Spirit of St. Louis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spirit of St. LouisRyan NYP |
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| The Spirit at the National Air and Space Museum. | |
| Role | Long-range aircraft [for record attempt] |
| Manufacturer | Ryan Airlines |
| Designer | Donald A. Hall |
| First flight | April 28, 1927 |
| Retired | April 30, 1928 |
| Produced | 1927 |
| Number built | 1 (not including later replicas and reproductions) |
| Developed from | Ryan M-2 |
| Career | |
| Registration | N-X-211 |
| Owners and operators | Charles Lindbergh |
| Flights | 174 |
| Total hours | 489 hours, 28 minutes |
| Preserved at | National Air and Space Museum |
The Spirit of St. Louis (also known as the Ryan NYP) was a special airplane. It had one engine and one seat. Charles Lindbergh flew it alone on May 20–21, 1927. This was the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He flew from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France. Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize for this amazing flight.
Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Airfield in Garden City, New York. He landed 33 hours and 30 minutes later at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in Paris. The flight covered about 3,600 miles (5,800 km). The Spirit is one of the most famous airplanes ever. Ryan Airlines in San Diego, California, built it. Benjamin Franklin Mahoney owned Ryan Airlines at that time. Today, the Spirit is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.. You can see it in the Milestones of Flight gallery.
Contents
Building the Spirit
The airplane was officially called the "Ryan NYP." This stood for New York to Paris. Donald A. Hall from Ryan Airlines designed it. Lindbergh named it "Spirit of St. Louis" to thank his supporters. These supporters were from the St. Louis Raquette Club in St. Louis, Missouri.
To save time, the NYP was based on Ryan's 1926 Ryan M-2 mail plane. The main difference was the NYP could fly much farther, about 4,000-mile (6,400 km). Because it was a special design, the government gave it the registration number N-X-211. The "N-X" meant it was "experimental." Donald Hall wrote down all the design details. This information is in Lindbergh's 1953 book, The Spirit of St. Louis.
B.F. "Frank" Mahoney and Claude Ryan started Ryan Airlines in 1925. Mahoney bought Ryan's share in 1926. Hawley Bowlus was the factory manager. He watched over the building of the Ryan NYP. Mahoney was the only owner when Donald A. Hall was hired.
The Spirit was built in San Diego to win the $25,000 Orteig Prize. This prize was for the first nonstop flight between New York and Paris. Hall and the Ryan Airlines team worked closely with Lindbergh. They designed and built the Spirit in just 60 days. Mahoney agreed to build the plane for $6,000. He said he would not make a profit. He offered the engine and other parts at cost.
In early 1927, Lindbergh was a U.S. Air Mail pilot. He knew Ryan's planes were good. He asked if they could build a plane for a nonstop flight to Paris. Mahoney was away, but Ryan replied that they could build a bigger plane in about three months. Lindbergh needed it faster because of other pilots trying for the prize. Mahoney then promised to finish it in two months.
Lindbergh arrived in San Diego on February 23. He met Mahoney, Bowlus, Hall, and sales manager A. J. Edwards. Mahoney offered to build the Spirit for $10,580. He promised to deliver it in 60 days. Lindbergh paid $2,000 from his savings as an Air Mail pilot. The rest of the money came from the Spirit of St. Louis Organization.
Lindbergh trusted the team. He said, "I believe in Hall's ability; I like Mahoney's enthusiasm. I have confidence in the character of the workmen I've met." He then told his supporters in St. Louis to approve the deal. They quickly agreed.
Mahoney kept his promise. The team worked only on this plane, with Lindbergh's help. They finished the Spirit of St. Louis 60 days after Lindbergh arrived. It had a Wright Whirlwind J-5C 223-hp radial engine. Its wingspan was 14 meters (46 feet). This was 3 meters (10 feet) longer than the M-1. The longer wings helped carry a lot of fuel, 1,610 liters (425 gallons). In his 1927 book We, Lindbergh praised the builders. He included a photo of "The Men Who Made the Plane."
How the Spirit Was Designed
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Lindbergh thought that having many engines meant more chances for something to go wrong. He believed a single-engine plane would fly farther. The Spirit of St. Louis was also very modern and smooth. This helped it use less fuel.
Lindbergh chose a single-seat plane with a reliable Wright J-5 Whirlwind engine. The Ryan NYP could hold 450 U.S. gallons (1,700 L; 370 imp gal) (2,710 pounds (1,230 kg)) of gasoline. This much fuel was needed for the long nonstop flight. The fuel was in five tanks: one forward, one main, and three in the wings. Lindbergh changed the landing gear to make it wider. This helped support the heavy fuel load.
