Who was the first to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. First transatlantic flight
Ask 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 broke out 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). Power point- 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.
This happened about 5.5 years ago, in May 2008. I was finishing my second year of university and preparing for what was probably the most fateful vacation of my life.
Barely getting rid of the early delivery of the session, my girlfriends and I were preparing to fly towards our American summer.
Having once again double-checked the availability of all documents and said goodbye to my father, who accompanied me to Sheremetyevo, I wandered with my girlfriends to the customs control zone. First we got our boarding passes and checked in our luggage. We were supposed to fly with a change in Paris, but we said goodbye to our luggage to our final destination, which was New York.
But it was all ahead, and we still had to go passport control and security control. Either a lot of planes took off, or the airport staff worked unproductively, but we got stuck in the passport control zone for a couple of hours, as a result of which we were already running to security control, along with other passengers flying our flight. Here we were already let in without a queue, and we passed it very quickly and successfully.
It so happened that we were separated from my girlfriends on a flight to Paris, and I had to sit with a rather sullen-looking Frenchman about 50 years old. In general, the flight to Paris turned out to be rather boring, and the dinner served on the plane was cold and tasteless. The stewardesses were refined in French fashion, but also not very smiling.
It was already dark when we arrived in Paris, and all that was visible through the window was the airport lights.
On the plane, besides us, other students from Russia flew, but with the same goal: to spend the summer in America under the Work and Travel program. In a large group, we approached the first available counters at the airport. Charles de Gaulle, because we had absolutely no idea what to do next. We were told that as the night approached, everything was closed at the airport, and all that remained for us was to wait for the morning and our flight. We had at our disposal a small piece of the terminal with hard chairs and a toilet. At first we tried to sleep on hard chairs, but after a couple of hours we realized that this idea was not the best.
Apparently, other students from Russia also had similar thoughts, so soon we all got to know each other and, in order to kill time, we started playing a game that is called differently in different places: somewhere "Crocodile", somewhere "American student", or simply "Charades". The deserted corridors of the Paris airport were constantly torn by the laughter of about 20 people ..
By 4-5 in the morning we were already almost completely exhausted, but then the airport began to come to life little by little. Soon our flight, departing at 9 am (or something like that), appeared on the scoreboard. First we had to move to another terminal. Which we did in the company of about 5-6 more students, leaving the rest to wait for their later flights. The train took us to the desired terminal in just a minute. We were one of the first at the security control, so here everything went quickly and painlessly. There were still about 2-3 hours left before boarding, so we first walked around the terminal, looking at the shiny shop windows of duty-free shops, but without buying anything, since there was only $ 650 in our pocket, which we needed to survive the first 2-3, and then all 4 weeks in America.
In the end, we settled into chairs at our exit to the plane and swam in patient anticipation. What I really learned on that trip was the ability to wait. As we waited, we enjoyed the view of the runway and the line of planes taking off. I think that's when I fell in love with airports.
After some time, boarding began on our plane. Here we were met not by strict French women, but by smiling American stewardesses and stewards. Here, by the way, my stereotype that flight attendants are always very young, up to 30 years old, broke down. These were clearly older.
And now, finally, the long-awaited takeoff. After which we accidentally remembered that we were terribly hungry, because we had not eaten anything since yesterday's evening flight to Paris. Breakfast was very timely. I don’t remember what they gave, but I remember that we “destroyed” it rather quickly. In this plane, we were already sitting in a row by the window, so we could chat / joke / laugh to our heart's content. But we were terribly tired by that time, and not the most comfortable economy class seats were much more comfortable than the hard seats of the airport, so we just slept through most of the flight. Except for those moments when we were fed (and for airplane food they fed us to slaughter and in the American way: either pizza or ice cream ....), or the moment when we had to fill out a declaration and an i-94 form (something something like our immigration card) - we, in my opinion, spoiled 5 cards each and got the questions of our steward in order (to this day it is a pity for him, poor :)).
Our last awakening on board took place shortly before landing. Almost lying on top of each other, we clung to the porthole, fascinated looking at the place where the shore meets the ocean. At some point, the city itself appeared. It was just an indescribable feeling: alluring uncertainty, excitement, delight (Oh God, do I really see all this with my own eyes ???). And now the turrets of the airport are already growing in front of us, the plane touches the ground, and there is one unpassed stage in front of us and the United States: passport control. Usually in NY it can take a lot of time, but we were lucky that day, everything went very quickly. The immigration officers practiced with us their knowledge of the Russian language (minimal, but still), and very soon, having heard the coveted "Welcome to the USA", we went to collect our luggage. Having picked up the luggage and handed over the declarations to the customs officers, we passed the last frontier.
