Along with John Alcock, Whitten-Brown was the first to make a transatlantic flight. They made their flight in 1919.
Whitten-Brown was born in Glasgow in 1886. He began his career in engineering before the outbreak of WWI. Like Alcock, Brown was also shot down and became a prisoner of war. Once released and back in Britain, He continued flying and while visiting the engineering firm of Vickers, he was asked to be the navigator for the proposed transatlantic flight, for which Alcock had already been chosen pilot.