Today's date marks a significant anniversary in aviation history. The 15 June of the 1919, exactly 102 years ago, was completed the first non-stop transatlantic flight ever. It was carried out by two British airmen and soldiers: the captain John William Alcock, who played the role of pilot, and the lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown, who acted as navigator.
The aircraft used for the mission was a Vickers Vimy, a bomber featuring two propeller engines surrounded by two pairs of wings, slightly modified to increase fuel capacity and make it easier for the two crew members to interact.
The trip lasted 16 hours and minutes 27 and it was very problematic, because the cockpit was open and the two aviators had to endure hostile weather conditions all the way: they encountered fog, snow and hail, and at times they flew without visibility. It is said that, at one point, Brown was even forced to climb onto a wing to de-ice the engine with a penknife.
Today one would think that such a crossing must have had cities like New York, London or Paris as its starting and ending points. At the time, however, the organization was different and left two centers that were to say the least minor to history. In fact, the take-off took place from Saint John's, Canadian city located on the Avalon peninsula and part of the island of Newfoundland, while the landing took place at Cliffden, a small town in County Galway on the west coast of Ireland. In all, approx 3.000 kilometers.
In recognition, Alcock and Brown were awarded the title of knight by King George V, while Winston Churchill, then Secretary of State for War and Air, handed them the Daily Mail prize, a cash prize from 10 thousand pounds offered by the newspaper Daily Mail for the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