Very soon we were already in a taxi on the way to Manhattan. The roads were greeted with green signs, like in the movies, the city greeted bright sun, the rays of which played on the windows of skyscrapers that towered over the city. At that moment, there was a feeling of peace and confidence that everything would be fine.
We had no idea what summer would bring us. That we learn a lot of new things, learn a lot and change a lot. And I certainly did not know that already 3 years after the first arrival in this country, I would move here to live. And, despite the fact that this city is not my home, it is not mine in character, in spirit ... Despite the fact that my "one-story America" is much closer to me, and now, when I arrive in New York, I feel that the same feeling of peace and confidence that everything will be fine ...
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!
The flight across the 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.
The national air carrier of Russia - the airline "Aeroflot" - is the most famous in the entire post-Soviet space. The assignee of the airlines of the Soviet Union, the leading Russian airline which accounts for the vast majority of flights. Where does Aeroflot fly to? 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 solid company. Aeroflot is considered the best Russian air carrier abroad and also has some prestigious awards. The company has long been famous for its reliability, quality and comfort in flight, the level of service and attitude towards passengers. We can say that every flight will be comfortable, although exceptions still happen, but rarely.
Most of the company's shares are owned by the state, so Aeroflot can safely be called a state-owned carrier, but the situation is quite different with subsidiaries. Where Aeroflot flies least often, its subsidiaries fly there, often acting as independent companies. A huge plus of such carriers is the cost of a seat on board the aircraft. Most often these are low-cost airlines or charters.
The first are famous for uncomfortable 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 permanent schedule and delight with unexpected discounts on comfort class seats.
In total, Aeroflot has three such subsidiaries. Namely, such airlines as Pobeda, Aurora and Rossiya.
Surprise on insufficiently popular destinations
On unpopular destinations, passengers often face problems. The most frequent of them is the change of an Aeroflot flight to a flight by a subsidiary carrier. This is especially true when booking tickets online. The details of the order contain the name of the carrier and the flight number, but this does not mean that passengers will fly with Aeroflot. Do not worry if instead of an aircraft in the corporate colors of the national carrier, a board in the coloring of "Victory" appears. Legally, such manipulations are not a violation. When the main carrier does not have enough ships, he can use the aircraft of subsidiaries.
Main directions
Where does Aeroflot fly to? Almost all over the world, and this is true. Aircraft of this company 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 tourist countries world-class airlines have more than one destination for a domestic carrier. Also, the countries belonging to the CIS have more than one direction. The scheme is simple - if there is a great demand, the company provides direction by aircraft.
Domestic flights
Where does Aeroflot fly to within the country? On the this moment to almost any Russian airport, flights of this company are carried out without transfers. In some cases, for example, with the Crimean direction, aircraft of subsidiaries are often involved. This is due to the congestion of popular tourist destinations.
An interesting feature of domestic flights is airplanes. International flights operate on best aircraft well-known manufacturers. However, within the country, many voyages are made by domestically produced ships. No, there are no old Soviet aircraft in the Aeroflot fleet. Mostly Russian "Superjets" are used, and in the future it is planned to purchase new MS-21s.
transatlantic flights
Aeroflot transatlantic flights are carried out in 5 directions. Moreover, 4 of them are made in the USA in cities such as Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Flights in the fifth direction are made to Cuba.
A few years ago, the number of transatlantic destinations was greater. Some flights were made to Canada. Currently, Aeroflot aircraft 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 like 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. The flight to some of these destinations is longer than the transatlantic ones.
New Aeroflot destinations
It is known that only demand leads to the appearance of supply. New directions depend on demand. Within the country, directions appear as new air terminal complexes are put into operation. International flights are carried out only to those countries with which the airline has an agreement. Inclusion of new countries in route network(for the most part) depends not only on the carrier.
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 transatlantic flight back in 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 an airplane 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 began World War 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 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. The power plant is a 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 3×90 | Salmson 1х200 | 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 side-by-side seats. 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".
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