Non-stop flight across the Atlantic. First transatlantic flight
The Wright brothers made their first airplane flight in December 1903. But it took another five years before airplanes began to fly for real. An important psychological barrier was overcome on July 25, 1909, when Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel for the first time. The conquest of a significant water barrier showed that the plane is capable of being not only a new circus attraction, but also a serious one. vehicle. Flight training for everyone was carried out by many private aviation schools, airplanes were continuously improved.
Blériot's flight stimulated a further assault on the waters. On September 11, 1910, Robert Loraine flew over the Irish Sea for the first time in a Farman airplane. True, due to engine problems, he did not reach the Irish coast 60 m. His business was completed by Corbett Wilson in April 1912. Morane-Saulnier crossed the Mediterranean for the first time, his journey was 730 km. Then it was the turn of the Atlantic.
However, several aviators from Great Britain, the USA, Denmark and other countries began to prepare for a transatlantic flight as early as 1910-1912. After the failure of Wellman's airship, the challenge to the ocean was decided by pilot Harry Carter (Harry Grahame Carter). 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 aircraft had an all-metal frame and sheathing made of a material that the author called parchment. Two 30 hp engines were used as a power plant. unspecified model with two-bladed metal propellers. The engine life was only 27 hours, but Carter hoped to bring it up to 54 hours. He believed that 136 liters of gasoline would be enough for him to overcome the distance of 3860 km.
The gas tanks were hollow tubular frame structures. To build the car, Carter rented a garage in Jamaica Plain, a suburb of Boston. What happened next is unknown even to perhaps the most complete guide to US aircraft, but the available design description makes it highly doubtful that Carter's plane could fly long distances.
A more serious contender was Hugh Robinson (Hugh Armstrong Robinson, 1881-1963), a former chief pilot at Curtiss. He began preparing for a transatlantic expedition in September 1911. But after making preliminary calculations, Robinson came to the conclusion that the available technologies did not yet allow such a project to be implemented. In 1912, Robinson switched to the development of the Benoist XIII flying boat, on the basis of which the Benoist XIV aircraft later arose, the first in the world to start 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 the Curtiss H twin-engine flying boat. 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 be carried out in the summer of 1914.
The flying boat, which received the name "America", was a wooden tricycle biplane of the classical design. Ailerons were located only on the upper wing. The aircraft had two Curtiss OH 90 hp engines. between the wings with two-bladed pusher propellers. The boat is weak. The cockpit, designed for two pilots and a flight mechanic, was closed. The fuel supply allowed to make a non-stop flight over a distance of 1770 km.
The Curtiss H-1 prototype was launched on 22 June 1914 and first flew the following day. In the process of intensive testing, a number of shortcomings were identified that required refinement of the design. But even after that, 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 organizers of the flight 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 Faial and San Miguel, where intermediate landings were planned. From there, "America" was supposed to fly to Portugal, then cross the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel and reach the coast of Britain near the city of Plymouth.
The crew included the aircraft designer and his friend, naval pilot John Henry Towers. But Curtiss's flight was categorically opposed by his wife, and Towers' flight by the command of the US Navy (five years later, he nevertheless took part in the transatlantic expedition).
Then the commander of the crew Weinamaker appointed a retired lieutenant of the British Navy John Porte (John Cyrill Porte, 1883-1919), and the co-pilot of the American George Hallet (George Hallett). But the First World War began, and the flight was canceled. Port went to serve in the Royal Navy, and there he persuaded the Lords of the Admiralty to purchase the America and her understudy. On the basis of these machines, more powerful flying boats were developed, which were built in a 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. Both an Englishman and a foreigner could become the owner of the prize. The high prize amount has intensified the work of many designers, most of whom turned out to be fellow countrymen of Lord Northcliffe.
Photo by Curtiss H-1 America.
One of the main contenders was Samuel Cody (Samuel Franklin Cody), the creator of the first British actually flying aircraft. He designed the float 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 then did not exist in nature. Cody issued an order to an unnamed French firm to develop the motor. But the death of the aviator on August 7, 1913 stopped work on the project. In the aviation press of 1913-1914, one can also find reports about the construction of transatlantic aircraft by the British firms of the James brothers (James Bros.) and A. V. Roe and Co. (Avro), however, no details are given.
