'David Rooney is an expert storyteller with a big heart, capturing not only the perils faced by the intrepid airmen who attempted the flight, but also their humanity' JOHN LANCASTER, author of The Great Air Race

Newfoundland, 1919. Buffeted by winds, an unwieldy aircraft – made mainly from wood and stiff linen – struggled to take off from the North American island’s rocky slopes. Cramped side by side in its open cockpit were two men, freezing cold and barely able to move but resolute. They had a dream: to be the first in human history to fly, non-stop, across the Atlantic Ocean. But there were three other teams competing against them, and as the waves raged a few miles below, memories of wartime crashes resurfaced . . .

It was just over six months since the ‘War to End all Wars’ had come to its close. Between them, the seven young aviators who would get off the ground for the transatlantic race had already defied death many times. Mining letters, diaries and evocative unpublished photographs, David Rooney’s deeply researched account of the audacious contest shows how it was the airmen’s thrilling wartime experiences that ultimately led them to the ‘Big Hop’, and brought old friends together for one more daring adventure.

These Atlantic pioneers weren’t scientists or stoical upper-class officers. They were ordinary, working men, risking their lives in the name of progress. Unjustly forgotten by history, they nonetheless paved the way for the Earharts and Lindberghs who came after – and ushered in the age of global connection in which we live now.

A non-stop flight across the Atlantic might seem routine today; almost a chore. But it is only possible because of those who went first.

‘The Big Hop is a fabulous book. It works on every level, balancing technological know-how with superb characterisation. A gripping read.’ * Jacky Hyams, author of Hurricane *
'Enchanting ... Blends biography and scientific history in nimble measure. ... [A] very fine book' * Unseen Histories *
“I haven’t been so under the spell of a book about dangerous journeys since reading David Grann’s spectacular The Wager … Rooney comes into his own as a master of suspense … a sure-footed combination of technical detail, lively characterisation and artful narrative structure that keeps the tension going until the final pages … a splendid book' -- Miranda Seymour * Literary Review *
[An] excellent book…[The Big Hop] consists of colourful biographical sketches of the aviators who took part in the competition and thrilling accounts of their efforts * Daily Mail *
The Big Hop is a delectable serving of escapist nostalgia, a heroic adventure story perfect for a time when genuine heroes are few… [a] wonderful book… [and] a joy to read * The Times, *Book of the Week* *
Rooney’s previous book was also nonfiction, but The Big Hop reminded me of a John Buchan novel. Rooney has Buchan’s knack for acute imagery and for spare, compelling action scenes… There may be some risk of air sickness reading Rooney– but there is no danger of boredom * Observer *
The Big Hop brings some unsung heroes to centre stage… recounted by Rooney with page-turning panache * Times Literary Supplement *
The Big Hop is a glorious romp through an overlooked part of aviation history, stuffed full of intriguing characters and white-knuckle courage * Sunday Times, *Summer Reads of 2025* *
'Riveting … The Big Hop restores the 1919 achievement of those two young men, Alcock and Brown, to their rightful place in aviation history' * Wall Street Journal *
'Rooney’s description of the crossing has all the panache of a Boy’s Own story' * History Today *

David Rooney is a historian and museum curator. Born in north-east England, he moved to London in 1995 to take a traineeship at the Science Museum, where he first encountered the aeroplane that completed the Big Hop in 1919. Over an almost thirty-year career, David has curated timekeeping, transport and engineering collections at institutions from the National Maritime Museum to the Science Museum, bringing historical stories vividly alive. He is the author of About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks (2021), which has been translated into eleven languages.

About The Big Hop, David says: ‘It is 30 years since I first walked beneath the canvas wings of an ungainly biplane and wondered what must have possessed two young men to fly it across the Atlantic. Writing this book is my way of paying tribute to the pioneers of aviation – men and women from all walks of life – who risked everything: for freedom, for progress, and for us.’