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British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919.〔http://www.aviation-history.com/airmen/alcock.htm〕 They flew a modified First World War Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The Secretary of State for Air, Winston Churchill, presented them with the ''Daily Mail'' prize for the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 'less than 72 consecutive hours'. There was also a small amount of mail carried on the flight, making it the first transatlantic airmail flight. The two aviators were awarded the honour of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) a week later by King George V at Windsor Castle. ==Background== John Alcock was born in 1892 in Basford House on Seymour Grove, Firswood, Manchester, England. Known to his family and friends as "Jack", he first became interested in flying at the age of seventeen and gained his pilot's licence in November 1912. Alcock was a regular competitor in aircraft competitions at Hendon in 1913-14. He became a military pilot during World War I and was taken prisoner in Turkey after the engines on his Handley Page bomber failed over the Gulf of Xeros. After the war, Alcock wanted to continue his flying career and took up the challenge of attempting to be the first to fly directly across the Atlantic. Arthur Whitten Brown was born in Glasgow in 1886 to American parents, and shortly afterwards the family moved to Manchester. Known to his family and friends as "Teddie", he began his career in engineering before the outbreak of World War I. Brown also became a prisoner of war, after being shot down over Germany. Once released and back in Britain, Brown continued to develop his aerial navigation skills. In April 1913 the London newspaper ''The Daily Mail'' offered a prize of £10,000〔Nevin, David. "Two Daring Flyers Beat the Atlantic before Lindbergh." ''Journal of Contemporary History 28: (1) 1993, 105.〕 to The competition was suspended with the outbreak of war in 1914 but reopened after Armistice was declared in 1918.〔 During his imprisonment Alcock had resolved to fly the Atlantic one day, and after the war he approached the Vickers engineering and aviation firm at Weybridge, who had considered entering their Vickers Vimy IV twin-engined bomber in the competition but had not yet found a pilot. Alcock's enthusiasm impressed the Vickers' team and he was appointed as their pilot. Work began on converting the Vimy for the long flight, replacing the bomb racks with extra petrol tanks.〔Cooksley, Peter G. ‘Alcock, Sir John William (1892–1919)’, in (''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' ) (Oxford University Press, 2004), online ed., Jan 2011; accessed 16 June 2012.〕 Shortly afterwards Brown, who was unemployed, approached Vickers seeking a post and his knowledge of long distance navigation convinced them to take him on as Alcock's navigator.〔Shepherd, E. C. ‘Brown, Sir Arthur Whitten (1886–1948)’, rev. Peter G. Cooksley, in (''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' ) (Oxford University Press, 2004), online ed., Jan 2011; accessed 16 June 2012.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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