Another contender for the prize was Handley Page. In December 1913, the chief designer of the company, George Volkert (George Rudolph Volkert, 1891-1978), developed a project for a single-engine biplane L / 200 - in the 1920s it was retrospectively designated HP.8, on which a woman first decided to conquer the Atlantic. Lady Anne Seivil, married Princess Lövinstein-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 airwoman had to be placed side by side in the cockpit. Power point– 14-cylinder Salmson (Canton-Unne) liquid-cooled engine with 200 hp with pull screw. The fuel reserve is designed for a 23-hour flight. But before the start of the First World War, the aircraft was never completed, and later the company was fully loaded with military orders.
Characteristics aircraftwho unsuccessfully tried to cross Atlantic by air
| Model | Curtiss H-1 | Handley Page L-200 | Martin Handasyde Transatlantic |
| Engines, power, hp | Curtiss OH-5 3x90 | Salmson 1x200 | Sunbeam 1×215 |
| Upper wing span, m | 22,55 | 18,29 | 20,12 |
| The span of the lower wing, m | 14 | ||
| Length, m | 11,43 | 12,5 | 14,12 |
| Height, m | 4,87 | 4,87 | |
| Wing area, sq.m. | 83,6 | 71,5 | |
| Takeoff weight, kg. | 2268 | 2722 | 2177 |
| Empty weight, kg | 1360 | 1270 | 1089 |
| Max speed, 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 (E. Mackay Edgar). The wooden monoplane with a trapezoidal wing received the quite understandable name Martin-Handasyde Transatlantic. The flight across the Atlantic was planned to be carried out from Newfoundland to Ireland. The pilot was appointed Gustav Hamel (Gustav Hamel, 1889-1914), who had previously made the first official postal flight in the UK.
The Sunbeam 215 hp engine was chosen for the aircraft. - 12-cylinder V-shaped liquid-cooled with a pulling 4-blade propeller Lang with a diameter of 3.66 m.
Although the Transatlantic had a wheeled undercarriage, the design made it possible to safely splash down on the surface of the ocean. The trihedral fuselage had watertight bulkheads. In front of the fuselage was a fuel tank with a length of 2.74 m and a diameter of 0.91 m. Behind him was a double cockpit with seats side by side. The landing gear was separated after takeoff, reducing the weight of the structure. Regular landing was provided for on the water.
The construction of the aircraft began in May 1914. Shortly thereafter, on May 23, 1914, Hamel disappeared without a trace while flying on 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 realized. At the same time, it stimulated the development of aircraft designs. Strength and reliability have increased, engine life has increased, and the speed of airplanes has increased. Increased flight range, especially for bombers. The latter could already, in the presence of 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 military operations, flight attempts resumed as early as 1917.
In August 1917, the Italian pilot Silvio Resnati arrived in the USA. The main purpose of his visit was the preparation of serial production in the United States and the training of American pilots to fly on 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 Ca.3 near Hampstead, New York.
Two months later, on July 15, 1918, forty American military pilots at once filed a petition on command with a proposal to carry out a transatlantic flight in an American-made Caproni or Handley-Page bomber. The idea was supported by US Secretary of Defense Baker. At a military airfield in the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, preparations began for the expedition, which was to take place in the same year on the Handley-Page bomber. The expedition was well prepared. It was planned to place ships along the entire route from Newfoundland to Ireland at intervals of 200 nautical miles in order to promptly provide assistance to pilots in the event of an accident. However, the land pilots were outpaced by sailors in Curtiss NC flying boats.
Sources: V.O. Bykov. "The Conquest of the North Atlantic".
NOTESAsk any person: "Who was the first to fly across the Atlantic?", and 90 people out of a hundred will answer: "Charles Lindbergh." Lindbergh is an incredibly popular character in the 30s, the hero of numerous newspaper publications, films, historical studies and fiction novels. However, he was not the first to fly across the Atlantic.
In 1913, the British newspaper "Daily Mail" (Daily Mail) established a special prize of 10 thousand pounds for the first air flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The prize aroused great interest, and several aviators and engineers began to make plans to win it. But in 1914 the First World War and put an end to all plans. In 1918 the war ended and competition for the prize resumed with renewed vigor. The sharpness of the competition was given by the fact that during the First World War, aviation made a qualitative leap, turning from an exotic toy into a real combat force. The design and manufacture of airplanes has ceased to be the lot of eccentric enthusiasts, and has become a powerful industry with serious engineering teams, large production capacities and considerable cash flows. In addition to money, the first transatlantic flight promised developers good publicity, so the aircraft manufacturing companies did not stand aside.
