Weatherwatch: How the weather affected early flight record attempts | Air transport

In September 1926, the French pilot René Fonck set out on a daring attempt to make the first crossing from New York to Paris in an aircraft, piloting a custom-built Sikorsky S-35.

John Alcock and Arthur Brown had flown the shorter distance from Newfoundland, Canada, to County Galway, Ireland, seven years earlier. That was in June, when good weather was expected, but the aviators encountered dense fog and freezing temperatures in an eventful but successful flight.

Fonck might have waited until spring, but Alcock and Brown had shown that Atlantic weather was unreliable even in summer and rival teams were preparing to fly.

The weather was clear on the day, but conditions on the runway were difficult. Fonck’s heavy S-35 had trouble reaching take-off speed on the unpaved, rutted surface. Unable to brake, Fonck overran the runway, went down an embankment, and the plane burst into flames. Fonck survived, but two other crew members did not.

Eight months later, Charles Lindbergh also struggled with take-off from a muddy runway sodden after a week of rain. His plane, the Spirit of St Louis, was not as heavy, but barely cleared telephone wires after take-off.

Thirty-three hours and some turbulence later, Lindbergh landed in Paris where he was greeted by more than 100,000 people. Non-stop transatlantic travel was finally a reality – weather permitting.