Curtiss NC-4Curtiss NC 4 flying boat airplane model. The NC flying boats were designed as aircraft that could fly across the Atlantic to the coastlines of Europe and be ready to patrol for German U boats upon arrival. Too late for World War I, the NCs still took up the challenge of traversing the Atlantic by air, and in May 1919, the NC 4 made the first successful transatlantic flight, a milestone in aviation history that brought great acclaim to Naval Aviation.