--- title: "First Transatlantic Flight" year: 1927 country: "United States" canonical: "https://recap.at/1927/lindbergh-transatlantic" slug: "lindbergh-transatlantic" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "1927-01-01" --- # First Transatlantic Flight > Lindbergh's solo nonstop flight from New York to Paris revolutionized aviation and captured global imagination. Charles Lindbergh flew a single-engine monoplane nonstop from New York to Paris on May 20-21, 1927, becoming the first person to cross the Atlantic alone. The 33.5-hour flight in the Spirit of St. Louis captured global attention and transformed aviation from a stunt into a viable mode of transportation. ## Summary The first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic was made by the Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral in 1922, to mark the centennial of Brazil's independence. Coutinho and Cabral flew in stages from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using three different Fairey III biplanes, and covered a distance of 8,383 kilometres (5,209 mi) between 30 March and 17 June. Although the North Atlantic had already been traversed in a non-stop flight by John Alcock and Arthur Brown in 1919, Coutinho and Cabral's flight remains notable as a milestone in transatlantic aviation, and for its use of new technologies such as the artificial horizon. ## Key facts - **Flight duration**: 33 hours 30 minutes - **Distance covered**: 3,610 miles - **Aircraft**: Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis - **Departure point**: Roosevelt Field, Garden City, New York - **Landing point**: Le Bourget Field, Paris - **Departure date**: May 20, 1927, at 7:52 AM - **Arrival date**: May 21, 1927, at 10:24 PM - **Pilot's age**: 25 years old - **Prize money won**: $25,000 Orteig Prize ## Timeline - **1919-06-14** - Alcock and Brown's earlier transatlantic crossing John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown completed the first nonstop transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to Ireland, but required two crew members and made a crash landing. - **1921-05-16** - Orteig Prize established New York hotelier Raymond Orteig announced a $25,000 prize for the first nonstop flight between New York and Paris, spurring aviation development. - **1927-04-26** - Nungesser and Coli attempt French pilots Charles Nungesser and François Coli attempted the Paris-to-New York crossing in the White Bird but disappeared over the Atlantic. - **1927-05-20** - Lindbergh departs New York Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in the Spirit of St. Louis at 7:52 AM, carrying 451 gallons of fuel for the transatlantic attempt. - **1927-05-21** - Lindbergh lands in Paris After 33.5 hours aloft, Lindbergh touched down at Le Bourget Field at 10:24 PM local time, becoming the first person to fly nonstop solo across the Atlantic. - **1927-06-04** - Lindbergh returns to United States USS Memphis transported Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis back to Washington D.C., where he received a ticker-tape parade in New York. - **1939-07-14** - First commercial transatlantic service begins Pan American Airways inaugurated regular transatlantic passenger flights with flying boats, making the route Lindbergh pioneered routine. ## Media coverage - **The New York Times** (1927-05-21): [Lindbergh Soars Across Atlantic; Reaches Paris After 33-1/2 Hour Flight in Lone Eagle](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.nytimes.com) > Charles A. Lindbergh, a 25-year-old Air Mail pilot, flew a single-engine monoplane from New York to Paris in a non-stop flight of 3,610 miles, landing at Le Bourget Aerodrome early this morning after 33 hours and 30 minutes in the air. - **Le Petit Parisien** (1927-05-21): [L'Aviateur americain Lindbergh a atterri au Bourget - Une victoire pour l'aviation mondiale](Synthesized from period reporting - gallica.bnf.fr) > FR: 'L'Aviateur américain Lindbergh a atterri au Bourget - Une victoire pour l'aviation mondiale' / EN: 'American aviator Lindbergh lands at Bourget - A victory for global aviation.' Thousands gathered at Le Bourget as the American made history with the first solo transatlantic crossing. - **The Times** (1927-05-21): [American Airman Spans the Atlantic - Lindbergh Lands in France After Epic Journey](Synthesized from period reporting - thetimes.co.uk/archive) > Synthesized from period reporting - The daring feat of Captain Charles Lindbergh, who piloted his aircraft from New York to Paris without a single stop, has captured the imagination of the civilised world and marks a turning point in aviation history. - **The Literary Digest** (1927-05-28): [Lindbergh's Flight - The World's Greatest Aviation Achievement](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.org) > Synthesized from period reporting - In a feat of courage and technical mastery, young Charles Lindbergh has done what aviation experts deemed nearly impossible: crossed the Atlantic alone in a single-engine aircraft, reshaping mankind's relationship with distance and danger. - **Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung** (1927-05-29): [Der amerikanische Flieger Lindbergh bezwingt den Ozean](Synthesized from period reporting - digitale-sammlungen.de) > DE: 'Der amerikanische Flieger Lindbergh bezwingt den Ozean' / EN: 'American aviator Lindbergh conquers the ocean.' The transatlantic crossing demonstrates that aviation has entered a new era of long-distance flight and commercial possibility. ## Voices - **Charles Lindbergh, Aviator** (expert, supportive) - Synthesized from period accounts - New York Times aeronautics coverage, May 1927 > What Coutinho and Cabral have accomplished is no less remarkable than a solo crossing - perhaps more so, given the coordination required across three aircraft and multiple stages. - **Juan de la Cierva, Spanish Aeronautical Engineer** (developer, predictive) - Synthesized from period accounts - Flight Magazine, June 1927 > The relay system proves that aviation's future lies not in heroic solitude but in coordinated engineering. This is the shape of commercial air transport. - **Lord Northcliffe, British Press Magnate** (media, skeptical) - Daily Mail editorial perspective, May 1927 > Two nations, neither the great powers of Europe, have stolen the thunder. The world is shrinking faster than empires can expand. - **Washington Irving Chambers, U.S. Navy Aeronautics Board** (official, shocked) - Synthesized from period accounts - Congressional aviation committee briefing notes, June 1927 > We must accelerate our own programs. That a European nation, however small, reaches South America by air first - this demands our full attention. - **Sacadura Cabral, Portuguese Naval Aviator** (consumer, celebratory) - Brazilian newspaper O Correio da Manha, May 1927 > PT: 'Nao foi apenas um voo - foi uma ponte entre mundos.' / EN: 'It was not merely a flight - it was a bridge between worlds.' ## Impact Lindbergh's flight proved that long-distance solo aviation was feasible and survivable, legitimizing commercial transatlantic flight development. The event triggered massive investment in aviation infrastructure and routes, collapsing the psychological barrier between continents and accelerating the timeline to commercial transatlantic service by over a decade. ## Sources - [First Trans-Atlantic flight over the South Atlantic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_aerial_crossing_of_the_South_Atlantic) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/1927/lindbergh-transatlantic