In May 1919 pilot H.G. Hawker and navigator Mackenzie Grieve took off in a Sopwith Atlantic. The attempt was unsuccessful - the plane crashed into the Ocean, fortunately, both pilots were saved. Around the same time, several US Navy flying boats flew from Newfoundland to Portugal via the Azores. The purpose of the flight (initiated not by anyone, but by Richard Bird) was to practice flights over the sea. There was no record, since the flight lasted 19 days, and the planes had a large number of landings.
On May 26, 1919, a container with a Vickers Vimy aircraft was delivered to Newfoundland. The airplane was unpacked and assembled in a couple of days without any troubles or delays. We began to wait for the right weather. In the meantime, it was raining interspersed with sleet. The crew consisted of two people - pilot Captain John Alcock and navigator Lieutenant Arthur Brown. Both officers were assigned to the Royal Firing Corps (the prototype of the Royal Air Force). The goal is a direct flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
The fates of these people were in many ways similar - both fought in the World War, both knew the severity of captivity: Alcock in Turkey, and Brown in Germany, both returned to their jobs after the war, both set on fire with the idea of a direct flight across the ocean. Captain John Alcock was born in 1892 in Seymour (Seymour, Old Trafford, England). Interest in flying He began to show interest in flying at the age of seventeen, during the War he became an experienced pilot. Lieutenant Arthur Brown (Arthur Whitten Brown) was born in Glasgow in 1886. He worked as an engineer in the development of aeronautical instruments. Hearing about the upcoming flight across the Atlantic, he expressed a desire to take part in it and was chosen as a partner to John Alcock.
By that time, the Vickers company had already managed to take one of the leading positions not only in Britain, but also in Europe. By the beginning of the twentieth century, this firm was well known as a shipbuilder. In 1908, His Majesty's Navy turned to its longtime partner with an unusual order - the Admiralty needed an airship. Thus, the Vickers company moved from the sea to the air. In the next few years, the company's factories produced French aircraft under license, and in 1913 they received their own development - the F.B.I. At the same time, the Vickers flying school was opened in Brookland. By 1918, the number of Vickers military airplanes reached 4,500 copies.
Vickers Vimy 4
At the end of the war in Great Britain began the development of a twin-engine bomber designed to bomb German fortifications at the front and factories in the rear. The aircraft (according to the standards of those years - heavy), designed by engineer R.K. Pierson and built by Vickers, was named Vickers Vimy 4 (Vickers Vimy IV). The aircraft required a crew of two. The length of the aircraft is 13 meters (43 feet), the wingspan is 21 meters (69 feet). The power plant - two 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce engines (Rolls Royce Eagle) with a capacity of 350 horsepower each. Like all aircraft of those years, the Vickers Vimy was made of wood, and the three-meter propellers were also made of wood. Maximum speed - 160 km / h, cruising - 145 km / h. The maximum flight altitude is 2100 m. At Vickers, they decided that this aircraft was the best suited for the flight.
The aircraft was built at the Weybridge factory in Surrey (Weybridge, Surrey). The cost of a serial copy was 3 thousand pounds. He did not have time to take part in the First World War, and was never used for his intended purpose. For the transatlantic flight, the aircraft was slightly modified. Firstly, all military equipment was removed from it, and secondly, additional fuel tanks were installed. In order for both pilots to feel a little more comfortable during a long flight, the cockpit was slightly expanded. The pilots sat side by side on a narrow wooden bench, on which a thin bedding had been placed.
Finally, on June 14, the long-awaited improvement came, and at 16.12 GMT Vickers Vimy 4 started from a pasture near St. John's on about. Newfoundland. The fuel capacity was 4,000 liters (1,050 gallons), giving it a theoretical flying range of 2,500 miles (4,000 km). In a fully equipped state, the aircraft weighed 6,000 kilograms (13,300 pounds).
