Alcock and Brown: The First Nonstop Atlantic Crossing
When people think of the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, they often picture Charles Lindbergh flying alone in 1927. However, eight years before Lindbergh's famous solo journey, two British aviators achieved an equally astonishing milestone. In June 1919, pilot John Alcock and navigator Arthur Whitten Brown climbed into an open-cockpit airplane and made the very first nonstop flight across the cold, stormy Atlantic Ocean.
Following the end of World War I, long-distance aviation advanced quickly. A British newspaper, the Daily Mail, offered a massive prize of ten thousand pounds—a fortune at the time—to the first aviator who could fly nonstop across the Atlantic between North America and Great Britain or Ireland in under seventy-two hours. Several teams raced to prepare, but Alcock and Brown chose a modified Vickers Vimy, a twin-engine bomber originally designed for wartime use. Mechanics replaced its bomb racks with massive fuel tanks, allowing the biplane to carry hundreds of gallons of gasoline.
- aviator:
- A person who flies or navigates an airplane; a pilot.
- biplane:
- An early type of airplane that has two sets of wings stacked one above the other.
- sextant:
- A tool used by navigators to measure the angle between the horizon and celestial bodies to find location.
- endurance:
- The ability to withstand hardship, stress, or tiring conditions over a long period.
- carburetors:
- Engine parts that mix air with liquid fuel so the engine can run properly.
- peat:
- A dark, soggy soil made of decaying plant matter found in wetlands.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What misconception about transatlantic flight does the author address at the beginning of the passage?
- 2Why was the Vickers Vimy modified before the flight, and what major change was made to it?
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About this explanatory article passage for 5th Grade
“Alcock and Brown: The First Nonstop Atlantic Crossing” is a explanatory article reading passage about First Nonstop Transatlantic Flight, written for 5th Grade. It takes about 3 minutes to read (515 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.