First solo transatlantic flight. Computer artwork of the airplane Spirit of St Louis being flown by Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) on the first solo transatlantic flight. Lindbergh took off from Long Island,New York,USA,on 20 May 1927,at 07:51 in the morning. He flew all that day and through the night. Here,the sun has just risen on his second day of flying. He landed later that day,at night,in Paris,France,after a total of 33.5 hours in the air. The airplane was a steel monoplane,8.5 metres long with a wingspan of 14 metres. The single nosecap propeller was powered by a Wright radial motor. The cockpit,below the wing,did not have a forward window,and a periscope was used to see what was in front of the airplane |