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| The Spirit of St. Louis was
built by the Ryan Company of San
Diego, California, for 25-year-old air-mail pilot Charles Lindbergh. He took
off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island,
early on the morning of May 20,1927, in
an attempt to fly solo across the North
Atlantic. To see forward, Lindbergh had
either to turn the airplane or use a
periscope; a gasoline tank was installed
where the windshield normally would
have been. After 33 1/2 hours, Lindbergh
landed at Le Bourget Field, near Paris,
welcomed by the frenzied cheers of
100,000 people. He had flown the At-
lantic alone, the first solo crossing of a
major ocean by air.
| CREW | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 x Wright Which J-5C, 165kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 2380 kg | 5247 lb |
| Empty weight | 975 kg | 2150 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 14.0 m | 46 ft 11 in |
| Length | 8.4 m | 28 ft 7 in |
| Height | 2.5 m | 8 ft 2 in |
| Wing area | 29.7 m2 | 319.69 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 210 km/h | 130 mph |
| Cruise speed | 180 km/h | 112 mph |
| Ceiling | 5000 m | 16400 ft |
| Range | 6600 km | 4101 miles |
| Rocky Slambunk, 03.06.2020 19:10 How did pilot see reply | | Mary McKinley, e-mail, 25.12.2016 22:41 My grandmother and Aunt,who were on a shopping trip,saw Lin bergh and the Spirt fly out of San Diego,on his way back east. reply | | Karol Young, e-mail, 14.07.2016 19:10 My father was a pilot and in his early years (during Linbergh's time) owned and flew a sister ship to the Spirt of St Louis. He repaired and rebuilt many aircraft of that time and well into the 1950's. He was also an FAA inspector. Aviation was his business and I was born into loving and flying with him. If there is anyone out there that might remember R. Leslie Young please let me hear from you. He passed away in 1977. reply | | Augusto Bellanca, e-mail, 11.08.2015 20:33 I agree that Linbergh made a very great solo flight to Paris. But let me tell something you about the technology of Spirit. It wouldn't be compared with Columbia. This plane had a windshield ,more room for the tanks and great control. Future planes would be designed this way from that times. Nobody today imagines planes like Spirit without a windshield in front.
Augusto Bellanca reply |
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| | Kathryn Rahn, e-mail, 13.08.2013 03:09 My grandfather Charles M. Treat flew the sister ship to the Spirit of St. Louis. If anyone knew him or heard of him please email me. I've been trying to find documentation of this for a long time. All we have are family stories. reply | | willis E. Vanderberg, e-mail, 28.02.2013 19:14 In 1955 a friend of mine who was an A&P bought a Ryan B-1 Brougham from I believe Taylor University in Indiana. He flew it to Battle Creek and it was hangered at Midwest Aviation. There was a crack in the nose section of the engine and it leaked oil. We found a J-5 engine in a barn near Coldwater Michigan. We replaced the nose section and found the magneto drive gears were different so we had to change them out for old ones. The mags set on the front of the engine right in the weather. The seating was pilot in front , two passenger seats behind and then two more seats for a total of five. The aircraft was a very good flier and very stable once in trim. She was sold to TallMantz Aviation to make the Movie about Lindbergh and was wrecked in Nova Scotia as I recall. reply | | Bill McIntosh, e-mail, 21.01.2013 22:31 Ryan had several aircfaft that proceeded the NYP. The Ryan M-1 was developed to carry airmail along the west coast of USA. One of these aircraft still exists and is on exhibit at the Seattle Museum of flight. The M-1 was succeded by the M-2 and the Brougham. The NYP airplane was a takeoff of these two aircraft, but even some comparison can be made with the M-1. reply | | David Engleheart, e-mail, 03.06.2012 04:51 When Condor circled the globe nonstop in early 90s it had enough fuel to fly on to NY when it landed at Edwards. Lindbergh had enough fuel to fly on to Prague.Hadn't heard about the oil.
