After a flight of 33 hours, 30 minutes, 30 seconds, from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York, United States of America, Charles A. Lindbergh lands his Spirit of St. Louis at Le Bourget Aerodrome, Paris, France, at 10:22 p.m. (20:22 G.M.T.), 21 May 1927. He is the first pilot to fly solo, non-stop, across the Atlantic Ocean.
“I circle. Yes, it’s definitely an airport. . . It must be Le Bourget. . . I shift fuel valves to the center wing-tank, sweep my flashlight over the instrument board in a final check, fasten my safety belt, and nose the Spirit of St. Louis down into a gradually descending spiral. . .
“I straighten out my wings and let the throttled engine drag me on beyond the leeward border. Now the steep bank into the wind, and the dive toward the ground. But how strange it is, this descent. I’m wide awake, but the feel of my plane has not returned. . . My movements are mechanical, uncoordinated, as though I were coming down at the end of my first solo. . .
“It’s only a hundred yards to the hangars now — solid forms emerging from the night. I’m too high — too fast. Drop wing — left rudder — sideslip — — — Careful — mustn’t get anywhere near the stall — — — I’ve never landed the Spirit of St. Louis at night before. . . Below the hangar roofs now — — — straighten out — — — A short burst of the engine — — — Over the lighted area — — — Sod coming up to meet me. . . Still too fast — — — Tail too high — — — The wheels touch gently — off again — No, I’ll keep contact — Ease the stick forward — — — Back on the ground — Off — Back — the tail skid too — — — Not a bad landing. . . .”
— The Spirit of St. Louis, by Charles A. Lindbergh, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1953, Pages 489–492.
Lindbergh established a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record for Distance in a Straight Line Without Landing of 5,809 kilometers (3,310 miles). ¹
Over 100,000 people have come to Le Bourget to greet Lindbergh. He has flown the Spirit of St. Louis into history.
¹ FAI Record File Number 14842
© 2019, Bryan R. Swopes
A great day in aviation history for sure. BTW, the photos showing Lindbergh at Le Bourget are actually stills taken during the filming of the Jimmy Stewart movie “The Spirit of St. Louis” first released in 1957.
T.S.
Thank you, Ty, I had wondered about that myself, but nothing in the notes accompanying the photos from the San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives suggests that they are anything but authentic.
The photos showing Lindbergh at Le Bourget are definitely not authentic.
https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Lindbergh-Photographic-Album-Joshua/dp/B000LCGLLE
page 64:
« The original streamlined propeller spinner made by Ryan was removed in St. Louis or fell off in flight after Lindbergh left for New York. While hangared at Curtiss Field a Curtiss metalsmith fabricated a new nose cone. The new spinner did not have the burnishing of the old one but it is the one that made the flight, remained on the Spirit ever since, and now may be seen at the National Air and Space Museum. »
Crack was found in the spinner and replaced I believe in NY.
I am rereading “Spirit if St Louis” today as I do on May 21 when able 🇺🇸
As a photographer, I don’t think the cameras and film of that time would have been able to get a clear photo of the Spirit in flight at all. I go along with the explanation of movie stills 🙂
Possibly so, but the sources, Getty Images and the San Diego Air & Space Museum, are credible and reliable.