Charles Lindbergh Oversees Construction of the Spirit of St. Louis in San Diego
Charles Lindbergh Oversees Construction of the Spirit of St. Louis in San Diego
In a small factory on the waterfront in San Diego, 25-year-old airmail pilot Charles Lindbergh spent another long day alongside chief engineer Donald Hall at Ryan Airlines, overseeing the construction of a custom-built monoplane they called the Spirit of St. Louis. Funded by a group of St. Louis businessmen, the single-engine aircraft was being designed specifically for a nonstop solo flight from New York to Paris — a feat no one had yet accomplished. The $25,000 Orteig Prize awaited the first aviator to make the crossing.
Why It Mattered
Lindbergh’s successful flight on May 20–21, 1927 — 33.5 hours alone over the Atlantic — became one of the most celebrated achievements of the 20th century and ignited the modern aviation industry.
Then vs Now
In 1927, crossing the Atlantic by air was a death-defying gamble. Today, over 100,000 transatlantic flights operate annually, carrying millions of passengers in pressurized comfort.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 1927