Charles Lindbergh
One of the most famous pilots of all time was Charles Lindbergh. He made the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. On May 20, 1927,the flight began. At 7:52 AM at Roosevelt Field in New York Lindbergh took off and 33 gruesome hours later he landed at Le Bourget Field in Paris. “Every cell of my being is on strike, sulking in protest, claiming that nothing, nothing in the world could be worth such effort. That man’s tissue was never made for such abuse. My back is stiff; my shoulders ache; my face burns; my eyes smart. It sees impossible to go on any longer.” This quotation by Charles Lindbergh shows how difficult his epic flight was. When he landed in Paris, 100,000 people were waiting in Le Bourget Field to celebrate his arrival. Lindbergh’s flight effected the world by showing at that time in history what man and airplane were capable of achieving in flight.
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart changed the world through her relentless pursuit of a female's success in the field of aviation. The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, Earhart changed the opinion of stereotypical women in the early 1900’s. Four years after her legendary lift off in 1928, Earhart flew from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland to a cow pasture in Northern Ireland. Three months later she was the first woman to fly from Los Angeles to New York. “I do not believe that women lack the stamina to do a solo trip across the Atlantic.” In 1937 Earhart attempted to fly around the world. During this effort, she disappeared into the Pacific. Amelia Earhart changed the world by showing that women are equal to the challenge and not only men can pilot an airplane.
Manfred von Richtofen (The Red Baron)
Manfred von Richtofen, nicknamed the “Red Baron” was on of the most dangerous German ace pilots in World War 1. The Red Baron succeeded in shooting down 80 enemy planes. Richtofen commanded a squadron named the “Flying Circus” named after the bright colors of the planes. The Red Baron was so brutal he had silver cups made with his victims’ descriptions. When Manfred von Richtofen was shot down in 1918, he was the most famous ace in world history.
