![]() Lindbergh emerged as a hero even greater than the beloved Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, and his fame was not confined to the United States. An immense amount of time and thought went into the construction of the Spirit, which in final form was little more than a propeller-driven fuel tank. In truth, luck had little to do with Lindbergh’s achievement. ![]() A crowd of more than 100,000 cheering Frenchmen welcomed the new hero, who was variously dubbed by the world press as “Lucky Lindy” or the “Lone Eagle.” ![]() ![]() He completed the 3,600-mile journey in 33 hours and 32 minutes and landed at Le Bourget Field outside Paris at 10 p.m. Once under way, his prime concerns were avoiding ice build-up on the wings, keeping his bearings and staying awake. He departed from Roosevelt Field on Long Island at 7:52 a.m., successfully getting his plane into the air - no mean feat given the weight of the fuel. Several aviators were on the verge of attempting the transatlantic crossing in the spring of 1927, but Charles Lindbergh seized the opportunity when unexpectedly favorable weather appeared on May 20. Louis as a single-engine, one-man aircraft every effort was made to avoid amenities in order to maximize the amount of space available for fuel storage.ĭuring the development and testing phases of Lindbergh’s venture, he became a well-known public figure, flying the Spirit from California to New York, and setting new speed and distance records in the process. Lindbergh took a minimal view and constructed the Spirit of St. The other aspirants concentrated on developing large two- or three-engine airplanes that could carry multi-person crews. He decided to enter the competition and attracted financial support from a group of local businessmen. Byrd, the famed polar explorer* several were injured and killed in their attempts to claim the prize.Ĭharles Lindbergh had been commissioned in the Air Corps Reserve in 1925 and worked for four years as an air mail pilot operating out of St. A number of famed aviators and adventurers accepted the challenge, including Admiral Richard E. Orteig was a great airplane enthusiast and offered a prize of $25,000 for the first flight to be completed nonstop between New York and France. Post Office had contracted with a number of firms to transport the mails by air, but still regarded the program as experimental.Īn important force in changing attitudes toward flight was found in Raymond Orteig, a New York restaurateur of French descent. Many influential officers stoutly resisted the pleas from Billy Mitchell and a handful of others who believed that the future of warfare would be closely linked to the airplane. In the military realm, the record of the air force in World War I had not won universal admiration. Human flight was essentially a novelty in the early 1920s, the domain of dashing barnstormers who performed stunts to delight the crowds at county fairs. Young Lindbergh attended the University of Wisconsin for two years before leaving to attend flight school. and served as a liberal Republican congressman from Minnesota (1909-17), notable primarily for his pacifism on the eve of World War I. His father of the same name was known as C.A. Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born in Detroit, Michigan.
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