The Spirit of ST Louis by Charles A. Lindbergh
Authors: Charles A. Lindbergh
Tags: United States, General, Historical, History, Biography & Autobiography, Biography, Transportation, Transatlantic Flights, Adventurers & Explorers, Air Pilots, Aviation, Spirit of St. Louis (Airplane)
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weigh as much as the Travel Air, and according to published figures has unusually good performance. The Travel Air Company is nearer. I'll telegraph them first and ask whether they'd consider building a plane for the St. Louis-Paris flight.
11
I wake soon after dawn. There's much to be done. As I fry potatoes and eggs for breakfast, I list items to be covered on this new day of the new life I've entered. For it is a new life; I'll now bend every thought and effort toward one objective—landing at Paris. All else is secondary.
First, I'll call Earl Thompson and Major Lambert and tell them of my conferences with Knight and Bixby. I'll tell Bill Robertson as soon as he arrives at his office. Then I'll write to Mother and say that I've got to withdraw a large amount of money from my account in Detroit. We'll have to select and train another pilot for the mail route. It will be difficult in winter; but most of the beacons are now installed, and days are getting longer. Love and Nelson can take bad-weather flights until the new man is broken in. Love will act as chief pilot while I'm away. I must notify Major Wassall. that I'll be absent from the Guard for weeks or months. Other officers will have to take over my duties. I'll get in
touch with the Department of Commerce and the Weather Bureau in Washington, and find out from the State Department what arrangements I must make to land an America plane in France.
12
A reply comes back quickly from Travel Air. They won't accept the order. The speed and definiteness with which they've turned me down is depressing. I expected at least
some interest on their part. Shall I try the Ryan Company next? Probably I'll receive a similar answer from them They're new and small, and not well known. But I'll try them. And then I'll send wires to Curtiss and Boeing and Douglas and Martin. I'll sign the messages 'Robertson Aircraft Corporation." Major Bill gave me permission to do that, and I'll get more consideration. I walk over to the Anglum station, and write out another telegram.
WESTERN
UNION
RYAN AIRLINES INC. ANGLUM MO.
SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA FEB. 3 1927
CAN YOU CONSTRUCT WHIRLWIND ENGINE PLANE CAPABLE FLYING NONSTOP BETWEEN NEW YORK AND PARIS STOP IF SO PLEASE STATE COST AND DELIVERY
DATE
ROBERTSON AIRCRAFT CORP.
13
WESTERN
UNION
SAN DIEGO CALIF.
FEB. 4, 1927
ROBERTSON AIRCRAFT CORP. ANGLUM MO.
CAN BUILD PLANE SIMILAR M ONE BUT LARGER WINGS
CABLE OF MAKING FLIGHT COST ABOUT SIX
THOUSAND WITHOUT MOTOR AND INSTRUMENTS
DEL IVERY ABOUT THREE MONTHS
RYAN AIRLINES
Six thousand dollars! With the engine, that would make ten thousand. It's well within my budget. How reliable is the bid? Does the Ryan company understand what it's offering to undertake? Has it engineers who can follow through with this promise? But here, at least, is interest and quick action.
WESTERN
UNION
RYAN AIRLINES INC.ANGLUM MO.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIAFEB. 5, 1927
COMPETITION MAKES TIME ESSENTIAL CAN YOU CONSTRUCT PLANE IN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS STOP PLEASE WIRE GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
ROBERTSON AIRCRAFT CORP.
I read over the message I've printed out, and push it across the counter, with a five-dollar bill, to Anglum's telegraph operator. He counts the words, thumbs through a huge catalogue of figures, and hands back my change. I pocket it, pull on gauntlets, button my coat, and tramp out into the snow.
14
WESTERN
UNION
SAN DIEGO CALIF.
3 PM FEB . 5, 27
ROBERTSON AIRCRAFT CORP.
ANGLUM MO.
