Charles Lindbergh’s achievement

On 20th May 1927 a small fixed-wing singleengined aeroplane loaded with its maximum capacity of fuel (450 gallons) struggled to get airborne as it bounced down the runway at Roosevelt Field, New York. To avoid extra weight, the parachute, the radio and even the brakes had been removed by themechanic. At last it lifted off, just avoiding some telephone wires, and disappeared into the distance.

Thirty hours later a hundred thousand Parisians lined up at the Le Bourget Airport to wait for the arrival of the plane. It was 10 o’clock at night. Burning lanterns marked out the runway. Then came the low-pitched sound of an engine and a wave of excitement swept through the crowd. The Spirit of St. Louis touched down and rolled to the end of the runway. Out of the plane stepped a tall handsome American – Charles Lindbergh. He’d just become the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic, and he was destined to become one of the most famous men in the world.

GLOSSARY
get airborne – decolar
bounced – “deu um solavanco”
lined up – enfileiraram-se

In “He’d just become the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic, ...”, the underlined word has the same meaning as