Therefore, a third engine with a pulling propeller was installed on the upper wing.
Having solved the technical problems, the flight organizers scheduled the launch for August 5, 1914 (the sources also give the date August 15). The expedition was supposed to start from St. John's, Newfoundland. The further route passed through the islands of the Azores archipelago Faial and San Miguel, where intermediate landings were planned. From there, America was to fly to Portugal, then cross the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel and reach the British coast near the city of Plymouth.
The crew included the aircraft's designer and his friend, naval pilot John Henry Towers. But Curtiss’ flight was categorically opposed by his wife, and Towers’ flight by the command of the US Navy (five years later, he still took part in the transatlantic expedition).
Then Weinamaker appointed retired British Navy lieutenant John Cyrill Porte (1883-1919) as crew commander, and American George Hallett as co-pilot. But the First World War began, and the flight was cancelled. Port went to serve in the Royal Navy, and there he persuaded the Lords of the Admiralty to purchase the America and her backup. On the basis of these machines, more powerful flying boats were developed, which were built in large series, but that’s another story.
One of the incentives for the creation of the Curtiss H-1 "America" aircraft was a prize established on April 1, 1913 by the British newspaper magnate Alfred Harmsworth, Lord Northcliffe. The owner of the Daily Mail promised to pay £10,000 to the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean from anywhere in the US to anywhere in the UK or Ireland on any aircraft without landing in 72 hours. The winner of the prize could be either an Englishman or a foreigner. The high prize amount stimulated the work of many designers, most of whom turned out to be fellow countrymen of Lord Northcliffe.
Photo of Curtiss H-1 America.
One of the main contenders was Samuel Cody, creator of the first British actually flying aircraft. He developed a project for the float-mounted monoplane Cody monoplane No.VII with a gigantic wingspan of 36.58 m for that time and a cabin designed for three crew members. Such an aircraft required a 400 hp engine, which did not exist in nature at that time. Cody issued an order to an unnamed French company to develop the motor. But the death of an aviator on August 7, 1913 stopped work on the project. In the aviation press of 1913 - 1914 one can find reports about the construction of transatlantic aircraft by the British firms of the James Bros. and A. V. Roe and Co. (Avro), however, no details are provided.
Another applicant for the prize was Handley Page. In December 1913, the company's chief designer, George Rudolph Volkert (1891-1978), developed a design for a single-engine biplane L/200 - in the 1920s it was retrospectively designated HP.8, in which a woman first decided to conquer the Atlantic. Lady Anne Savile, married Princess of Lowenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (Lady Anne Savile / Anne Prinzessin zu Lowenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg, 1864-1927) was going to fly with Roland Ding (William Rowland Ding, 1885-1917). The pilot and air attendant were to be seated side by side in the cockpit. Powerplant - 14-cylinder liquid-cooled Salmson (Canton-Unne) engine with 200 hp. with tension screw. The fuel supply is designed for a 23-hour flight. But before the outbreak of the First World War, the aircraft was never completed, and later the company was fully loaded with military orders.
Characteristics airplaneswho unsuccessfully tried to cross Atlantic by air
| Model | Curtiss H-1 | Handley Page L-200 | Martin-Handasyde Transatlantic |
| Engines, power, hp | Curtiss OX-5 3×90 | Salmson 1x200 | Sunbeam 1×215 |
| Upper wing span, m. | 22,55 | 18,29 | 20,12 |
| Lower wing span, m. | 14 | ||
| Length, m. | 11,43 | 12,5 | 14,12 |
| Height, m. | 4,87 | 4,87 | |
| Wing area, sq.m. | 83,6 | 71,5 | |
| Take-off weight, kg. | 2268 | 2722 | 2177 |
| Empty weight, kg. | 1360 | 1270 | 1089 |
| Speed max., km/h | 105 | 129 | 137 |
| Ceiling, m. | 1372 | ||
| Flight range, km. | 1770 | ||
| Crew | 3 | 2 | 2 |
The transatlantic aircraft was also created by the British company Martin-Handasyde Ltd.. The sponsor of this project was the Canadian financier Mackay Edgar. The wooden monoplane with a trapezoidal wing received the understandable name Martin-Handasyde Transatlantic. The flight across the Atlantic was planned to take place from Newfoundland to Ireland. The pilot was Gustav Hamel (1889-1914), who had previously completed the first official postal flight in Great Britain.
