Alcott and Brown did it nonstop in 1919. The difference was
that
a) they weren't solo and
b) they went Gander Nfld to Ireland versus New York to Paris

Lindberg was significant in the grand scheme of things because he went
from one significant city to another, paving the way for commercial
flights.

Well, Nfld to Ireland is hardly a trans-atlantic flight. Ok,
technically it is across the atlantic, and it would be just as
inconvenient for the pilot's cooling fan to stop working, but the issue
of "one significant city to another" is more a side effect of the fact
that these significant cities are further away than the narrowest part
of the atlantic.

Being solo is also just happenstance. Had Lindburg not done it, and had
the other flight in the tri-motor succeeded, it would have been a crew
of two or three (if I'm not mistaken; I don't have my copy of the book
handy) that crossed the atlantic (coming from Paris) that would have
gotten the credit and the prize.

You are correct that in going from one significant city to another, it
paved the way for commercial flights.

Jose
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