The Flight summary

The strength of a pilot greatly depends on the strength of his plane. Lindbergh knew this well, and it’s why he treated the Spirit of St. Louis like his partner, using the word “we” when talking to others about his plans.

Indeed, the Spirit of St. Louis was a special plane. It was designed by aeronautical engineer Don A. Hall, and built specifically for Lindbergh’s transatlantic crossing.

So we know how special the Spirit of St. Louis was, but what made its pilot so exceptional?

Looking at the Lindbergh family tree, we can see a history of ambition and willingness to take chances. Slim’s grandfather, Ola Månsson, arrived in the United States after being chased out of Sweden for fathering an illegitimate child with a teenager named Lovisa Carlen. That child was Slim’s father, Charles August Lindbergh. 

By the end of World War I, aviation was literally and figuratively taking off. With the aid of military manufacturing, planes had been greatly improved and streamlined over the course of the war.

In terms of maneuverability, ailerons had been added, which are the hinged flaps on the back of a wing, and they made controlling the planes far easier than before. Engines also improved, from 80 horsepower, in 1914, to 200 horsepower by the time peace was declared in 1918. And even after the war, aviation kept improving.

At 7:15 p.m. on May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh had been in the air for nearly 12 hours. In fact, he’d just flown over the tip of Newfoundland – the city of St. John’s – which represents the easternmost point of North America.

This was a significant moment for Lindbergh. Night would soon fall and he was about to be looking at a stretch of 2,000 miles of open water. The exhaustion, the lack of light or any discernible landmarks, along with the constant hum of the engine would be enough to lull most anyone to sleep. But, in this case, sleep was synonymous with death.

Just after daybreak, the 16-hour stretch of open water came to a merciful end and Charles Lindbergh spotted a most welcome sight: Ireland’s Dingle Bay. Never before had Lindbergh been so overjoyed to see green fields, farms and people waving up at him. He had plotted his course correctly, the hard part was over and there were just six more hours to go until Paris.

While Lindbergh could now navigate by sight, it didn’t mean there weren’t more hurdles to clear. After Ireland, the Spirit of St. Louis flew over England and the Channel, and then Lindbergh followed the Seine all the way from Le Havre to Paris. But by the time he reached Paris, the darkness of night had once again fallen around his plane. 

A week after he landed in Paris, Lindbergh embarked on a different ordeal altogether: a European press tour. 

Before Lindbergh returned home, he became the first American to receive the French Légion d'Honneur, or Legion of Honor, which is given for bravery and considered the highest honor awarded by France.