The Spirit of St. Louis Flies Again!

Opportunities like these may pass your way on an all-too-sporadic basis... but if you always wanted to get a little understanding of the innate courage and skill that got Charles Lindbergh across the Atlantic, here's your chance to sit where he did... via an authentic replica of the Spirit of St. Louis.

The Spirit is, to this day, one of the most recognizable airplanes in the world, an icon of Charles Lindbergh’s famous record-setting New York-to-Paris flight in that unique silver plane in May of 1927. The original hangs in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, and very few flying Spirit of St. Louis replicas exist and this particular one is the only one in the world capable of taking a passenger.

The EAA built their Spirit of St. Louis replica from scratch with painstaking detail, using the “Morrow” plans from the Smithsonian Institution. However, in this unique replica the EAA customized the airplane by installing a forward pilot station in place of Lindbergh’s large fuel tank. This means that the pilot commands the aircraft from up front so a lucky passenger can experience flight in the aircraft from the actual “Lindbergh seat” position. Looking out the side windows, you’ll be experiencing the view exactly the way Lindbergh himself would have seen it.

The challenging flying qualities of the original Spirit have been left intact in the replica. Although this airplane is very safe to fly in the hands of a well-trained pilot, you’ll experience first-hand the well-known instability of the design, which Lindbergh used to his advantage to keep him awake during his 33 ½ hour flight.

Best of all, there is a set of fully functioning dual flight controls so you will get to log “stick time” in this historic time machine. What a special logbook entry that will make!

Only 12 flights in the Spirit of St. Louis replica are being made available for select guests of the 2009 Lindbergh Award Celebration on May 15-17, 2009, at EAA’s Pioneer Airport or Weeks Hangar in Oshkosh. Each of these flights will be awarded to the highest bidder(s)—and each bidder may purchase up to four (4) rides at his winning bid price, up to the number remaining out of the 12 available.

Winning bidders will join one of aviations most exclusive and elite clubs as very few people have ever experienced a ride in the EAA’s Spirit of St. Louis replica. In fact, we're told that this Spirit replica will not make another public appearance until 2011, so this is a very rare opportunity.

The flights will take place May 15, 16, & 17 at EAA’s Pioneer Airport or Weeks Hangar and will be awarded to those who win a seat with a successful auction bid. The starting bid is $250 and bidders are advised that they should bid in increments of $50. Bidding is Open RIGHT Now and will close: May 11, 2009, at 1600 CDT.

FMI: http://www.lindberghfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=314