The Sunbeam 215 hp engine was chosen for the aircraft. — 12-cylinder V-shaped liquid-cooled engine with a Lang pulling 4-blade propeller with a diameter of 3.66 m.
Although Transatlantic had a wheeled chassis, the design allowed it to splash down safely on the ocean surface. The triangular fuselage had watertight bulkheads. In the front part of the fuselage there was a fuel tank 2.74 m long and 0.91 m in diameter. Behind it was a two-seat pilot's cabin with side-by-side seats. The landing gear was separated after takeoff, reducing the weight of the structure. A standard landing was planned on water.
Construction of the aircraft began in May 1914. Shortly thereafter, on May 23, 1914, Hamel disappeared without a trace while flying another airplane over the English Channel. Nevertheless, the construction of the aircraft and the search for a new pilot continued until the outbreak of the First World War.
The outbreak of war did not allow a number of projects to conquer the Atlantic to be carried out. At the same time, it stimulated the development of aircraft designs. Strength and reliability have increased, the service life of engines and the speed of airplanes have increased. The flight range has increased, especially for bombers. The latter could already, with sufficient fuel reserves, cover a distance of more than 4000 km without landing. This was enough for a non-stop flight from Newfoundland to Ireland. The only obstacle to the implementation of the idea was the involvement of the main aviation powers in hostilities. But in industrialized countries that did not take part in the war, or remote from the theaters of war, flight attempts resumed already in 1917.
In August 1917, Italian pilot Silvio Resnati arrived in the United States. The main purpose of his visit was to prepare serial production in the USA and train American pilots to fly it. On the same machine, equipped with three Isotta-Fraschini engines, the Italian pilot planned to make a transatlantic flight in 1918. This was not destined to come true - on May 16, 1918, Resnati died in the crash of his Caproni Sa.3 near Hampstead, New York.
Two months later, on July 15, 1918, forty American military pilots immediately submitted a petition on command with a proposal to carry out a transatlantic flight on an American-made Caproni or Handley-Page bomber. The idea was supported by US Secretary of Defense Baker. At the military airfield in Elizabeth, New Jersey, preparations began for the expedition that was to take place that same year on the Handley-Page bomber. The expedition was prepared thoroughly. It was planned to station ships at intervals of 200 nautical miles along the entire route from Newfoundland to Ireland to quickly assist pilots in the event of an emergency. However, the land pilots were ahead of the sailors on the Curtiss NC flying boats.
Sources: V.O. Bykov. "The Conquest of the Northern Atlantic."
NOTESThe national air carrier of Russia - Aeroflot airline - is the most famous in the entire post-Soviet space. The successor to the airlines of the Soviet Union, the leading Russian airline, which accounts for the vast majority of flights. Where does Aeroflot fly? Almost all over the world! As befits one of the largest European air carriers.
Affiliated companies
The main Russian carrier is a very large and reputable company. Aeroflot is considered abroad the best Russian air carrier, and also has some prestigious awards. The company has long been famous for its reliability, quality and comfort in flight, level of service and attitude towards passengers. We can say that every flight will be comfortable, although exceptions do happen, but rarely.
Most of the company's shares belong to the state, so Aeroflot can safely be called a state carrier, but the situation is completely different with its subsidiaries. Where Aeroflot flies least often, its subsidiaries fly there, often acting as independent companies. A huge advantage of such carriers is the cost of a seat on board the aircraft. Most often these are low-cost airlines or charters.
The first ones are famous for their inconvenient places, not the newest ships, but at the same time affordable for almost everyone. Today, many economy class tickets are cheaper than train tickets! The latter do not have a regular schedule and delight with unexpected discounts on comfort class seats.
In total, Aeroflot has three such subsidiaries. Namely, airlines such as Pobeda, Aurora and Rossiya.
