

Meet Some Pioneering Pilots of Transatlantic Flight
Just after World War I, most people thought it foolish to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. The weather was treacherous, and you could only navigate if you could see the sun, moon, and stars. It was impossible. Still, the newspapers offered cash prizes, governments offered glory, and a lot of people would try.
The First Across the Atlantic
The remaining aircraft, the NC4, followed all the ship stations to land at the Azores and later continued its flight to Lisbon. The Atlantic had been flown in 53 hours and 58 minutes spread over 23 days.
Alcock and Brown
Princess Lowenstein-Wertheim
At 60, she was determined to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic—and to do it the hard way: from east to west, against westerly winds. On 31 August 1927, she and two experienced British airmen took off from England. Halfway across, their lights were spotted in the night sky by an oil tanker and—like many of the early flights—they were never seen again.
James Fitzmaurice, First Irishman to Fly the Atlantic
The first Irishman to cross the ocean, James Fitzmaurice, went with two Germans. They set off from Dublin on 12 April 1928, intending to fly to New York. On the morning of 13 April, they ran into Newfoundland fog banks and lost track of where they were. Worried about fuel, they suddenly saw a light. They circled and identified it as a lighthouse on a snow-covered island. Attempting a hazardous landing, the undercarriage collapsed, but everyone survived. This was the first successful east-west crossing against the prevailing winds. It took 36.5 hours.
Charles Lindbergh
More Information
Click through to learn more about some of the key flying boat airlines, a few major types of flying boats, and some of the VIPs who rode as passengers.