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Read this article about two American heroes. Then answer questions.

Lucky Byrd Instead of Lucky Lindy

by Carlo Lee Suson

Charles Lindbergh became a hero in 1927 by being the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. However, he would not have succeeded except for the help of another great hero, Richard E. Byrd.
Lindbergh and many other pilots were competing for the Orteig Prize, given to the first man to fly nonstop between New York and Paris. Byrd was not interested in the prize. He simply wanted to prove that transatlantic cargo flights were possible.
Byrd first applied for permission from the Navy to fly military planes across the ocean in 1918. The Navy turned him down, but Byrd kept planning. During this time, he developed two important flight instruments: the bubble sextant and the drift indicator. The bubble sextant indicates a pilot's position without reference to land; the drift indicator helps pilots know how far off they have moved from their original path. These tools are so valuable that similar designs are used in all ocean-going aircraft today.
Byrd's transatlantic dream came true in 1927. With money from his supporter, Rodman Wanamaker, Byrd rented Roosevelt Field in Hempstead, Long Island, and bought the Ford tri-motor airplane, America. Roosevelt Field was only a one-mile, lumpy meadow. Byrd had the ground leveled and at one end built a small 30-foot hill and launch ramp to give the planes extra speed.
His flight was set for late April 1927. But during a practice run, the plane crashed, injuring all four men. Several weeks passed while the plane was rebuilt and the crew mended.
Meanwhile, several pilots, including Lindbergh, flocked to the little airstrip to join the competition. Although pressured by public opinion, Byrd did not hurry his test flights because his effort was for scientific knowledge, not to win a race. He conducted classes in navigation for the young pilots and allowed them the use of his rented airfield.
When Lindbergh started his famous flight on May 20, 1927, Byrd drove to the strip to wish him luck. Thirty-three and a half hours later, news of Lindbergh's landing in Paris was announced during the America's naming ceremony speeches. Byrd tossed his speech away and changed the ceremony into a celebration.
Although Lindbergh proved transatlantic flights were possible, Byrd still felt someone needed to prove that such ocean flights were not daredevil stunts but practical cargo routes. Lindbergh and others used small, single-engine planes because the pilots knew how they performed in the air. Byrd's tri-motor plane was larger and heavier, but it could handle a large cargo. However, very little was known about how the larger machine performed in the air.
When America took off at 3 A.M. on June 29, it carried four men and 800 pounds of mail. Whereas Lindbergh had fairly clear weather, Byrd flew through almost constant storms and fog. After forty-four hours, they arrived in Paris, but the plane could not land because fog covered the city. They circled for a half hour before turning back to the coast. They crash landed in the water to avoid hitting any buildings. All four men and the mailbags made it to shore at Ver-sur-Mer on rubber rafts.   
Although Byrd is not known as the first to cross the Atlantic his flight definitely proved that cargo planes could go between the two continents even in bad weather. However, it is important to note that Lindbergh may not have been successful without the airstrip improvements, equipment, lessons, and support provided by Byrd. In the spirit of cooperation, these two great men worked together to overcome enormous difficulties to each earn his place in history.

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