Surprise on insufficiently popular destinations
On unpopular routes, passengers often encounter problems. The most common of them is changing an Aeroflot flight to a flight with a subsidiary carrier. This happens especially often when booking tickets online. The order details contain the name of the carrier and the flight number, but this does not mean that passengers will fly with Aeroflot. Don’t worry if, instead of an airplane in the national carrier’s corporate colors, a plane in the “Victory” livery appears. Legally, such manipulations are not a violation. When the main carrier does not have enough ships, it can use the aircraft of its subsidiaries.
Main directions
Where does Aeroflot fly? Almost all over the world, and this is true. The company's aircraft make regular flights to more than 51 countries. The most popular destinations are flights to the countries of the European Union, CIS countries and Asia. Popular world-class tourist countries have more than one destination for a domestic carrier. Also, countries belonging to the CIS have more than one direction. The scheme is simple - if there is great demand, the company provides the route by plane.
Domestic flights
Where does Aeroflot fly within the country? At the moment, flights of this company to almost any Russian airport are carried out non-stop. In some cases, for example, with the Crimean direction, aircraft of subsidiaries are often used. This is due to the congestion of popular tourist destinations.
An interesting feature of domestic flights is the planes. International flights are carried out on the best aircraft from well-known manufacturers. However, within the country, many flights are carried out by domestically produced ships. No, there are no old Soviet aircraft in Aeroflot's fleet. Mostly Russian Superjets are used, and in the future there are plans to purchase new MC-21s.
Transatlantic flights
Aeroflot transatlantic flights operate to 5 destinations. Moreover, 4 of them are carried out in the USA in cities such as Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Flights on the fifth route are to Cuba.
A few years ago, the number of transatlantic destinations was greater. Some flights were to Canada. Currently, Aeroflot planes do not fly to this country.
Transcontinental flights
Aeroflot's transcontinental flight routes are more popular. In total, the airline operates flights to 12 transcontinental destinations. Flights are made to such famous and interesting cities as Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and even Ulaanbaatar.
It is interesting that formally, flights within the country can also be called transcontinental. Especially long flights - such as Moscow-Vladivostok or Moscow-Norilsk. Flights to some of these destinations are longer than transatlantic ones.
New directions of Aeroflot
It is known that only demand leads to supply. New directions depend on demand. Within the country, destinations appear as new air terminal complexes come into operation. International flights are carried out only to those countries with which the airline has an agreement. The inclusion of new countries in the route network (for the most part) does not depend only on the carrier.
A working model of the first Bird of Prey airplane in flight
In the center of Rio de Janeiro, on the waterfront near the ultra-modern Museum of Tomorrow, there is a model of the world's first airplane, the 14-bis or "Oiseau de proie" (in French, "bird of prey").
Today, Brazil occupies one of the world's leading positions in the field of aircraft manufacturing. Brazil's Embraer (E-Jet) leads the world in the medium-haul (regional) aircraft market.
Thanks to the dominance of the American media in the world, there was a belief about the priority of the Wright brothers, who made the first flight on an airplane. In Brazil and France, undeniable primacy is given to a native of Brazil, holder of the Legion of Honor, aeronaut, pilot and inventor Albert Santos-Dumont(1873 - 1932), who lived for some time in France. The Brazilian was the first in the world to prove the possibility of regular, controlled flights. Santos-Dumont made a public airplane flight in Paris on October 23, 1906. It was the first heavier-than-air vehicle to take off, fly, and land and, unlike the Wright brothers, did not use catapults, high winds, launch rails, or other external devices. The inventor was against the use of aircraft for military purposes.
***
The first transatlantic direct flight was made from Newfoundland (Canada) to Ireland by British pilots John Alkon and Arthur Brown on June 14 - 15, 1919 in 16 hours 28 minutes at an average speed of 190 km per hour. The effect of the jet air current in the Northern Hemisphere from west to east was used. In the opposite direction it would have taken more time, and there were no aircraft with the appropriate resource at that time. The first non-stop 36-hour flight across the Atlantic from Europe (Dublin) to North America took place only a decade later in April 1928.
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Today, flying across the Atlantic to South America is an everyday affair and requires only patience (up to a 14-hour flight from Paris to Santiago). I first saw the monument to the first airplane (seaplane) and crew that flew from Europe to South America many years ago in Lisbon.
