Arthur Whitten Brown

Sir Arthur Whitten Brown KBE (23 July 1886 – 4 October 1948) was a Scottish aviator. He was the navigator of the first successful non-stop transatlantic flight.

Arthur Whitten Brown was born in Glasgow. He began his career in engineering before the outbreak of the First World War. In 1914, he enlisted in the British Army and the following year obtained a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps as an observer. After being shot down and badly wounded over Germany on 10 November 1915, Brown became a prisoner of war. Once released and back in the United Kingdom, Brown continued to develop his aerial navigation skills. He became a Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force and while visiting the engineering firm of Vickers he was asked if he would be the navigator for the proposed transatlantic flight, partnering John Alcock, who had already been chosen as pilot.

The flight from St John's, Newfoundland to Clifden, Connemara, Ireland took place on 14 June 1919. They departed St John's at 1.45 p.m. local time, and landed in Derrygimla bog 16 hours and 12 minutes later after flying 1980 miles. The flight was made in a modified Vickers Vimy bomber, and won a £10,000 prize offered by London's "Daily Mail" newspaper for the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic.

A few days after the flight both Alcock and Brown were knighted by King George V.

Brown worked then as an engineer for the Vickers company, and settled in Wales. He died on 4 October 1948 in Swansea.

ee also

* Alcock and Brown
* Transatlantic flight