Takeoff from Newfoundland
There were enough problems in flight, the danger of an emergency landing (which in their situation meant almost one hundred percent death) did not leave the pilots during the entire flight. Radio communication failed immediately after takeoff, engines periodically failed. The fog that enveloped the plane prevented the pilots from seeing anything for most of the flight. At some point, the plane stopped obeying the controls and, rotating randomly, began to fall. Having fallen out of the fog, the pilots saw that the surface of the ocean was already very close. Fortunately, Alcock managed to regain control of the controls at this point, and the aircraft slowly began to climb. Orientation in the fog was almost impossible, and throughout the entire journey, Brown had a very approximate idea of their location. Undoubtedly fortunate was a brief clearing, during which Brown was able to determine the stars.
Landing in Ireland
The next morning - June 15, 1919 at 8.25 am - Alcock and Brown crossed the coast of Ireland. The fog stretched all the way to the ground, but the pilots managed to find a suitable clearing and land. The landing was quite hard, the plane was damaged, but the pilots remained safe and sound. Behind was 15 hours 57 minutes of flight and a journey of 3000 kilometers. The landing site turned out to be near the Clifden Wireless Station, from where Alcock sent word of the successful completion of the first transatlantic flight.
Brown and Alcock were honored as national heroes. The Daily Mail hosted an incredibly grand celebration at the Savoy Restaurant, where guests were served Oeufs Poches Alcock and Poulet de Printemps a la Vickers Vimy, specially designed for the occasion. The pilots and Vickers received a special prize of £10,000. The plane was taken to the London Science Museum, where it is on display to this day.
In addition to the prize from the Daily Mail, participants received 2,000 guineas from Ardath Tobacco and £1,000 from Lawrence R. Phillips. Both Alcock and Brown were promoted to knighthood. Much later, in 1954, a monument was erected at Heathrow Airport in honor of their flight. A memorial sign was also erected at the landing site.
John Alcock and Arthur Brown
John Alcock died on December 18, 1919, while flying a Vickers Viking at the Paris Air Show - in Normandy, his plane got into fog and crashed into a forest. Brown continued his work for the firm and lived until October 4, 1948, but never flew again.
In 30-40 years. Vickers was the leading company in the British aviation industry. Suffice it to say that bombers such as the Wellington and Lancaster and fighters such as the Spitfire were designed by this firm. And the production of Vickers military aircraft in World War II already numbered in the tens of thousands of units.
The historic flight of the British fell into obscurity after Charles Lindbergh made his solo flight in 1927 in a single-engine Spirit of St. Louis Lindbergh was the first to fly from mainland to mainland, which caused immeasurably more excitement among the public. Well, it should be noted that with PR he was an order of magnitude better.
The flight of Alcock and Brown ushered in the golden era of propeller-driven aviation, when the romantics' desire for adventure and the interest of the general public in their achievements were successfully combined with the desire of the air force to create and demonstrate aircraft with ever greater speeds, payloads and ranges.
Sources used.
The working model of the first airplane "Bird of Prey" 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 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 construction. The Brazilian Embraer (E-Jet) is the world leader in the medium-haul (regional) aircraft market.
Thanks to the dominance of the American media in the world, there was a conviction about the priority of the Wright brothers, who made the first airplane flight. In Brazil and France, undeniable primacy is given to a native of Brazil, holder of the Order 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 that, 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.
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The first transatlantic direct flight was made from the island of Newfoundland (Canada) to Ireland by British pilots John Alcon 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 a 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 corresponding resource then. 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 14 hours of flight from Paris to Santiago). I first saw the monument to the first aircraft (seaplane) and the crew that flew from Europe to South America many years ago in Lisbon.
Portuguese pilots Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral made the first dramatic flight from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro on an English-made Fairey 17 hydroplane, dedicated to the centenary of Brazilian independence. Aircraft of this type were produced from 1918 to 1941, and took an active part in World War II.
During the flight to South America, a new artificial horizon device was tested, which makes it possible to control the position of the aircraft out of sight of the earth or the surface of the sea.
On March 30, 1922, the pilots took off from the naval base of Lisbon and reached canary islands(Las Palmas) for refueling. On April 5, another throw was made to the Cape Verde Islands (San Vicente), where engine repairs were required. On April 17, the pilots continued on their way to the rocky desert island Sao Paulo (Saint Peter and Paul). Here, during splashdown in rough seas, the airplane lost one of its floats and sank. The aviators were rescued by the Portuguese cruiser República, which took part in supporting the flight. The cruiser delivered the pilots to the port of the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha.