On an English-made Fairey 17 seaplane, Portuguese pilots Gago Coutinho and Sakadura Cabral made the first dramatic flight from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, dedicated to the centenary of Brazilian independence. Aircraft of this type were produced from 1918 to 1941, and took an active part in the Second World War.
During the flight to South America, a new attitude indicator device was tested, allowing one to control the position of the aircraft beyond the visibility of the ground or sea surface.
On March 30, 1922, the pilots took off from the Lisbon naval base and reached the Canary Islands (Las Palmas) late in the evening to refuel. On April 5, another rush was made to the Cape Verde Islands (San Vicente), where engine repairs were required. On April 17, the pilots continued their journey to the rocky uninhabited island of Sao Paulo (St. Peter and Paul). Here, during splashdown in a stormy sea, the airplane lost one of its floats and sank. The aviators were rescued by the Portuguese cruiser Republic, which assisted in the flight. The cruiser delivered the pilots to the port of the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha.
But the epic did not end there. Enthusiastic Brazilians and Portuguese watching the flight forced the government in Lisbon to send another seaplane to the aviators.
The new plane was delivered to the island and on May 11, the pilots took off... in the opposite direction to the island of Sao Paulo to resume the flight from the crash site. However, engine failure forced them to make an emergency landing in the ocean again. The seaplane successfully sank again, and the pilots were picked up by a British cargo ship and taken back to Fernando de Noronha.
But this time, with the support of the Brazilian government, the brave aviators received a third plane, on which they were able to complete the flight with stops in Recife, Salvador da Bahia and Vitoria. Finally, on June 17, the flight was completed in Rio de Janeiro, where the seaplane landed in Guanabara Bay. Brazil greeted the aviators as heroes; at a rally of thousands on the embankment, aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont gave a welcoming speech. The journey lasted 79 days, of which the actual flight time was 62 hours and 26 minutes. The aviators covered a distance of 8,383 kilometers (5,209 miles) by air.
Flight map 
***
In 1930, a French pilot Jean Mermoz made the first non-stop flight in history across the South Atlantic.
From Toulouse, France, he flew to the African port of Saint Louis (Senegal) located on the Atlantic coast. From here, with 130 kg of mail on a converted plane, he completed a transatlantic flight to Rio de Janeiro in 21 hours. In 1936, the pilot and the plane disappeared on a regular flight over the South Atlantic.
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Over time, regular passenger flights from Europe to South America began. On July 10, 1962, regular transatlantic flights of the Soviet Aeroflot began to Latin America to Cuba along the route Moscow - Conakry (technical landing) - Havana, and then through the North Pole with an intermediate landing in Murmansk. The specially modernized Tu-114 could accommodate only 60 passengers, but had a large fuel supply. The flight took over 20 hours.
On May 27, 1973, regular flights to Peru and Chile began on the route Moscow - Rabat - Havana - Lima (Peru) - Santiago (Chile). For that time, it was the longest passenger airline in the world (18,000 km), travel time was 23 hours. Today, people fly from Moscow to South America with connecting flights through Paris, Amsterdam, Istanbul and other aviation hubs.
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One of the largest aviation disasters occurred on the air route between Europe and South America on June 1, 2009. The Air France airliner Airbus A330-203 operated flight AF447 on the route Rio de Janeiro - Paris, but 3 hours and 45 minutes after takeoff it crashed into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and was completely destroyed. All 228 people on board (12 crew members and 216 passengers) were killed. This is the largest disaster in the history of Air France and the largest crash of a passenger aircraft since 2001 until the Boeing 777 crash in the Donetsk region (July 17, 2014, 298 dead).
The causes of the disaster are indicated as freezing of the pitot tubes, the subsequent disconnection of the autopilot and uncoordinated actions of the crew, which led to the stalling of the aircraft, from which the crew was unable to recover. Inconsistency of actions, poor preparation and panic of the crew (co-pilot and trainee who were in the cockpit during the commander's rest). The called commander made the right decision and at an altitude of about 600 meters the plane began to pick up speed, but it was not possible to stop the stall in time. Experts point to shortcomings in the design of modern aircraft and in crew training. Computer systems control the aircraft for the vast majority of the flight, depriving pilots of direct piloting experience and reducing their preparedness for emergency situations.
