Paul Redfern

Paul Redfern (24 February 1902 – August 1927?) was an American musician and pilot. In August 1927, Redfern became the first person to fly solo across the Caribbean Sea and the first to fly nonstop from North to South America He has never been found or heard from since he was observed flying inland over Venezuela. Redfern's flight was twelve weeks after Charles Lindbergh made his historic flight from New York to Paris. In 1929, Lindbergh came close to skimming the sands of the Sea Island, Georgia, beach Redfern took off from and dropped carnations in his fellow flyer's honor. If Redfern had reached his final destination, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, his 4,600-mile (4,000 nmi; 7,400 km) flight would have outdistanced Lindbergh. Redfern had an alternative landing site (Recife) planned if his fuel ran too low, but it is unknown whether he pursued that alternative or decided to continue on to Rio, where thousands awaited his arrival, including the President of Brazil and movie star Clara Bow.