But the epic didn't end there. Enthusiastic Brazilians and Portuguese watching the flight forced the government in Lisbon to poison another seaplane for the aviators.
The new plane was delivered to the island and on May 11 the pilots took off... reverse side to the island of Sao Paulo to resume the flight from the crash site. However, an engine failure forced them to commit again. emergency landing in the ocean. The seaplane again successfully sank, and the pilots were picked up by a British cargo steamer and brought back to Fernando de Noronha.
But this time, with the support of the Brazilian government, the brave aviators receive a third plane, on which they were able to complete the flight with landings 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 welcomed the aviators like heroes, and aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont delivered a welcoming speech at a rally on the waterfront. 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 
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In 1930 a French pilot Jean Mermoz He made the first non-stop flight across the South Atlantic.
From French Toulouse, he flew to located on Atlantic coast African port of Saint Louis (Senegal). From here, with 130 kg of mail on a converted aircraft, in 21 hours he completed a transatlantic flight to Rio de Janeiro. In 1936, the pilot with the plane disappeared on another 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 across the North Pole with an intermediate landing in Murmansk. The specially modernized Tu-114 could accommodate only 60 passengers, but had a large supply of fuel. The flight took over 20 hours.
May 27, 1973 began regular flights to Peru and Chile on the route Moscow - Rabat - Havana - Lima (Peru) - Santiago (Chile). For that time it was the world's longest passenger airline (18,000 km), travel time - 23 hours. Today they fly from Moscow to South America connecting flights via Paris, Amsterdam, Istanbul and other aviation hubs.
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On the air route between Europe and South America On June 1, 2009, one of the largest aviation accidents occurred. Airbus airliner A330-203 airlines Air France 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 completely collapsed. All 228 people on board (12 crew members and 216 passengers) were killed. This is the biggest disaster in airline history. Air France and the biggest disaster passenger aircraft from 2001 until the Boeing 777 crash in the Donetsk region (July 17, 2014, 298 dead).
As the causes of the disaster, freezing of the pitot tubes, the subsequent shutdown of the autopilot and uncoordinated actions of the crew, which led to the stall of the aircraft, from which the crew could not get out, are indicated. Inconsistency of actions, poor preparation and panic of the crew (co-pilot and trainee who were in the cockpit during the rest of the commander). 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 the training of crews. Computer systems control the aircraft for the vast majority of the flight time, deprive pilots of the experience of direct piloting and reduce their readiness for emergency situations.
NON-STOP ATLANTIC FLIGHT
Turning to historical events, who glorified the beginning of the last century with legendary air travel, the question naturally arises: who was the first to make a non-stop flight across the Atlantic alone?
One hundred years ago (in 1913) a popular English newspaper announced a reward of £10,000 for a flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The Daily Mail newspaper prophesied glory to that crew of an airplane or a lone pilot who would be the first in 72 hours to make a non-stop flight across the Atlantic in any direction from America to the shores of Ireland or Great Britain.
At that time, flights over such long distances seemed fantastic, because the planes were just beginning to master the sky, and their structural elements often destroyed even when trying to get off the ground.
Attempts to conquer the sky of the Atlantic
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 the failure of the landing gear, in which the nose of the aircraft was buried in the ground.
In the same way, during takeoff, another plane broke its nose (“Handley Page”).
The attempt by the crew of the Sopwith Atlantic aircraft was almost successful - they did not have the strength to overcome the last 850 miles to the coast.
The first pilots who made a non-stop flight across the Atlantic (they had not yet flown alone) were the British crew of the Vickers Vimi winged car. The pilot, John Alcock, and navigator, Arthur Witten Brown, received a well-deserved cash prize in 1919.
Much more famous is another pilot, namely the one who first made a non-stop flight across the Atlantic alone. But this flight took place already in 1927.
Flight by Charles Lindbergh
In 1926, a wealthy New York hotel owner, Raymond Orteig, offered a $25,000 prize for a non-stop flight from New York to Paris.
Charles Lindbergh was 25 years old, he served as a pilot in an airmail 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 containing the required amount of kerosene. Maybe someone would have doubted, 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" - Spirit of St.Louis), named after St. Louis, was fully loaded, with all 1700 liters of fuel, and with difficulty overcame the takeoff on May 19, 1927. They say that when climbing, telegraph wires were cut off, this flight began so low above the ground. 
