In 1926, Lindbergh began preparations for taking on the challenge of flying nonstop from New York to Paris.
The first order of business was designing a plane; as he describes in Autobiography of Values: “I thought it was a mistake to build a multiengine plane… especially when the route lay across the ocean. A single-engine plane would have greater range, and it seemed to me it would offer its pilot greater safety.” (Lindbergh, 70) Clearly Charles had a strategy for accomplishing what seemed to be an impossible feat, another reason he was likely successful in his endeavor. Even with his insight into crafting a sturdy plane capable of long-distance flight, he ran into the most frustrating problem of all: financing. Charles was able to invest $2,000 of his own money into building the plane, however was fortunate enough to secure the remainder from seven St. Louis (hence the name The Spirit of St. Louis) businessmen, including Harold Bixby, who was the one responsible for convincing bankers in St. Louis to providing financing to Robertson Aircraft Corporation for the mail line Lindbergh was a part of for the previous year. In total, $15,000 was raised to cover all expenses involved in preparation for the flight.
In February 1927, Lindbergh signed a contract with Ryan Airlines in San Diego to construct the plane. He was promised the plane would be ready for test flights within 60 days, and sure enough, Lindbergh reports in Autobiography of Values that he conducted the first test flight in The Spirit of St. Louis exactly sixty days after he placed the order for the plane. The first test flight was from San Diego to St. Louis, which Lindbergh completed nonstop overnight. While the initial intention for Lindbergh was to stay in St. Louis for a celebration with his investors, he had received intel that several other parties were attempting the Atlantic crossing, so all involved decided it was in Lindbergh’s best interest to continue forward with his travel. Charles flew to New York, and arrived May 12, 1927. He was genuinely surprised to discover upon arrival that journalists were present to greet him and obtain interviews. As he alludes to in Autobiography of Values, “It was part of my project. It would draw public attention to aviation. It would increase my personal influence and earning capacity. I found it exhilarating to see my name in print on the front pages of America’s greatest newspapers…” (Lindbergh, 74) Even before the days of social media, Lindbergh understood the importance of presentation to the public of his objectives and desire to promote an endeavor he was extremely passionate about.
Charles remained in New York for almost a week and a half simply due to complications with weather, however caught a break on May 20, 1927 when the weather along the coast cleared up sooner than expected. Lindbergh was in for the longest flight of his life, as he only had one hour of sleep before takeoff! At 7:54 A.M. local time, Lindbergh departed from Curtiss Field (now known as Roosevelt Field) on Long Island, New York on a 3,600-mile flight, running on one hour of sleep…
I don’t believe I need to discuss the psychology of sleep deprivation (as we have all gone with a lack of sleep), but it seemed to rear its ugly head on Lindbergh as he alludes to in Autobiography of Values, specifically how “I felt strangely apart from my body in the plane” (Lindbergh, 9) and how the flight was the only time in his life “…when I saw and conversed with ghosts.” (Lindbergh, 10) When you are sleep deprived, your brain must compensate, which in turn causes you to hallucinate and have bizarre thoughts, so the next time this happens to you and you have not been diagnosed with a serious mental illness don’t panic! Just know you need sleep… By the time Lindbergh made it across the Atlantic Ocean and laid his eyes upon Ireland, “the wish for sleep had left… I was too exhilarated by my landfall to continue being sleepy…” (Lindbergh, 78)
On May 21, 1927 at approximately 10:30 P.M. (the local time in Paris), Charles Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Airport with 150,000 spectators present to greet him upon his arrival. He had flown the span of 3,610 miles, which was certified as a world record! Lindbergh himself admits he was unprepared for the adulation he received upon his arrival, and would continue to receive throughout much of his life: “Even the eight days on Curtiss Field… had not prepared me for the world-wide interest and tremendous publicity my successful landing at Paris caused.” (Lindbergh, 79)
*If you are interested in learning more about the infamous flight, I highly recommend reading “We” and “The Spirit of St. Louis”, Lindbergh’s two other books specifically written about the flight (I have not read either, as the focus of this profile is on his entire life not just the flight, but I have heard they are great!). I would also recommend watching The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), a film staring Jimmy Stewart (playing Lindbergh) about the flight (I watched this, and thoroughly enjoyed it; even though Jimmy was a little more than 20 years older than Lindbergh was at the time of the flight, I was convinced he was Lindbergh)
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