He and Ryan detailed out the mods for the Ryan monoplane on a table napkin in St Louis according to one story - and those mods were used in the final design. His book 'WE' is a little more biographical than Spirit of St Louis and very worth reading. Yep, Ride on the Wind with Jimmy Stewart in 1958 helped turn me into a young airplane buff.I dug it up for my kid when she was a teen. 'West with the night'by pioneer 30's female flier Beryl Markham is a must read for flier fans. I am gonna go flip the prop. reply | | Jean Ann, e-mail, 03.03.2012 20:18 Where is The Spirit of Saint Louis now? reply | | Bill Webb, Indiana, e-mail, 27.03.2011 16:40 The Spirit has always been my favorite airplane. My mother told of how everyone waited excidiedly for news of rather or not Linburg made it. They didn't know for sure until 3 days later. Living in rural Michigan the news took longer to arrive. Loved the movie with Jimmy Stewert. I've read a lot about the plane and never read alything about engine trouble. The Wright was a very reliable engine. I made and flew a Spirit with 5 ft. wingspan in R /C. Very stable with a long gluide angle. Used a 0.65 4 stroke engine. reply | | Paul E. Nichols, e-mail, 24.01.2011 08:55 For A Henson Re: A similar looking ship as Lindbergh's.
In 1928 at Eddy Martin's airport (Now Orange County airport, Calif.) I was taken for a ride in the sister ship of the Spirit of Saint Louis as a babe in the arms of my mother along with my father. It fits the description you give. The aircraft was on tour selling rides on the wave of Lindbergh's publicity. reply | | A. Henson, e-mail, 10.01.2011 21:17 I have an old snapshot from wife's family showing a plane exactly like the Spirit of St.Louis but with the cabin complete and with a windshield. No gas tank. It has a (partly unreadable) banner painted on the rear fuselage ending with "& Transport". Also says Chicago Municipal(?) Airport. Probably taken in the early 1930's in Grand Forks, ND. Definitely a Ryan. but what is it? Anyone know? reply | | bob specht, e-mail, 15.12.2008 21:09 My wifes father Roy Alton Patterson helped prepare the Spirit of St Louis for "Slim" Lindbergh. He worked with Douglas Kelley on the project at Ryan in San Diego and Lindbergh stayed at Kelley's home during the final preparations of the Spirit. Mr. Patterson had both his pilots license and mechanics license signed by Orville Wright. Mr. Kelley and Mr. Patterson were both Fresno, CA natives and built a sister ship called the "Spirit of Fresno" that was found in poor condition on the California coast and has been restored but as of yet have I not seen it. Patterson also worked on the Howard Hughes production of "Hells Angels" as a stunt pilot under Ben Alexander for over a year. He went on to become an air mail pilot for TAC which was absorbed by American where he stayed until he retired in 1966 to work for Walt Disney. There is a CD book with 225 pages available from me if anyone is interested. reply | | Clara Jane, e-mail, 01.02.2008 22:44 I just now got done reading about this in school and i think this is sooooooo cool how that tiny plane was able to fly from New York to Paris!!!!! reply | |
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website: motorhall.tripod.com reply | | Hal Miller, e-mail, 05.01.2007 02:33 Question...It seems to me I read that The Spirit of St. Louis had an oil problem (I think) and that if Lindbergh had not gotten to France when he did he may had serious problems. Do you know anything about this? reply | | Luis M. Moreno, e-mail, 30.03.2007 21:30 A pesar del tiempo transcurrido y de los avances de la aviación, el vuelo Nueva York-Paris de Lindberg en el Spirit of St, Louis es una grán acción dificil de igualar en parecidas condiciones.
Los pilotos siempre lo recordaremos con admiración. reply | | Matthew VanSlambrouck, e-mail, 04.04.2007 04:24 this plane is my favorite plane reply |
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Dear Mr Bellanca, I assume Giuseppe Bellanca was your grandfather (or great-grandfather). I am just a french retired surgeon who loves airplanes and who just began to learn to pilot a few months ago. My wife gave me the book by Lindbergh, The Spirit of St Louis (with the actual signature of Lindbergh). In this book, he explains very well why he didn't fly the Bellanca WB-2: first of all, it was way too expensive for him, and second, Charles Levine wouldn't sell it to him, or at least, didn't want Lindbergh to pilot it. Otherwise, Lindbergh would have flown it to Paris. The Bellanca is obviously another type of airplane: the best proof is that Clarence Chamberlain flew it from New York to Eisleben in Germany, with Levine on board, just three weeks after Lindbergh's flight. And more important, he made the return flight, which is more difficult due to the west winds. But, as you know, history retains primarily the first ones ... The Bellanca WB-2 is actually a beautiful plane. Giuseppe Bellanca severed his ties with Columbia Aircraft partly due to Levine's refusal to Lindbergh to fly the Bellanca. And he has been very successful in building planes, including the first to cross the Pacific Ocean in 1031, as you most certainly know.
With kind regards.
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