Preparing for the Flight

Meanwhile, in 1913, the British news­paper the Daily Mail had offered a large cash prize to the first person or team to fly a plane across the Atlantic Ocean. Efforts to win the prize were interrupted by the war, but pilots became interested again when the war was over.

Alcock-now out of the service – hoped to win the prize. In 1919 he contacted Vickers, a British aircraft company, to enlist its support. Vickers officials agreed to supply an airplane. Soon after, Arthur Brown visited the Vickers offices looking for a job. He agreed to join the venture as Alcock’s copilot and navigator.

Vickers chose the Vimy aircraft for the flight, an airplane the company

had designed as a bomber for use in the war. Vickers gave Alcock and Brown the thirteenth Vimy it had made.

The Vimy was a biplane made most­ly of wood with fabric covering the wings and body. The airplane was about 55 feet (17 meters) long and had a wingspan of 68 feet (20.7 meters). The Vimy carried two engines, made by automaker Rolls-Royce, that could fly for about 100 hours without needing service. These highly reliable engines were one reason the Vimy was selected for the trip.

The team made three adjustments to the plane. All military equipment was taken off, and extra fuel tanks were
added. In addition, the cockpit was widened so Alcock and Brown could sit side by side.

After some test flights, the plane was partly taken apart to be shipped to Canada. There, it was reassembled and made ready to fly, but Alcock and Brown had to wait through a period of poor weather before beginning their journey. On June 14, 1919, after several days of rain and snow, the men finally took off. They left from an airfield near St. John’s, Newfoundland and carried

coffee, sandwiches, and candy for refreshment and toy cats as mascots.