Who piloted the Spirit of St. Louis on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927?

Charles Lindbergh piloted the Spirit of St. Louis on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927.

Lindbergh departed Roosevelt Field near New York City on May 20, 1927, and landed at Le Bourget Airport in Paris roughly 33 hours and 30 minutes later. The flight covered about 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometers) and won him the $25,000 Orteig Prize, offered for the first nonstop flight between New York and Paris.

The Spirit of St. Louis was a custom-built Ryan NYP, a single-engine, single-seat aircraft designed for maximum range. To save weight, Lindbergh flew without a radio, parachute, or brakes, and its forward view was partly blocked by the large fuel tank. He navigated using instruments, maps, and visual estimates through difficult weather.

A common mix-up is confusing this achievement with other pioneering flights. Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic in 1932, while Wiley Post later completed a solo flight around the world. Lindbergh’s 1927 flight was the breakthrough that made him an international celebrity.