# 10 The Lone Eagle
Could you stay awake for 33½ hours? That's a long time. Not even a few seconds to doze are allowed. The "Lone Eagle" did it. Who is he? He is Charles A. Lindbergh.
It was spring 1927. The grassy field was soaked with rain. The tires were sinking into the turf. The plane was loaded with tons of gasoline. It was just enough to get to Paris.
The Lone Eagle gunned the engine to get maximum power. He knew the plane was heavy with gas. The soggy turf would make it hard to gain take-off speed.
The Lone Eagle waved a signal. The wheel blocks were jerked away. The plane lurched forward. The soggy turf did not let go easily. Would he gain enough speed? Would there be enough runway? The trees at the end were already close—too close.
It was too late to stop. He pulled the stick back hard. Luckily the plane lifted. The wheels skimmed the top leaves. Prayerful cheers of relief rose from the ground crew. The Lone Eagle quickly waved. He turned northward. First he crossed Long Island Sound. Then he headed to Labrador. The plane was to fly over land as long as possible. Just in case.
Then it was all water. He was over the North Atlantic. Ice formed on his wings. The Lone Eagle skimmed the waves. It was warmer there. The ice melted.
Thirty-three hours passed. He saw the lights of Paris. He circled. Over 100,000 people crowded the airstrip. He circled again. He found a clear airstrip. He landed. A battalion of police moved in. They had to keep the wild crowd at bay. Everyone wanted to see the hero. He was the first to fly across the ocean alone.
# 10 孤鷹
你能保持清醒33.5小時嗎？那是一段很長的時間。連打盹幾秒鐘都不允許。「孤鷹」做到了。他是誰？他就是查爾斯·A·林白。
那是1927年春天。草地因雨水而濕透。輪胎陷入草皮中。飛機裝載了數噸汽油。剛好足夠飛到巴黎。
孤鷹加大油門以獲得最大動力。他知道飛機因燃油而沉重。濕軟的草皮將使飛機難以獲得起飛速度。
孤鷹揮手發出信號。輪擋被猛地拉開。飛機向前猛衝。濕軟的草皮不容易放開飛機。他能獲得足夠的速度嗎？跑道夠長嗎？盡頭的樹木已經很近了——太近了。
現在停下來為時已晚。他用力向後拉操縱桿。幸運的是飛機起飛了。輪子掠過樹梢。地勤人員發出如祈禱般寬慰的歡呼聲。孤鷹迅速揮手。他轉向北飛。首先他飛越長島海峽。然後他前往拉布拉多。飛機要盡可能長時間在陸地上空飛行。以防萬一。
然後全是水域。他在北大西洋上空。機翼上結了冰。孤鷹掠過浪花飛行。那裡比較溫暖。冰融化了。
三十三個小時過去了。他看到了巴黎的燈光。他盤旋著。超過十萬人擠滿了機場。他再次盤旋。他找到了一條空曠的跑道。他降落了。一個營的警察進場。他們必須控制住狂熱的人群。每個人都想見這位英雄。他是第一個獨自飛越大洋的人。