Flight of the NC-4: Triumph over the Atlantic

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The hard-luck crew of the NC-4 flying boat bettered storms, howling winds, an angry sea, and cantankerous engines to be the first airplane to cross the Atlantic

From the dawn of powered flight in 1903, the development of heavier-than-air flying machines infused men's souls with the possibility of exploring distant vistas which would link the world in a vast airborne transportation network. While aviation got off to a crude beginning with slow, difficult-to-fly aircraft that were little more than powered kites, it nevertheless enjoyed significant strides of aeronautical development in the first decade thanks to the dedication of the early pioneers. Foremost in this endeavor was the …