Alcock and Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919. They made landfall in Clifden at 8:40 a.m. on 15 June 1919. There was a small amount of mail carried on the flight, making it the first transatlantic airmail flight. They flew a modified WW1 Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John s, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. At 1:45 p.m. on 14 June 1919, the modified Vickers Vimy powered by two Rolls-Royce Eagle 360 hp engines took off from Lester s Field, Newfoundland, Canada. It carried 865 imperial gallons (3,900 L) of fuel on board. The 1890 miles (3040 km) flight took 15 hours 57 minutes at an average speed of 115 mph (185 km/h). Their altitude varied between sea level and 12,000 ft (3,700 m). They made landfall in Clifden at 8:40 a.m. on 15 June 1919 and damaged the aircraft attempting to land on a bog that appeared from the air to be green field. Alcock and Brown flew to Manchester on 17 July 1919, where they were given a civic reception by the Lord Mayor and Corporation and awards to mark their achievement. 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 . The two pilots were awarded the honour of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) a week after the flight by King George V at Windsor Castle. Alcock was killed on 18 December 1919 when he crashed near Rouen whilst flying the new Vickers Viking Amphibian to the Paris air show. Brown died on 4 October 1948.
