The early aviators often designed, built and flew their own aeroplanes. In the 1920s and 1930s, daring pioneer aviators set records for distance and speed flying. To make or break a flying record, flights were classified by the type of aircraft, the speed, the distance and the altitude. Some of the world's most famous early aviators were Australians.

On 25 July 1909, the famous French aviator Louis Bleriot (1872-1936) won a prize of 1000 pounds sterling offered by the London Daily Mail newspaper for being the first aviator to fly across the English Channel. He flew across the Channel in a monoplane he had designed and built.

The routes from England to Australia and between Europe and America became tests of endurance for pilots and their aeroplanes. The pioneer aviators had to be physically fit to fly the many hours required for long-distance flying.

Many hours of planning and preparation were needed for these flights. The pioneer aviators needed excellent navigation over the wide expanses of sea was a hit-and-miss affair because there were often no maps available for the area they were flying in.

John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown were famous British aviators. In June 1919, they flew the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Their plane flew from Newfoundland, Canada to Ireland, a journey of 3032 kilometres, in 16 hours and 27 minutes. Their aeroplane, a Vickers Vimy bomber, became stuck in a bog on arriving in Ireland.

In 1919, after Alcock and Whitten Brown's first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, a prize of 25 000 dollars was offered for the first successful flight in either direction between the United States and France. This was almost twice as far as the distance flown by Alcock and Whitten Brown. It was not until 1927 that the prize was claimed by Charles Lindbergh.

Charles Lindbergh made the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Le Bourget Airport, Paris, in May 1927. He covered the distance of 5810 kilometres in 33 1/2 hours through fog, rain and storms. His single-engine Ryan aircraft was named the Spirit of St Louis.

It was a very dangerous journey for one man without a copilot. Lindbergh could not fall asleep or lose concentration for one second. He took only homemade sandwiches to eat. people have him a hero's welcome when he returned to the United States.

Commander Richard Byrd (1888-1957) was a famous American explorer and aviator. In November 1919, he and his crew became the first people to fly over the South Pole in a Ford 4-AT tri-motor aeroplane. Then, in May 1926, Byrad and his crew became the first to fly over the North Pole. They flew their three-engine Fokker aeroplane.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) flew solo across the Atlantic from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, Canada to Culmore, Ireland. The flight lasted over 15 hours. Amelia Earhart became a popular heroine because of her courage and skill and received many awards.

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