Another Lindbergh to Attempt Crossing
April 12, 2002 -- It's been 75 years since Charles Lindbergh took that landmark flight from New York to Paris. Now his grandson, Erik Lindbergh, is preparing to re-enact one of aviation's most intimidating challenges.
Charles Lindberg, or "Lucky Lindy," completed his historic flight in 33½ hours. His grandson hopes to repeat it in 18 to 20 hours. While his grandfather's Spirit of St. Louis had a cruising speed of 108 mph, Erik's New Spirit of St. Louis has a speed of 184 mph.
Erik Lindbergh's plane is a single engine Lancair Columbia 300. It's a lightweight carbon and fiberglass plane with satellite communications and global positioning. Three of its seats were removed so an extra fuel tank could be installed.
Erik Lindbergh, 37, said he is retracing his grandfather's famous solo flight in commemoration of its 75th anniversary. Erik was 9 when his grandfather died at age 72.
No Room for Failure
"What I hope to accomplish is to get a little insight into my grandfather's writing about the Spirit of St. Louis," Lindbergh said on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. "His talking about the beating of his heart being inseparable from the firing of the spark plugs. They're inseparable: one fails and the other is gone."
The challenging flight is a task Erik Lindbergh thought he would never be able to take on. Fifteen years ago he was stricken with rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating disease that made it difficult for him to perform even simple tasks. After receiving a new medication and treatment, Erik's condition improved.
The flight, even 75 years later, is still a dangerous one. In preparation for the worst, Erik Lindbergh has gone through survival training, which included a two-day course at Survival Systems in Connecticut, the same instruction facility that teaches Navy fighter pilots about ditching in the water.
Erik Lindbergh will depart San Diego's Lindbergh Field on Sunday, April 14. He will follow the "Lone Eagle's" flight to St. Louis, and then head on to New York. On May 1, he plans to lift off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y., for Le Bourget Airport, outside Paris, where 150,000 people greeted the original Lindbergh. Charles Lindbergh left on May 20, but Erik plans to return to the states by that date.
3,600 Miles, Alone
"It is a challenge mostly because it's a long flight," he said. Linbergh said he's been through all of the practical safety measures for the 3,600-mile flight.He will bring a water survival suit and a high-tech inflatable raft. He will also bring along a pocketknife that belonged to his grandfather.
Erik Lindbergh, a supporter of the X Prize competition, said he hopes his trip will increase interest in the $10 million prize that's slated to go to individuals who are able to jumpstart the space tourism industry. The X-Prize Foundation, which is based in St. Louis, is coordinating Lindbergh's flight.
The X PRIZE is modeled after the $25,000 Orteig Prize, which inspired Charles Lindbergh to cross the Atlantic Ocean back in 1927.
Erik Lindbergh says he is looking forward to the flight and wondering what his grandfather was thinking during the same flight so many years ago. "It's about inspiration, drive, determination and overcoming obstacles," Lindbergh said.