GAS CAPACITY THREE HUNDRED EIGHTY GALLONS CRUISING SPEED ONE HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR LOADING ONLY TWELVE AND HALF POUNDS PER FOOT AND TWENTY POUNDS PER HORSE POWER STOP CAN COMPLETE IN TWO MONTHS FROM DATE OF ORDER IF NECESSARY STOP WILL REQUIRE FIFTY PERCENT DEPOSIT
RYAN AIRLINES
Three hundred and eighty gallons! That's a tremendous load of gasoline for a two-hundred-horsepower engine. An one hundred miles per hour is
11
I wake soon after dawn. There's much to be done. As I fry potatoes and eggs for breakfast, I list items to be covered on this new day of the new life I've entered. For it is a new life; I'll now bend every thought and effort toward one objective—landing at Paris. All else is secondary.
First, I'll call Earl Thompson and Major Lambert and tell them of my conferences with Knight and Bixby. I'll tell Bill Robertson as soon as he arrives at his office. Then I'll write to Mother and say that I've got to withdraw a large amount of money from my account in Detroit. We'll have to select and train another pilot for the mail route. It will be difficult in winter; but most of the beacons are now installed, and days are getting longer. Love and Nelson can take bad-weather flights until the new man is broken in. Love will act as chief pilot while I'm away. I must notify Major Wassall. that I'll be absent from the Guard for weeks or months. Other officers will have to take over my duties. I'll get in
touch with the Department of Commerce and the Weather Bureau in Washington, and find out from the State Department what arrangements I must make to land an America plane in France.
12
A reply comes back quickly from Travel Air. They won't accept the order. The speed and definiteness with which they've turned me down is depressing. I expected at least
some interest on their part. Shall I try the Ryan Company next? Probably I'll receive a similar answer from them They're new and small, and not well known. But I'll try them. And then I'll send wires to Curtiss and Boeing and Douglas and Martin. I'll sign the messages 'Robertson Aircraft Corporation." Major Bill gave me permission to do that, and I'll get more consideration. I walk over to the Anglum station, and write out another telegram.
WESTERN
UNION
RYAN AIRLINES INC. ANGLUM MO.
SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA FEB. 3 1927
CAN YOU CONSTRUCT WHIRLWIND ENGINE PLANE CAPABLE FLYING NONSTOP BETWEEN NEW YORK AND PARIS STOP IF SO PLEASE STATE COST AND DELIVERY
DATE
ROBERTSON AIRCRAFT CORP.
13
WESTERN
UNION
SAN DIEGO CALIF.
FEB. 4, 1927
ROBERTSON AIRCRAFT CORP. ANGLUM MO.
CAN BUILD PLANE SIMILAR M ONE BUT LARGER WINGS
CABLE OF MAKING FLIGHT COST ABOUT SIX
THOUSAND WITHOUT MOTOR AND INSTRUMENTS
DEL IVERY ABOUT THREE MONTHS
RYAN AIRLINES
Six thousand dollars! With the engine, that would make ten thousand. It's well within my budget. How reliable is the bid? Does the Ryan company understand what it's offering to undertake? Has it engineers who can follow through with this promise? But here, at least, is interest and quick action.
WESTERN
UNION
RYAN AIRLINES INC.ANGLUM MO.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIAFEB. 5, 1927
COMPETITION MAKES TIME ESSENTIAL CAN YOU CONSTRUCT PLANE IN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS STOP PLEASE WIRE GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
ROBERTSON AIRCRAFT CORP.
I read over the message I've printed out, and push it across the counter, with a five-dollar bill, to Anglum's telegraph operator. He counts the words, thumbs through a huge catalogue of figures, and hands back my change. I pocket it, pull on gauntlets, button my coat, and tramp out into the snow.
14
WESTERN
UNION
SAN DIEGO CALIF.
3 PM FEB . 5, 27
ROBERTSON AIRCRAFT CORP.
ANGLUM MO.
GAS CAPACITY THREE HUNDRED EIGHTY GALLONS CRUISING SPEED ONE HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR LOADING ONLY TWELVE AND HALF POUNDS PER FOOT AND TWENTY POUNDS PER HORSE POWER STOP CAN COMPLETE IN TWO MONTHS FROM DATE OF ORDER IF NECESSARY STOP WILL REQUIRE FIFTY PERCENT DEPOSIT
RYAN AIRLINES
Three hundred and eighty gallons! That's a tremendous load of gasoline for a two-hundred-horsepower engine. An one hundred miles per hour is
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