The Spirit of St. Louis, registration number N-X-211 (X for "experimental") is one of the most famous airplanes of all time. It was designed and built for one specific purpose - to carry its lone occupant across the Atlantic Ocean without refueling. The first such flight would be rewarded with $25,000 from financier Norman Orteg, who initially offered the prize in 1919. By 1927, six men had perished attempting to claim the prize.
The cost of the Spirit of St. Louis was covered by a group of businessmen in St. Louis, Missouri. Adapting a popular Ryan M-2 Brougham Sport Plane made by Ryan Airlines in San Diego, Charles Lindbergh personally collaborated in the engineering details of his machine. The entire project took only two months. To maximize fuel capacity, Lindbergh eliminated the windshield and filled the entire nose area between the cockpit and engine with two large fuel tanks. When a forward view was required, he could extend a small periscope out the left side. The engine was a reliable Wright J-5C Whirlwind. The rest of the plane was constructed of metal and wood, covered with fabric and painted with silver dope.
After initial tests, Lindbergh set a transcontinental record when he flew the Sprit of St. Louis from San Diego, and after a stop in St. Louis, continued on to New York for the start of his epic flight. On May 20, 1927, Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Airfield, Garden City (Long Island), New York and landed 33 hours, 30 minutes later at Aéroport Le Bourget in Paris, France, a distance of approximately 3,600 miles (5,800 km.). Lindbergh claimed the Orteg prize and became a national hero.
During World War II, Lindbergh taught fighter pilots how to extend the range of their planes through fuel conservation and flew several unofficial combat missions. He supposedly shot down a Japanese fighter on one such mission.
The Spirit of St. Louis now is on permanent display in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Facts and General Characteristics of the Spirit of St. Louis:
Manufacturer: Ryan Airlines
Designer: Donald A. Hall
Cost: $10,000
Crew: One
Wingspan: 46 ft. (14 m)
Length: 27 ft. 7 in. (8.4 m)
Height: 9 ft. 10 in. (3 m)
Weight: Empty 2,150 lb (975 kg), Loaded: 2,888 lb (1,310 kg), Max. takeoff: 5,135 lb
(2,330 kg)
Fuel load: 450 gal (1,703 l)
Powerplant: 1 Wright Whirlwind J-5C Single blade Standard Steel Propeller, 223 hp
(166 kW)
Maximum speed: 133 mph (220 km/h)
Range: 4,100 miles (6,600 km)
Cruise speed: 100-110 mph (160-175 km/h)
Service ceiling: 16,400 ft (5,000 m)
Facts and General Characteristics of the Model:
Manufacturer: Revell-Monogram, LLC
Scale: 1/48
Wingspan: 11.4"
Length: 6.8"
Height: 2"
Hours to build and paint: 9.0
