the name of an airplane that in May of 1927, made the first
solo nonstop
flight across the
Atlantic Ocean. The
plane was piloted by
American aviator Charles
Lindbergh (1902-1974). A prize of $25,000 was offered to the first aviator to fly nonstop from
New York, USA, to
Paris,
France.
Lindbergh persuaded nine businessmen from
St.
Louis,
Missouri, to
help him
finance the
cost of the
plane which was modified to his specifications. Despite only
having direct vision through a side
window,
having to rely on a periscope to see
straight ahead and
having no radio,
Lindbergh successfully
completed his
flight covering 3,610 miles (5,810 km) in 33 1/2 hours. The
flight gained
Lindbergh immediate international fame and he was honored with awards, celebrations and parades. Shortly after his
flight he published a book about his adventure and again in 1953 he published a
second book entitled The
Spirit of
St.
Louis, which gave an expanded
account of his 1927 transatlantic
flight.