The pilot had to determine the course, performing calculations in his mind, based on the time of flight in any direction, and he estimated the wind speed from the waves! To do this, Lindbergh had to descend to get out of the clouds and fog. On top of that, the plane became heavily iced over and became much heavier. Flying in these conditions, struggling with sleep, was incredibly difficult and dangerous.
However, luck accompanied the brave pilot, and after 28 hours, Charles Lindbergh's plane was next to Valentine Island, which is located near Ireland. It is simply amazing that the deviation from the chosen course was within 5 km!
And six hours later, Lindbergh was received by the Paris Bourget airport. In Paris, over 200,000 French people hailed him as a hero, and about 4 million compatriots awaited his return to New York. We can compare this event with the meeting of the first cosmonauts by our countrymen.
There was no end to the enthusiastic reviews of contemporaries: someone 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 requested that the wingspan be increased and that the aircraft be fitted with additional fuel tanks. It was important for him to reduce weight as much as possible. aircraft, 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 seat, special light boots were made to order, and even the map lost its “unnecessary” part.
The flight of Charles Lindbergh forever made him a legendary pilot, and for society marked a breakthrough into previously inaccessible areas. He gave aviation strategic importance, bringing closer the distance between the European and American continents.
THE FIRST ATLANTIC FLIGHT MADE BY A CREW
The first flight across the Atlantic Ocean was made by a brave British crew. The first non-stop flight across the Atlantic on June 14, 1919 was performed by the crew members 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 over the Atlantic Ocean. Eight years after the British flight, everyone was talking about the American pilot Charles Lindbergh, the one who first made a solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic. 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 they had to risk by raising a bomber overloaded with fuel into the sky.
When the airfield is near Canadian city St. John's was found, Alcock called it the first transatlantic airfield. They waited for the right weather to come and were very nervous because they were afraid that others might be able to get ahead of them.
One day, on the first fine day, a military plane flew right over them towards the ocean. John and Arthur only found out later 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 to fly across the Atlantic before anyone else.
The pilots were nervous, as everything was ready for the flight, but they had to postpone the start due to heavy winds. The unrest was added by a telegram from England with accusations of indecision.
Finally, on June 13, a favorable weather situation was established. At the command of Captain Alcock, refueling of the aircraft began. First, the fuel was filtered through a sieve, and then it was pumped with a manual pump into aircraft tanks. It was a tedious and lengthy process. Closer to noon, a shock absorber failure of one of the chassis was discovered. He could not withstand such a large load, and the plane began to roll on its side.
To eliminate the defect, it was necessary to raise the aircraft, and for this it was necessary to drain all the previously filled fuel. People worked the rest of the day until midnight, then refilled the tanks, working non-stop with 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, then they would have to give the championship to someone else who would fly across the Atlantic Ocean before they did.
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 rolled slowly along the runway, not picking up sufficient speed and not taking off from the ground. The long-awaited start came at the end of the strip, when the plane with great difficulty climbed over the fence and trees, and then disappeared from view behind the hills.
All observers decided that there was an accident and ran in the direction of the alleged plane crash. People were worried, and the doctor screamed most of all, asking to make way for him to provide the first medical care. The panic subsided when the silhouette of the plane was again visible in the sky, gradually gaining altitude.
The crew experienced excruciatingly tense moments, it seemed that the car would fall down, it was so hard to climb. But now St. John's is left behind. The ships horned the retreating plane, which with a roar overcame the four hundred meter mark and left the coastline. The navigator took a course in the direction of Ireland.
Incredibly difficult flight
They walked in solid clouds, and barely visible accumulations of ice floated below. It became incredibly cold, even special heated suits could not save from the low temperature. At first, Brown's radio messages were received on the ground about following the route, 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 blindly. Of course, they had to fly in dense clouds before, but not for such a long time, and besides, problems began with the right engine. At first, frequent claps were heard, the sounds of which resembled machine-gun bursts, and then the unit “spit out” some part of its structure. The exhaust pipe quickly became hot: first it turned red, then turned white and was torn off by a stream of air. The exhaust flame of a running engine reached a stretch wire, which heated up, 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 brought 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 retired from the coast of Newfoundland by almost one and a half thousand kilometers. The first half of the journey has been completed. It turned out that their ground speed was slightly higher than the calculated one. It was decided to descend and continue to go under the edge of the clouds at an altitude of 1200 meters.
