May 1927, Charles Lindbergh few 3,610 miles nonstop from New York to Paris in just under 34 hours in his single engine Ryan NYP monoplane the Spirit of St. Louis. There had been many attempts so far, but no successes. In fact, six pilots had already died trying. Charles began thinking, how far was it from New York to Paris? Charles decided to enter the contest. First he had to find a company that would build a plane for him. He believed the best plane for a trip like this would be a one person, single engine airplane.

The airplane companies disagreed with him. It was too dangerous. How could anyone fly that far with only one engine? Charles kept searching. Finally, he found a company named Ryan that would build a plane for him. When the plane was ready, Charles was ready too. He packed a canteen of water, sandwiches, maps, and charts. Charles flew and flew and flew.

He was so tired that he had to hold his eyes open to stay awake. After 33.5 hours of flying he spotted Paris. He landed to the cheers of a roaring crowd. Charles was the first person to cross the Atlantic ocean alone in an airplane. After Charles had several days to rest, President Coolidge sent a U.S. Navy ship to bring Charles and the plane home. In New York, millions of people gathered to welcome Charles home and celebrate his success.