The Journey of Flight.pdf - Valkyrie Cadet

Chapter Chapter 3 3 - - The The Golden Golden Age: Age: 1919 1919 -1939
-1939
Progress in aviation in America was being
made, but very slowly. Something was needed
that would excite the American people and unite
them in support of aviation. Many
accomplishments in aviation were made because
people offered prizes or money as incentives.
These accomplishments included most of the
long-range flights, flights over the North and
South Poles, and many of the flights leading to
speed and altitude records.
By 1927, only one of these prizes was left
unclaimed. It was the $25,000 prize offered in
1919 by Raymond Orteig to the “first aviator to
cross the Atlantic nonstop from New York to
Paris.” To this point many famous pilots had
attempted this crossing, but all had failed.
In 1927, a 25-year-old ex-barnstormer, air
mail pilot and captain in the Missouri National
Guard, Charles A. Lindbergh, approached a group
of businessmen in St. Louis seeking sponsorship
for an attempt at flying the Atlantic. With the
PIONEERS PIONEERS CONTRIBUTE CONTRIBUTE TO TO THE
THE
DEVEL DEVEL DEVELOPMENT DEVEL DEVELOPMENT
OPMENT OF OF AIR AIR AIR POWER
POWER
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Charles A. Lindbergh was
the first person to fly the
Atlantic solo. He convinced
the world that air travel was
possible and credible.
This is a flying replica
of the Spirit of St.
Louis, Charles A.
Lindbergh’s “New
York to Paris”
airplane. The original
NYP aircraft can be
seen at the National
Air And Space
Museum in
Washington, D.C.
This replica is in the
EAA Air Museum in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
(EAA)