SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS

Milestone: First Nonstop Solo Transatlantic Flight
Date of Milestone: May 21, 1927
Aircraft: Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis"
Pilot: Charles A. Lindbergh
Aircraft Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
On May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in history, flying his Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" 5,810 kilometers (3,610 miles) between Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, and Paris, France, in 33 hours, 30 minutes. With this flight, Lindbergh won the $25,000 prize offered by New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first aviator to fly an aircraft directly across the Atlantic between New York and Paris. When he landed at Le Bourget Field in Paris, Lindbergh became a world hero who would remain in the public eye for decades.