The Flight

On the rainy morning of May 20, 1927, a little-known American pilot named Charles A. Lindbergh climbed into his single-engine monoplane, The Spirit of St. Louis, and prepared to take off from a small airfield on Long Island, New York. Despite his inexperience, Lindbergh was determined to win the $25,000 Orteig Prize promised since 1919 to the first pilot to fly nonstop between New York and Paris, a terrifying adventure that had already claimed six men’s lives. Ahead of him lay a 3,600-mile solo journey across the vast north Atlantic and into the unknown; his survival rested on his skill, courage, and an unassuming little aircraft with no front window. Thirty-three and a half hours later, a crowd of more than 100,000 mobbed the Spirit as the audacious young American touched down in Paris, having achieved the seemingly impossible. Overnight, news of his attempt had circled the globe, making him an international celebrity by the time he reached Europe.Acclaimed aviation historian and decorated fighter pilot Dan Hampton draws on his unique perspective to bring alive the danger, uncertainty, and heroic accomplishment of Lindbergh’s crossing, relating this legendary story as never before.