Pilot & Artist (Part Two)

By ANN Contributor Aleta Vinas

(He comes from a family revered in aviation -- a legacy he's worked a lifetime to uphold. ANN's Aleta Vinas recently caught up with Erik Lindbergh, grandson of the aviation pioneer, to find out how he's making his own mark on the world -- with art. Here's Part II of Aleta's story. -- ed.)

In 1995 Lindbergh met Dr. Peter Diamandis, Chairman, Co-Founder and President of The X-Prize Foundation. In 1996 Diamandis invited Lindbergh to join the Board to help raise and administer the prize money.

For those that were not paying attention on September 30th and October 4th, the Ansari X-Prize was won by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, LLC. The X-Prize was a $10M prize for the first privately funded person or team to fly three people to 100Km and back with a reusable vehicle. It was modeled after the Orteig Prize which was awarded by New York hotel owner, Raymond Orteig, to the first pilot to fly across the Atlantic between New York and Paris. The award, won, of course, by Charles Lindbergh was the beginning of the "Lindbergh boom." Interest in commercial aviation as a safe, reliable mode of transportation skyrocketed.

Both the Orteig and X-Prize were designed to stimulate our competitive nature and achieve an attainable goal quicker than with no incentive hanging out there. After winning the Orteig Prize and ushering the world into commercial aviation Lindbergh commented "Possibly everyone will travel by air in another 50 years. I'm not sure I like the idea of millions of planes flying around overhead. I love the sky's unbroken solitude. I don't like to think of it cluttered up by aircraft, as roads are cluttered up by cars. I feel like the western pioneer when he saw barbed-wire fence lines encroaching on his open plains. The success of his venture brought the end of the life he loved."

After the new alliance between X-Prize and Lindbergh was started, he was able to see uses for some of the wood that he'd been collecting that he couldn't fit into furniture. "I started seeing rockets and planets and things instead of furniture." "All of a sudden it (a piece of driftwood) was a Martian rocket smoke trail." Thus was born, Rustic Rocket #1.

At the X-Prize booth at Oshkosh a few years ago Dan Goldin, former NASA Administrator, spotted Rustic Rocket #1 and claimed it on loan for NASA. The one year loan turned to five. Lindbergh would like to retrieve his sculpture and loan them one of his bronze rockets and perhaps have a rotating display every year or two. He made several pieces for the initial X-Prize Gala, then added a couple more each year.

Lindbergh raised some substantial dollars and dedicated much of his time to X-Prize. He was "promoted" to Vice President of Public Relations and Outreach. There are really no lines drawn based on titles, everyone does everything, it's non-profit.

The Foundation had some false hopes raised three or four years back. Some competitors "said" they were ready. Though the X-Prize was recently awarded, the competition is not over. The X-Prize Cup will pick up where the X-Prize left off to encourage the competitors to continue their vehicle development. The X-Prize Cup is billed as a "cross between Champ Grand Prix Racing, the America's Cup and the Olympics. An event where the average person can come and watch the next generations of space vehicles fly, where they can talk to the astronauts, see the vehicles up close, learn about the technology and begin to dissolve the myth that they will never travel to space in their lifetime." The ten day event will be held in Las Cruces (NM). Lindbergh believes in the competition "Multiplicity of designs will ensure that evolution will dictate which companies persevere and continue, in an economic sense and safety sense."

The X-Prize Foundation did have some low points along the way. "We almost got to the point of closing the doors at X-Prize. Non-profits live and die by sponsorships and donations and when those dry up…" Lindbergh didn't even want to finish that statement. One board member or another has literally saved the organization at one time or another.

One of Lindbergh's fundraising efforts was to duplicate his grandfather's non-stop Atlantic crossing on the 75th anniversary of the feat. The flight would promote the X-Prize, The Lindbergh Foundation and The Arthritis Foundation. The flight would also help Lindbergh step out from the long shadow of his grandfather's legend.

Carrying the Lindbergh name has been "a tremendous barrier and burden at times and it's been a tremendous asset. It took a long time for me to break free of that legacy and realize I didn't have to fill those shoes. And, in fact, they're unfillable. I just needed to be me and do what I needed to do."

Part of Lindbergh's "needing to be me" was acknowledging what Enbrel has done for him. "Becoming disabled and losing my, sort of, physical life, then having another chance (because of the Enbrel), I realized that I didn't know if I'd get a third chance, so I need to live this life to its fullest now."

Working with the Arthritis Foundation Lindbergh met others who have also been given a second chance using this new class of medication. "It's really amazing to live in this age of technology."

The Lindbergh Foundation would benefit from the fundraising and publicity of the flight. The Lindbergh Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering Anne and Charles Lindbergh's vision of balance between technological advancement and environmental preservation. The Foundation gives grants, presents educational programs and presents the Lindbergh Award each year for work dedicated to the balance concept.

And of course The X-Prize would share in the results of Lindbergh's flight.

When he started to explore the possibility of making the flight, Lindbergh "ran into support and I ran into opposition – within the family." The family harbored the feeling that the press is "bad." Putting yourself in front of the media is "dangerous." Certainly Lindbergh would be placing himself in the spotlight for all to see.