Lindbergh asked for the main fuel tanks to be in front of him. This was safer in case of a crash. It also meant there was no front window. Lindbergh could only see out the side windows. This was okay for him because he was used to flying mail planes from the back. He would turn the plane slightly to see forward. A special periscope was added to help him see ahead, especially when flying low. It's not clear if he used it during the flight.
The instrument panel showed fuel and oil levels, time, height, speed, and direction. The main compass was behind Lindbergh. He used a small mirror to read it. He also had a new Earth Inductor Compass. This helped him navigate very accurately. He landed in Ireland only a few miles off his plan.
Lindbergh's cockpit was small: 94 cm wide, 81 cm long, and 130 cm high. He could not stretch his legs. The Spirit of St. Louis used a 223 hp (166 kW) Wright J-5C Whirlwind engine. This engine was air-cooled and had nine cylinders. It could run for 9,000 hours without stopping. It was also very good at saving fuel. This meant the plane could fly longer distances with less fuel. The engine also had a special system to keep its valves oiled for 40 hours. This was important because most engines back then needed manual oiling before each flight.
A 24-year-old named Tom Rutledge built the engine. He was disappointed to work on a plane for an unknown pilot. But after the flight, he got a letter of congratulations from his company.
To save time, the tail and wing parts were not changed from the original Ryan M-2 design. This made the plane less stable in the air. But Lindbergh, an experienced pilot, approved it. Some people think this unstable design helped keep Lindbergh awake during the long flight. Lindbergh himself wrote that the plane's random movements did help him stay awake. His seat was also made of stiff wicker and was not very comfortable. This was also meant to help him stay awake.
Lindbergh wanted to remove all extra weight. He even cut off parts of his flight map. He did not carry a radio because they were heavy and not reliable. He also refused to carry souvenir letters. Every extra ounce was saved for fuel. The plane's body was made of treated fabric over a metal frame. The wings were fabric over a wood frame. The plywood for the plane came from Michigan.
A small, left-facing swastika was painted inside the original propeller spinner. The names of all the Ryan Aircraft employees who built the plane were also there. This symbol was for good luck. It was a popular good luck charm for early pilots. You can see the original propeller spinner at the National Air and Space Museum. This spinner cracked before the flight. A new one was quickly made in New York and used for the transatlantic flight.
Later Life and Care
Lindbergh's flight made him famous around the world. He wrote, "I was astonished at the effect my successful landing in France had on the nations of the world. It was like a match lighting a bonfire." Lindbergh then flew the Spirit of St. Louis to Belgium and England. President Calvin Coolidge sent a ship, the Memphis, to bring them back to the United States.
On June 11, Lindbergh and the Spirit arrived in Washington, D.C.. Many warships and military planes welcomed them. President Coolidge gave Lindbergh the Distinguished Flying Cross. On the same day, the U.S. Post Office released a special 10-cent "Lindbergh Air Mail" stamp. It showed the Spirit flying over a map from New York to Paris. This was the first U.S. stamp with a living person's name on it.
For the next 10 months, Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis on tours. He visited places across the United States and Latin America. Only two other people ever flew the Spirit of St. Louis besides Lindbergh. They were Major Thomas Lamphier and Lieutenant Philip R. Love. Each flew it for ten minutes in 1927.
On April 30, 1928, Lindbergh and the Spirit flew together for the last time. This was just one year and two days after its first flight. Lindbergh flew it from St. Louis to Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. There, he gave his plane to the Smithsonian Institution. The Spirit has been on display there ever since. It hung in the Arts and Industries Building for 48 years. Since 1976, it has been in the atrium of the National Air and Space Museum. It hangs next to the Bell X-1 and SpaceShipOne. When it was retired, the Spirit had made 174 flights. It had flown for a total of 489 hours and 28 minutes.
Today, the Spirit of St. Louis looks much like it did in 1928. However, the front metal panels are now gold-colored. This happened because early museum workers put a clear coating on them to protect the artwork. This coating has turned yellow over time. The museum has decided to keep the gold color. They want to preserve the plane as it was when they received it. Also, the original tires have been replaced with special "forklift" tires. This is to protect the old tires, which are too fragile to hold the plane's weight.
Other Planes Like the Spirit
A plane exactly like the Spirit of St. Louis was built for a Japanese newspaper, Mainichi. It was called the NYP-2. It flew many record-breaking flights in 1928 before it crashed.
Ryan Airlines made other planes that looked a bit like the Spirit. The Ryan B-1 Brougham was a five-seater plane. It had the same engine but a different cockpit and shorter wings. Later, the B.F. Mahoney Company made the six-seat Model B-7 and the Model C-1.