NONSTOP FLIGHT AROSS THE ATLANTIC
Turning to the historical events that glorified the beginning of the last century with legendary air flights, the question naturally arises: who was the first to make a non-stop flight across the Atlantic alone?
A hundred years ago (in 1913), a popular English publication announced a reward of 10,000 pounds for a flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The Daily Mail predicted glory for the first aircrew or solo pilot to fly non-stop across the Atlantic in any direction from America to the shores of Ireland or Great Britain in 72 hours.
At that time, flights over such long distances seemed fantastic, because airplanes were just beginning to master the skies, and their structural elements were often destroyed even when trying to get off the ground.
Attempts to conquer the Atlantic sky
The Martinsyd Raymore crew was preparing to conquer the three-thousandth distance, but the plane did not take off. The reason for the failure was a failure of the landing gear, in which the nose of the aircraft buried itself in the ground.
In the same way, during takeoff, another plane broke its nose (“Handley Page”).
The attempt of the Sopwith Atlantic crew was almost successful - they did not have enough strength to overcome the last 850 miles to the shore.
The first pilots to fly non-stop across the Atlantic (they had not yet flown alone at that time) were the British crew of the Vickers Vimi winged aircraft. The pilot, John Alcock, and the navigator, Arthur Whitten Brown, received a well-deserved cash prize in 1919.
Another pilot is much more famous, namely the one who was the first to make a non-stop flight across the Atlantic alone. But this flight took place already in 1927.
Charles Lindbergh's flight
In 1926, a wealthy New York hotel owner, Raymond Orteig, offered a $25,000 prize for a nonstop flight from New York to Paris.
Charles Lindbergh was 25 years old and a pilot for an air mail company. Lindbergh decided that existing models were not suitable for such flights and a special aircraft was needed. According to his calculations, such an aircraft should be a monoplane that can accommodate the required amount of kerosene. Maybe someone would have doubted it, but Charles Lindbergh decided to fly alone and a year later he was the first to make a non-stop flight across the Atlantic.
The plane ("Spirit of St. Louis"), named after St. Louis, was fully loaded with all 1,700 liters of fuel, and barely managed to take off on May 19, 1927. They say that during the climb the telegraph wires were cut off, so low above the ground this flight began. 
The pilot had to determine the course by performing mental calculations based on the time of flight in any direction, and he estimated the wind speed from the waves! To do this, Lindbergh needed to descend to get out of the clouds and fog. On top of that, the plane became heavily icy and became much heavier. Flying in these conditions, fighting sleep, was incredibly difficult and dangerous.
However, luck favored the brave pilot, and after 28 hours, Charles Lindbergh's plane ended up near Valentine Island, which is located near Ireland. It’s simply amazing that the deviation from the chosen course was within 5 km!
And six hours later Lindbergh was received at Paris Bourget Airport. In Paris, over 200,000 French people greeted him as a hero, and some 4 million of his countrymen awaited his return to New York. We can compare this event with the meeting of the first cosmonauts by our fellow countrymen.
There was no end to the enthusiastic reviews of contemporaries: some admired the courage and courage of the first solo pilot who made a non-stop flight across the Atlantic; someone carefully analyzed the modernization of the aircraft commissioned by Lindbergh.
Lindbergh's innovation was that he preferred a single-engine aircraft, although multi-engine aircraft were considered safer. He also demanded that the wingspan be increased and the aircraft be equipped with additional fuel tanks. It was important for him to reduce the weight of the aircraft as much as possible, so he fought for every gram. Eyewitnesses claimed that Lindbergh refused to take a parachute and a walkie-talkie on board, he replaced the massive leather seat with a wicker one, special lightweight boots were made to order, and even the map lost an “unnecessary” part.
Charles Lindbergh's flight forever made him a legendary pilot, and for society it marked a breakthrough into previously inaccessible areas. He gave aviation strategic importance, bringing the distance between the European and American continents closer.
THE FIRST FLIGHT THROUGH THE ATLANTIC BY AN AIRCRAFT CREW
The first flight across the Atlantic Ocean was made by a brave British crew. The first non-stop flight across the Atlantic was carried out on June 14, 1919 by members of the crew of the Vickers Vimi aircraft of the British Air Force. Their names are Captain John Alcock (pilot) and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown (navigator).