Despite the opposition Lindbergh knew the flight was something he needed to do for himself. "Pushing through this had the potential to liberate me. What it's enabled me to do is to inspire lots of people around the world who are facing adversity in their lives. It opened a lot of doors for me."

"It wasn't about duplicating it (the flight), it was more about celebrating it and raising money for non-profit, for X-Prize and The Lindbergh Foundation and the Arthritis Foundation. And giving people hope." Lindbergh is now able to use the legacy positively rather than hiding from it. "It's been very healing for me and I think it's been healing for family members as well."

Once the decision to "celebrate" the flight was made, sponsors were found. One of the main sponsors, Immunex (later bought by AmGen), manufacturers of Enbrel, made it possible "physically and financially." In return Lindbergh did a commercial which aired for a couple of years. "I owe my life to those scientists who have created this biotechnology that is so successful and efficient."

The St. Louis Science Center offered office space and a seed money grant if Lindbergh and his team based their operations there. Doug King of the Science Center is also an X-Prize supporter.

Universal Weather and Aviation sent guys to "Mission Control," which was located in the St. Louis Science Center, to help with flight planning, weather and various permissions needed for the flight. Universal Weather and Aviation is a trip support service generally for business pilots. They provide not only weather and flight planning services but just about any related flight services from start to finish.

Lancair modified and supplied the plane, a Lancair Columbia 300. Oregon Aero made the seat using a visco kinetic polymer to help keep the circulation flowing. The polymer is a NASA spin-off product. They also make shoe insoles using this technology. Lindbergh is a huge fan of the insoles and constantly touts them and gives them as gifts. He will not wear his shoes without them. Lindbergh says they "make my feet not hurt so much." He is grateful to Oregon Aero for being "dedicated to making pilots more comfortable."

Lindbergh had about 925 hours as he started training for his flight. He trained for six months during which time his woodworking was put on hold. Lindbergh trained in the Lancair. His time in the Lancair included "lots of instrument training, shooting practice approaches, how to chew gum and change radio frequencies at the same time." He learned to use the emergency equipment and how to escape from a submerged cockpit. His ditch and egress training was done at Survival Systems, Inc in Groton (CT). Lindbergh also did an hour of physical training each day.

Lindbergh departed Republic Field (NY) on May 1, 2002 and arrived in just over 17 hours in LeBourget, France. Lindbergh's mother, Barbara Robbins and Dr. Peter Diamandis were there to greet and congratulate him.

For the next six months Lindbergh was wrapped up in speaking engagements. He spoke about the flight, the X-Prize and the past, present and future of aviation.

As the lecture circuit slowed, Lindbergh returned to his woodpile but with a twist. Near the end of 2003 Lindbergh found himself in the enviable position of having two people interested in his Flash Gordon style rocket ship. He realized "These one offs have just got to stop because it's very difficult to make any money on them. Then you spend all this time and then 'poof,' they're gone. I gotta bronze it."

He asked one of the buyers if he would still be interested if the piece was bronzed. The buyer was interested. "He gave me the incentive to do it and make that leap." A foundry does most of the bronze working, grinding and polishing. Lindbergh and a helper patina the sculptures themselves giving each individual attention. Lindbergh hopes to create some more abstract rocket ships, "something that looks like a rocket ship but someone could mistake it for a breaching whale." The pieces would "not be as smooth and polished."

Lindbergh's current original piece is a half bird, half plane Spirit of St. Louis, titled "Metamorphosis of Spirit and Eagle." The piece is the next step in the series of Spirit of St. Louis models he is doing. He has backed away from the details to "express more of the 'spirit' of the Spirit." Each individual piece making up the whole is mostly finished. In the bronzing process Lindbergh is worried he may lose some of the lines from the wood piece that he wants to show. He loves the grain pattern in the wood and doesn't want to lose that.

Now that the X-Prize has been awarded, Lindbergh is "delighted to have some time to get back into my shop." He is preparing for an exhibition of his sculptures this winter at the Seattle Museum of Flight. The exhibition is scheduled from December 4th to Jan 31. Another project he plans to undertake is writing about his journey through life.

Even as commercial spaceflight becomes more and more of a reality, Lindbergh stays grounded through his woodworking. People will still need desks and tables whether here on Earth or on Mars.

"A lot of people respond to this kind of furniture and this kind of sculpture because they want something permanent, they want something that will last. It evokes some sort of emotion in them that is meaningful and I think people are really looking for that in this day and age." 

Because of technology "Life is so complex that we've lost some of our character and our culture. I think that's happening in most cultures. So I think when people respond to this sort of stuff, there's some sort of wistful or romantic thoughts about – 'ok, that centers me, it feels good, it brings me 'home' a little bit from the chaos that is our life, our world today'." Lindbergh recalls something his grandfather said. While he doesn't recall the exact words the idea was this "You have to remain in balance, the balance between technology and nature is essential. The fulcrum of that balance is quality of life, if you go too far, you'll be out of balance."

FMI www.lindberghgallery.com, www.oregonaero.com, www.lindberghfoundation.org