The Everest of Aviation Mysteries Still Stands
Seventy-nine years ago, on May 8, 1927, an overloaded airplane
rolled down a runway towards a rendezvous with destiny. It lifted
once, tentatively, then settled, the weight of an unprecedented
fuel load dragging it down. Finally it lifted, to the cheers of
nervous onlookers, and flew off, climbing painfully slowly. The
plane's next landing was to be on the other side of the Atlantic,
claiming the Orteig Prize... but the plane never arrived.