There were other daredevils who flew across the Atlantic Ocean. Eight years after the British flight, everyone was talking about the American pilot Charles Lindbergh, the one who was the first to make a non-stop flight across the Atlantic alone. People liked Lindbergh's youth and courage. In 1927, the public was already able to appreciate such a flight. However, pilots Alcock and Brown were ahead of everyone.
Overcoming obstacles and difficulties
It was decided to fly from Canada to the shores of Ireland. At first it took a long time to find a suitable place to take off. The choice of site was approached carefully - after the accident of other British (the crew of the Martinsayd Raymore), it was clear what had to be risked by lifting a bomber overloaded with fuel into the sky.
When an airfield near the Canadian city of St. John's was found, Alcock called it the first transatlantic airfield. They were waiting for the right weather to arrive and were very nervous because they were afraid that others would be able to get ahead of them.
One day, on the first fine day, a military plane flew right above them towards the ocean. John and Arthur only later learned that it was a test flight. And at first it seemed to them that they were seeing a terrible dream - another plane had already taken off first in order to fly across the Atlantic before everyone else.
The pilots were nervous because everything was ready for the flight, but they had to postpone the start due to heavy winds. A telegram arriving from England accusing him of indecision added to the excitement.
Finally, on June 13, favorable weather conditions emerged. At the command of Captain Alcock, refueling of the aircraft began. First, the fuel was filtered through a sieve, and then it was pumped using a hand pump into the aircraft tanks. It was a tedious and lengthy process. Closer to noon, a breakdown of the shock absorber of one of the chassis was discovered. He could not withstand such a heavy load, and the plane began to roll to one side.
To eliminate the defect, it was necessary to raise the plane, and for this it was necessary to drain all the previously filled fuel. People worked the rest of the day until midnight, then filled the tanks with fuel again, working without a break with their car headlights on and illuminating the site with paraffin lamps.
The weather report received on the morning of June 14 promised a strong westerly wind that would intensify in the coming hours. The pilots who arrived at the airfield decided that if they did not take off now, they would have to give primacy to someone else who would fly across the Atlantic Ocean before them.
Brown and Alcock climbed into the cockpit, warmed up the engines, brought them to full power, and Alcock signaled to the mechanics to let go of the plane's wings. The bomber slowly rolled along the runway, not picking up enough speed and not getting off the ground. The long-awaited start came at the end of the runway, when the plane with great difficulty rose above the fence and trees, and then disappeared from view behind the hills.
All those watching decided that an accident had occurred and ran towards the supposed plane crash. People were worried, and the loudest scream was from the doctor, who asked to give way to him to provide first aid. The panic subsided when the silhouette of the plane, gradually gaining altitude, became visible in the sky again.
The crew experienced painfully tense moments; it seemed that the car would fall down, it was so difficult to gain altitude. But now St. John's is left behind. The ships sounded their horns to see off the retreating plane, which roared past the four-hundred-meter mark and was moving away from the coastline. The navigator set course in the direction of Ireland.
Incredibly difficult flight
They walked in continuous clouds, and barely visible accumulations of ice floated below. It became incredibly cold; even special heated suits could not save us from the low temperature. At first, Brown's radio messages about following the route were received on the ground, but then the wind generator broke down and they were left with a useless radio station. 
For about seven hours the pilot flew the bomber blind. Of course, they had to fly in dense clouds before, but not for such a long time, and problems began with the right engine. At first, frequent bangs were heard, the sounds of which were reminiscent of machine gun fire, and then the unit “spitted out” some part of its structure. The exhaust pipe quickly became hot: first it turned red, then turned white and was torn off by the air flow. The exhaust flame of a running engine reached the tension wire, which became heated, but withstood the temperature and did not change its shape.
At seven o'clock the pilots decided to have a snack; their dinner consisted of sandwiches and coffee. Now they could navigate by the starry sky, so Brown wrote a note to Captain Alcock about the need to see the stars. The pilot took the plane out of the clouds only at an altitude of 1800 meters. The navigator was able to determine their location: after eight hours of flight, the Vickers Vimi moved almost one and a half thousand kilometers from the coast of Newfoundland. The first half of the journey has been completed. It turned out that their ground speed was slightly higher than calculated. It was decided to descend and continue walking under the edge of the clouds at an altitude of 1200 meters.
