Special
Today On May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh completed the First Solo, Nonstop Transatlantic Flight in History, Flying his Spirit of St. Louis from Long Island, New York To. Paris, France.
The Transatlantic Flight
In 1919 New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig offered a $25,000 prize for the completion of the first nonstop flight between New York and Paris. Early in 1927, Charles Lindbergh obtained the backing of nine St. Louis investors to compete for the prize. Lindbergh contacted Ryan Airlines in San Diego to build an airplane for the flight. To honor his supporters, he named it the Spirit of St. Louis. When he successfully reached Paris, Lindbergh became a world hero who would remain in the public eye for decades. His flight touched off the "Lindbergh boom" in aviation—aircraft industry stocks rose in value, and interest in flying skyrocketed
Who Was Charles Lindbergh?
Charles Lindbergh first became interested in flight after World War I and became a barnstorming pilot in the Midwest. In 1924 he enlisted in the Army Air Service and became a reserve officer in the Missouri National Guard. The next year he was hired as chief pilot for the Robertson Aircraft Corporation, which flew the air mail between St. Louis and Chicago.
Charles Lindbergh first became interested in flight after World War I and became a barnstorming pilot in the Midwest. In 1924 he enlisted in the Army Air Service and became a reserve officer in the Missouri National Guard. The next year he was hired as chief pilot for the Robertson Aircraft Corporation, which flew the air mail between St. Louis and Chicago.
Lindbergh's historic solo transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louisin 1927 changed the face of aviation and brought him international honors and acclaim. His subsequent air tours in the Spirit of St. Louisof the United States and Latin America, and his work as an advisor for Pan American Airways and Transcontinental Air Transport, helped establish U.S. transcontinental and intercontinental air route systems.
Spirit of St. Louis
The Spirit of St. Louis was a highly modified Ryan M-2 monoplane built specially for Lindbergh's solo transatlantic flight. "NYP" stands for "New York-Paris." Lindbergh named the plane in honor of his supporters in St. Louis, Missouri, who paid for the aircraft.
Smithsonian Institution Photo
SI2001-2949, Eric LongThis dramatic photograph is of the Spirit of St. Louis as it hangs in the west end of the National Air and Space Museum during the refurbishment of the Milestones of Flight gallery in 2000 and 2001.
Wingspan: 14 m (46 ft)
Length: 8 m (27 ft 8 in)
Height: 3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Weight, gross: 2,330 kg (5,135 lb)
Weight, empty: 975 kg (2,150 lb)
Engine: Wright Whirlwind J-5C, 223 hp
Manufacturer: Ryan Airlines Co., San Diego, Calif., 1927
Length: 8 m (27 ft 8 in)
Height: 3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Weight, gross: 2,330 kg (5,135 lb)
Weight, empty: 975 kg (2,150 lb)
Engine: Wright Whirlwind J-5C, 223 hp
Manufacturer: Ryan Airlines Co., San Diego, Calif., 1927
Source - Pioneers Of Flight
