Spirit of St. Louis

Model Airplane News, Nov 2001 by Patterson, Dan

A scale modeler's dream

As an aviation photographer, I specialize in capturing historical old flying machines on film, and I never tire of it. However, not once did I think I would be able to photograph the Spirit of St. Louis. In fact, I never thought I would be within touching distance of it, much less be given carte blanche to shoot it up close.

On October 31, 2000, Charles Lindbergh's historic machine was to be lowered from the ceiling in the National Air & Space Museum's "Milestones" gallery because the ongoing project of repairing the roof had finally come to the center gallery. Therefore, the tiny silver plane had to be lowered from its perch, but it was to be on the floor for only one day. Other than the museum's staff photographers, I was the only photographer permitted to shoot it. What a wonderful opportunity!

When you first approach it, you are astounded at how small it really is. Then, as you get a closer look at the cowl that surrounds the Wright Whirlwind engine with its textured metal that reminds you of fish scales, you see that it has signatures scratched into its surface. The names come from Haiti and other remote locations where Lindbergh landed on a goodwill tour to South America. Most are dated 1928.

The cockpit where Lindbergh sat in a wicker seat for 3312 hours is small. Knowing that there was no for ward visibility does not diminish the surprise of how blank the space is where there would normally be a windshield. The fuel-tank plumbing below the instrument panel is a complex maze of pipes and petcocks. At the top right corner of the panel, the penciled notations that Lindbergh made to record his fuel uses and time elapsed are still there.

That night, the Spirit of St. Louis was hoisted back into the air once again, now in the west end of the museum, to be joined by the 1903 Wright Flyer. They will remain there until the roof repair is complete. Two days later, I photographed the original Wright brothers' airplane when it, too, was "on the floor" for just one day. It's not often a photographer has a week like that one!

-Dan Patterson