At about three o'clock in the morning, their car began to be tossed around by strong gusts of wind, and a thunderstorm front appeared in the path of the plane. In poor visibility conditions, orientation was lost and the aircraft's speed dropped sharply. The bomber went into a tailspin. Flashes of lightning prevented the pilot from determining the position of the machine in the stormy space and leveling the plane. Alcock tried to put the rudders in a neutral position - nothing worked. The only thing he could see was the altimeter readings, which showed an increasingly smaller distance to the ground: first 900, then 600, 300, now 150...
Nothing was visible yet, but Alcock heard the sound of the ocean raging below them, and at the same moment the low sky around the plane cleared. They flew upside down, incredibly close to the surface of the ocean, huge waves rolling over their heads. There were split seconds left to make decisions.
In this critical situation, Captain John Alcock's piloting talent passed the most severe test. The experienced pilot instantly restored spatial orientation and in the last seconds leveled the plane, giving the engines full throttle. Both aviators felt that from their cockpit they could reach the foam ridges. Moving away from the ocean waves, which were only fifteen meters away, the car picked up life-saving speed.
It continued to rain heavily, and as we gained altitude it began to snow. The weight of the plane quickly increased - dangerous icing began, which led to interruptions in the operation of the right engine. Its carburetor was clogged with snow, and the plane began to lose altitude due to a lack of power when one engine was running. The situation was becoming critical.
Alcock looked back at his navigator, but he was not there. It turned out that Brown went along the wing to the failed engine. He clung to the racks with all his might and scraped the ice with a knife. In their situation, this was the only saving solution. After some time, the left engine began to fail. Brown had to repeat his feat on the left wing. His brave actions saved the engines and saved the lives of both pilots. In total, Lieutenant Brown made 5 such trips.
On June 15, the Vickers Vimi jumped out of a layer of clouds in the morning, and half an hour later the crew saw two small islands, behind which they could already guess the Irish coast. They flew along the shore and found a green field to land. Not far from this place was the Clifden radio station. People noticed them and began to wave their hands, indicating that it was impossible to sit on the field - it was swampy.
However, the pilots seemed to be greeted, they waved back and continued landing. As a result, the plane buried its nose in a swamp and got stuck in the ground, but the guys were lucky: the damage to the plane was minor, and they themselves were not injured (except for Brown’s scratched nose).
Their legendary flight lasted 16 hours and 28 minutes. Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown were the first to conquer the skies of the Atlantic, having covered 3040 kilometers. The average speed of the Vickers Vimi aircraft was about 190 km/h. Interestingly, after landing, the fuel supply in the tanks remained quite impressive; they could reach the English shores.
Charles Lindbergh (1902 – 1974) was interested in aviation from an early age. While he was studying at Wisconsin, in his second year he realized that he wanted to be a pilot much more. He decided to leave his studies and study to become a pilot. After completing the courses, Lindbergh entered the military service and then began working in airmail.
Many daredevils before Linberg had already tried to make transatlantic flights, but no one had succeeded until then, largely due to the imperfection of flight technology. After all, it was necessary to cover more than 7 thousand km without making landings, and, therefore, without being able to refuel. The problem was that it was impossible to take too much fuel on board; light aircraft of that time simply could not take off with such a load. Nevertheless, there was enormous interest in crossing the Atlantic Ocean; one large businessman even awarded a prize of 25 thousand dollars to anyone who could do it. There were many attempts, but not one was successful.
Lindbergh simply could not help but accept the challenge and get involved in this exciting, albeit dangerous, adventure. He placed an order with Ryan Aeronautical for the production of a motorplane, which he had independently developed, which, in the opinion of the pilot, was capable of this flight. The resulting car was called the "Spirit of St. Louis."
The pilot had to sacrifice brakes, a parachute, a radio and even a vision light, all in order to take on board as much fuel as possible.
Preparation
To test the aircraft, Lindbergh flew from San Diego to New York in May 1927, but made one landing in St. Louis. However, the flight time was 21 hours 45 minutes, and this was already a transcontinental record.
