Sunday, May 22, 1927, front page: Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic

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WORLD REJOICES AS YANKEE FLYER CROSSES SEA

Frenzied French Populace Fights To Honor Lindbergh

(By the Associated Press)

A new epoch in aviation has been inaugurated.

Charlie Lindbergh, of Little Falls, Minn., landed at LeBourget, France, at 5:25 p. m. (eastern daylight time) yesterday, in one record-smashing jump from Roosevelt field, New York.

"Well, here we are," was his greeting to the enthusiasm-maddened crowds.

Unaccompanied, Lindbergh drove his plane, "The Spirit of St. Louis," over the nearly 4000-mile air track, clipping about two hours and a half off the most optimistic time allowance.

The world's imagination was fired by his exploit.

Spontaneous celebrations in scores of cities both here and abroad lasted far into the night; President Coolidge and executives of other nations flashed their congratulations and these were supplemented by the thousands from other individuals publicly prominent.

At Detroit, Charles' mother relaxed her steadily maintained attitude of silent confidence and through tears of joy declared his victory was "all that mattered."

AIRMAN CAUGHT FROM PLANE BY CHEERING CROWD

"Flying Fool" Goes to Sleep on His Feet After Leaving Ship

AFRAID OF "SANDMAN"

Declines Interview Except to Tell of Efforts to Keep Awake

PARIS, May 21 (AP) ─ Capt. Charles Lindbergh, the young American aviator, who hopped off from New York yesterday morning all alone in his monoplane, arrived in Paris tonight, safe and sound, as every one hoped he would.

The sandy-haired son of the middle west dropped down out of the darkness at LeBourget flying field, a few miles from Paris at 10:21 o'clock tonight (5:21 p. m. New York time), only 33½ hours after leaving Long Island ─ the first man in history to go from New York to Paris without changing his seat.

"It wasn't such a bad trip," he said, later at the American embassy. "I ran into some snow and ice in the early part; the rest wasn't so bad.

"The biggest trouble was staying awake. I went to sleep several times, but was lucky enough to wake myself right away. I was afraid of the sandman all the time."

Computing the distance as 3800 miles, his speed averaged around 113 miles an hour.

To Paris, to France, to America, to the world, his landing tonight made him the greatest of heroes mankind has produced since the air became a means of travel.