On this day 4 May 1969

The race was held between the 4 and 11 May 1969, although named an air race it was actually a race of individuals between the Empire State Building in New York to the Post Office Tower in London. Each of the individuals or "runners" had to use some form of air transport.

The Royal Navy entered three "runners" each to be flown across the Atlantic in a McDonnell Douglas Phantom of 892 Squadron.

On 4 May, Lieutenant Commander Doug Borrowman and Lieutenant Paul Waterhouse beat the world record for West-East flying time by 26 minutes.

On 7 May, Lieutenant Alan Hickling, the pilot, and Lieutenant Hugh Drake, the Observer, broke the new W-E world record with a time of 4 hours 53 minutes and 6 seconds.

On 11 May 1969, pilot Lieutenant Commander Brian Davies AFC RN set up a new world air speed record between New York (flying from the Floyd Bennet Naval Air Station) and London (landing at Wisley Aerodrome) with a time of 4 hours 46 minutes and 57 seconds. It was the third time during the 8 days of the race that this point to point transatlantic record had been broken by a Naval Phantom. The aircraft's Observer, and 'runner', Lieutenant Commander Peter Goddard, achieved the fastest overall time in the Race getting from the top of the Empire State Building to the top of the Post Office Tower in 5 hours 11 minutes.

The full flying team for the Daily Mail Trans-Atlantic Air Race was, from the left:

Lieutenant Commander Douglas Borrowman RN: Lieutenant Alan Hickling RN: Lieutenant Commander Brian Davies AFC RN: Lieutenant Paul Waterhouse RN; Lieutenant Hugh Drake RN: Lieutenant Commander Peter Goddard RN.