In New York, it turned out that the weather might force the pilot to postpone the flight for several days. However, relying on the forecast, which promised a little clearing, Charles bravely decides to fly out on May 20th.
He arrived at the airfield before dawn. At 7:40 a.m. the engine was started, and at 7:52 a.m. the Spirit of St. Louis took off from Roosevelt Airfield. The event was widely covered by all media in America, the whole country was worried about the hero. A lot of people came out to see him off.
Due to the fact that on May 20, due to rains, the ground on the takeoff field was a little soft, the plane picked up speed very slowly. He even nearly hit a power line while... But in the air the situation leveled out, and Lindsberg slowed down to save fuel.
Flight
The difficulty was created by the fact that the additional tank changed the center of gravity of the monoplane, because of which the aircraft could easily fly away. Lindsberg was escorted to Long Island by plane, which included a photographer. But soon he too left the pilot, turning back.
In the evening, Lindbergh was already flying over Nova Scotia. Soon he encountered bad weather. Thunderclouds, when hit by them, the plane became icy and threatened to fall into the water, forced Charles to maneuver, sometimes flying several meters from the water.
The daredevil received numerous awards not only from his own country; many European countries also awarded him orders and honors.
Soon Lindbergh saw the coast of Ireland in the distance. The weather improved noticeably, and by the evening of the second day the pilot was already crossing France. At about 10 p.m., the pilot spotted Paris and soon passed the Eiffel Tower. At 22:22 Charles Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget airfield. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean, covering 5809 km in 33 hours 30 minutes.
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Tip 2: Who was the first person to fly across the Atlantic?
In the spring of 1913, the English newspaper Daily Mail published an advertisement announcing a reward of 10 thousand pounds for the first person to cross the Atlantic within 72 hours.
The advert read: “We will pay £10,000 to anyone who can cross the Atlantic Ocean from anywhere in the US to anywhere in the UK or Ireland. This implies that a flight over the Atlantic can be made in any direction. Any fee will be assigned to the pilot. The plane on which he will fly can be either British-made or manufactured in any other country in the world.”
First attempts to cross the Atlantic
Several well-known aviation companies at that time - Mareinsyde, Vickers, Sopwith and Handley Page - were involved in preparations for the flight. Each of the companies decided to design their own aircraft intended for these purposes. Due to the predominance of the eastern wind over the Atlantic Ocean, it was decided to fly from the American continent, since flying against the wind could significantly increase fuel consumption, the supply of which was problematic to place on board the aircraft.
On May 18, 1913, two crews of pioneers set off from the Canadian island of Newfoundland. The Spwith crew took off first, with pilot Harry Hawker and navigator Kenneth MacKenzie-Grieve. Their attempt cannot be considered successful, since, not having reached 850 miles to the shore, due to malfunctions their plane crashed into the water. Fortunately, he was picked up by the passing Danish steamer Mary. The next starting Mareinsyde crew, pilot Fred R. Reichem and navigator S.U.F. Morgan was even less fortunate. Their plane crashed on takeoff, and the pilots were immediately taken to the hospital. A similar fate befell the crew of the Handley Page aircraft, which took off 2 months after the tragedy.
The first conquerors of the Atlantic
Almost a month after the first two attempts to cross the ocean, luck smiled on the crew of the Vickers aircraft, consisting of pilot John Alcock and navigator Arthur Whitten Brown. Their heroic team also faced a number of difficulties, which they, however, were able to overcome. The first of these was the problem of choosing a suitable take-off site, which they searched for several days. Only on June 14 the aviators were able to take off. For a long time, their plane could not gain the necessary speed in order to take off from the ground. Then the pilots drove the car blindly for almost seven hours due to heavy clouds. After that, they found themselves in a severe thunderstorm, but, having successfully passed it, the plane approached the shores of Ireland on the 15th. During landing, another unforeseen situation happened to the car - the wheels got stuck in the mud of the landing strip, and the nose of the plane buried itself in the swamps. The pilots escaped with a slight fright.
Thus, having flown 3040 kilometers in 16 hours 28 minutes, the crew of John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown became the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air. The Atlantic was finally and indisputably conquered!