At about three o'clock in the morning, strong gusts of wind began to throw their car, a thunderstorm front appeared on the way of the plane. In conditions of poor visibility, orientation was lost, and the speed of the aircraft dropped sharply. The bomber went into a tailspin. Lightning flashes prevented the pilot from determining the position of the car in the raging space and leveling the plane. Alcock tried to put the rudders in the neutral position - nothing worked. The only thing he could see was the readings of the altimeter, which showed less and less distance to the ground: first 900, then 600, 300, now 150 ...
There was still nothing to be seen, but Alcock heard the sound of the raging ocean below them, and at the same moment the low sky cleared around the plane. They flew up wheels, incredibly close to the surface of the ocean, huge shafts rolled over their heads. There were fractions of a second to make decisions.
In this critical situation, the pilot talent of Captain John Alcock passed the most rigorous test. The experienced pilot instantly regained spatial orientation and leveled the plane in the last seconds, giving the engines full throttle. It seemed to both aviators that from their cockpit they could reach the foam ridges. Moving away from the ocean waves, which were at a distance of some fifteen meters, the car picked up a saving speed.
It continued to rain heavily, and as we climbed, it began to snow. The weight of the aircraft increased rapidly - dangerous icing began, which caused interruptions in the operation of the right engine. Its carburetor was clogged with snow, and the aircraft began to lose altitude due to lack of power when one engine was running. The situation became critical.
Alcock looked back at his navigator, but he was gone. It turned out that Brown went on the wing to the failed engine. He clung to the racks with all his might and cleared the ice with a knife. In their situation, this was the only saving solution. After a while, the left engine began to fail. Brown had to repeat his feat on the left wing. His courageous actions saved the engines and saved the lives of both pilots. In total, Lieutenant Brown made 5 such exits.
On June 15, the Vickers Vimi jumped out of the cloud layer in the morning, and after another half an hour the crew saw two small islands, behind which the Irish coast was already guessed. They flew along the coast and found a green field to land on. Not far from this place was the Clifden radio station. People noticed them and began to wave their hands, showing that it was impossible to sit on the field - it was swampy.
However, the pilots seemed to be welcomed, 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 Witten Brown were the first to conquer the sky of the Atlantic, having traveled 3040 kilometers. The average speed of the aircraft "Vickers Vimi" was about 190 km / h. Interestingly, after landing, the fuel supply in the tanks remained quite impressive, they could reach the English coast.
Finally got to the hotel. To be honest, the last time the flight seemed much easier to me. Apparently because we went in a group and drank all the whiskey on board, which was.
I was going all weekend, but I still forgot the usb cable to charge my phone. I left Yekaterinburg, which saw me off in rainy and dank weather - to the money;)
I peed at the Yekaterinburg airport yesterday, but the Internet in my landing zone turned out to be so slow that I managed to send it only from Moscow. As an intelligent person, he passed the business registration and flew. 2 hour flight.
The seats next to me were free, so it was not possible to communicate with anyone. I tried the kosher menu, which I learned about on a tip from one of my colleagues on Facebook. Unlike a standard ham sandwich, it includes several types of fish, chicken, hummus, jam, fruit drink, chocolate, and another tomato thing like leche (I don’t remember the name). According to the stewardess, this is the most expensive menu on board and is enviably different from the classic one. Moreover, it can be obtained absolutely free of charge by specifying the kosher menu when booking a ticket.
There was a customs control in Moscow, where a man in uniform with an iron face stamped my passport. About an hour of waiting and the iron faces of girls in uniform checking documents. For some reason, dealing with people as scum is in our order of things.
Sent a post via slow internet and also texted Jay, a new friend of mine from San Francisco whom I met through couchsurfing. He asks if I need to score from the airport and asks to call. My old htc does not want to work in any way and does not even catch a connection, so it is problematic to call - I am writing a letter that I have already booked a hotel. By the way, just fascinated by booking.com. I have not used it tightly before, but just saw it from the side. So there are so many interesting things like alerts and notifications that are really convenient and I’m sure that they really bring them a lot of traffic. Just take their secrets and implement!
