 Lindbergh covered the -hour, flight alone in a purpose-built, single-engine [[Ryan Aeronautical|Ryan]] [[monoplane]], the "[[Spirit of St. Louis]]".Although not the [[Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown|first non-stop transatlantic flight]], this was the first solo [[transatlantic flight]], the first transatlantic flight between two major city hubs, and the longest transatlantic flight by almost 2,000 miles, thus it is widely considered a turning point in the development of aviation.Lindbergh was an officer in the [[United States Army Reserve|U.S.