After the original Spirit was retired, the Mahoney Aircraft Corporation gave Lindbergh a Mahoney Ryan B-1 "Brougham" as a gift.
Pilot Frank Hawks bought a similar plane, calling it the "Spirit of San Diego." He flew it to Washington to meet Lindbergh. Because of the attention, Ryan Aircraft hired Hawks. He toured the country, selling rides in the plane "like Lindy flew."
Copies of the Spirit
Flying Copies
A copy of the Spirit of St. Louis was made for the 1938 movie Men with Wings.
Three copies were made for the 1957 Warner Bros. film The Spirit of St Louis. All three still exist. One is at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis. Another is at The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The third is at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York. This is near where the original flight started. The Henry Ford Museum says their copy was owned by James Stewart, who played Lindbergh in the movie. Stewart gave the plane to the museum. It was once thought Lindbergh flew one of these copies, but this is now believed to be a myth.
For the 40th anniversary of Lindbergh's flight, a new copy called Spirit 2 was built. It first flew in 1967 and appeared at the 1967 Paris Air Show. In 1972, the San Diego Air & Space Museum bought Spirit 2. It was destroyed by fire in 1978. The museum built a new one, Spirit 3, which first flew in 1979. It flew seven times before being put on display. In 2003, Spirit 3 flew again for the 75th anniversary. It is now on display at the museum.
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, built two copies. The first was in 1977. EAA founder Paul Poberezny flew it for the 50th anniversary of Lindbergh's flight. This copy is now in the EAA museum. A second copy, started in 1977, first flew in 1990. It still flies at air shows. Both EAA copies use the original's registration number, N-X-211.
Another flying copy was built by David Cannavo in 1979. In 1995, Kermit Weeks bought it for his Fantasy of Flight Museum in Polk City, Florida.
A copy built in Estonia in 1997 crashed in England in 2003. The pilot, Captain Pierre Holländer, died.
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (ORA) has a recently finished copy. It was a dream of the founder, Cole Palen. Ken Cassens, a pilot and mechanic, built most of it. It has a restored Wright J-5 Whirlwind engine and original 1920s flight instruments. This copy successfully flew in December 2015. It made its first public flight on May 21, 2016, the 89th anniversary of Lindbergh's flight.
JNE Aircraft's copy John Norman from Burlington, Washington, spent over seven years building a very accurate copy. He wanted to make it look exactly like the original plane today, including all its repairs. This copy can also fly. It first flew on July 28, 2019. Its public debut was on September 8, flown by pilot Ron Fowler.
In 2015, John Norman took detailed measurements of the original plane. He found errors in old drawings. During this trip, he also found an original pair of pliers inside the plane. These pliers might have been used by Lindbergh to adjust fuel valves. A documentary film about this project began in 2021.
Copies for Display Only
A 90% size copy was built in 1956 for the film The Spirit of St Louis. It is now at the Wings of the North Air Museum in Eden Prairie, MN. In 1999, the San Diego Air & Space Museum built a non-flying copy. It has an original Wright J-5 engine and is at San Diego International Airport. A copy built in 2002 is on display at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum in Illinois also has a display copy. Two copies are in Germany: one at Frankfurt Airport and another at the "Luftfahrtmuseum Hannover".
Specifications (Ryan NYP)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 27 ft 7 in (8.41 m)
- Wingspan: 46 ft (14 m)
- Height: 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
- Wing area: 320 sq ft (30 m2)
- Airfoil: Clark Y
- Empty weight: 2,150 lb (975 kg)
- Gross weight: 2,888 lb (1,310 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 5,135 lb (2,329 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 450 US gal (375 imp gal; 1,703 L)
- Powerplant: 1 × Wright J-5C Whirlwind 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 223 hp (166 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed Standard Steel fixed pitch metal propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 133 mph (214 km/h; 116 kn)
- Cruise speed: 100–110 mph (161–177 km/h; 87–96 kn)
- Range: 4,100 mi (3,563 nmi; 6,598 km)
- Service ceiling: 16,400 ft (5,000 m)
- Wing loading: 16 lb/sq ft (78 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 0.0435 hp/lb (0.0715 kW/kg)
Gallery
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The Spirit of St. Louis on display in the National Air and Space Museum
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Left side of Spirit of St. Louis
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Nose of the Spirit of St. Louis, with the Wright Whirlwind Radial engine visible
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The nose of the Spirit of St. Louis
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The tail of the Spirit of St. Louis
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Under the tail of the Spirit of St. Louis
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Spirit of St. Louis spinner
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Spirit of St. Louis model
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Spirit of St. Louis model at San Diego International Airport
See also
In Spanish: Spirit of St. Louis para niños