They flew across the Atlantic. I love these intercontinental planes because they are big (we had an airbus-330), they have small monitors in the back of the seats, with which you can watch movies and follow the route. They serve free alcohol in the form of red and white wine, and you can also buy spirits like whiskey, which are very cheap. Good flight attendants and again a kosher menu. The composition is the same, so it starts to make me sick.
This time, the neighbor turned out to be the owner of a small packaging production, who flies to Boston on vacation. We talked well. He is 52 years old and he is for an active lifestyle. At the end of the flight, I noticed that he was reading a large A4 notebook, in which English words which he apparently teaches. Advised Lingualeo — promised to be sure to look;). By the way, I have great respect for people who, regardless of their age, teach new language, open new companies, move - live life to the fullest!
Flight through Atlantic Ocean from Moscow to New York took 9:30 hours, including taxiing all 10. If possible, take a seat at the exit so that you can walk around the cabin from time to time. For dinner, he refused the kosher menu and took the usual one - it’s true that there is less of everything, but more familiar.
Customs border in New York, a lot of people. Here they are active black American employees who, even when directing the crowd into a separate lane, do it with their whole body, waving their arms. I can’t imagine such emotionality from a Russian person - we have other advantages.
I met Dmitry, who also flies to San Francisco. He lives in Kharkiv and works with his team on a very large and famous project. It seems that only the two of us flew further to San Francisco, although I could have missed someone.
Very long distances for a Delta landing that will take us to San Francisco. We have gate 37 and by the time we got to it, it seemed to me that we had passed 10 Koltsovo. JFK What can I say. By the way, pay attention to the window in the transfer between New York and the Delta, because there are a lot of people and there is a chance that you will not be in time. We had a window of 3 hours, but the plane landed later and while we were going through all the registrations, there was literally half an hour of free time left. To land in the Delta, you need to walk down the street and take the internal train from terminal 1 to 4. There is no free Internet here at all, but wifi from Skype works.
On the Delta, as on other planes, I asked them to hang my suit in their wardrobe. All flight attendants easily go to your aid - in no case do not drag voluminous things with you. My wife in general, I don’t know how she guessed before, is going to take the child on a scooter;) You can’t drag him with you to the salon :)
To my left is a decent-sized girl, to my right is a young man. Both have macbook air - I took out my pro so as not to seem like a sucker. One watches movies, the other checks email and reads Facebook. By the way, the girl put some kind of film on the monitor. At the same time, the image either becomes voluminous, or something else - you need to study it.
On Delta aircraft, food is served only for a fee and in addition. You can also buy alcohol. My neighbor drank, it seems, a bottle of whiskey, and a neighbor mastered a whole large bottle of wine. By this point, I was already so tired that I simply did not have the strength to talk and get acquainted with anyone. It seemed to me that this would be the most difficult flight, since it lasted as much as 6 hours, but in fact it turned out to be the easiest, because I slept through the entire flight. Didn't even use the wifi on the plane.
Caught a taxi for $50. I don’t know how to get cheaper from the airport to downtown without a phone with the Internet — share if you know how. Arrived at the hotel around 1 am. By the way, I specifically rented a hotel for $ 100 next to the Apple Store, because without a phone you can’t call, you can’t drive a car without a navigator, but renting a navigator for $ 10 a day is crushing. The Korean taxi driver remembered Russian vodka, which he most associates with Russians.
At 7 am, Jay wants to pick me up, who promised to give me a car and shelter in San Francisco while I settle all the details with the house and phone. Ivan Tsybaev is calling tomorrow to see the housing in his cool complex in San Jose, tomorrow I will try to go there.
This is such a busy and busy day. With pleasure I took a shower in the hotel and experienced the pleasure. Ideally, you should probably stop in each transfer city for 1-2 days so as not to get so tired. See the same New York, although the weather there is now vile - this is not California, which has 340 sunny days a year;)
It is now 3 am here and 3 pm in Moscow. I had a good night's sleep, so I'll probably work now;) While another colleague who works and lives here was flying, he sent an offer to chat - great! Another person asked me for a code for Lingualeo, which I give free to diligent students - the codes are starting to run out, I need to come up with something.
In total, taking into account all the expectations, the pellets took me 26 hours.
See you in the next series :)
P.S. Smart VK thought that I was logging in from strange place and requires confirmation of SMS from a phone that has remained in Russia. So I'll post there tomorrow.
