In this flight you’ll re-create Charles Lindbergh’s epic journey from New York to Paris. At 7:52 A.M. on Friday, May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh and his Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" left the ground at Roosevelt Field on New York’s Long Island, headed for Paris.
Conditions were less than ideal for the start of such an ambitious flight. The ceiling was low, the visibility was poor, and the ground was muddy. During the night, the aircraft had been moved into position at the west end of the runway and filled with 450 gallons of fuel. By dawn, however, the wind had shifted from east to west, and because the airplane was too heavy to easily move or taxi, the takeoff would have to be downwind, in the direction of a 5 mph breeze. The takeoff itself wouldn’t be easy. As Lindbergh later explained in his book, The Spirit of St. Louis, “Those carefully laid performance curves of ours have no place for mist, or a tail wind, or a soft runway.”
As the heavy plane lumbered down the muddy runway, it felt to him “more like an overloaded truck than an airplane.” Onlookers gasped as the 5,000-pound Spirit of St. Louis bounced down the runway, and finally let out a collective sigh of relief as the plane cleared the telephone wires at the end of the field by a mere 20 feet. Lindbergh was on his way.
Lindbergh flew northeast, following the coastline. He flew over Nova Scotia and St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he left the coast of North America and set out across the Atlantic Ocean. Inside the cockpit, Lindbergh managed the Spirit of St. Louis's fuel by switching among five tanks. He followed compass headings and kept track of his airspeed and time to estimate his position. He changed altitude, dipping, at times, to 20 feet above the ocean. Flying low, he studied the waves, assessing wind direction and adjusting his course. He changed headings each hour as prescribed by his pre-calculated flight plan along the Great Circle route. And perhaps more than all else, he fought a mounting fatigue.
Outside the cockpit, the world waited. The next morning, after 27 hours of flying, some fishing boats and then the coast of Ireland appeared beneath the Spirit of St. Louis's wings. The world went wild and clung to news of Lindbergh’s progress to Le Bourget Field in Paris, where searchlights swept the sky and a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 swarmed about the small silver monoplane. In 33-and-a-half hours, Charles A. Lindbergh had flown into history.
By attempting to re-create Lindbergh's flight you'll get a glimpse, perhaps, of just how difficult a journey it had been.
Total Legs: 1 Total Distance: 3146 Total Time(125kts): 1 hours 10 minutes
Leg 1
In this flight you’ll re-create Charles Lindbergh’s epic journey from New York to Paris. At 7:52 A.M. on Friday, May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh and his Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" left the ground at Roosevelt Field on New York’s Long Island, headed for Paris.
Conditions were less than ideal for the start of such an ambitious flight. The ceiling was low, the visibility was poor, and the ground was muddy. During the night, the aircraft had been moved into position at the west end of the runway and filled with 450 gallons of fuel. By dawn, however, the wind had shifted from east to west, and because the airplane was too heavy to easily move or taxi, the takeoff would have to be downwind, in the direction of a 5 mph breeze. The takeoff itself wouldn’t be easy. As Lindbergh later explained in his book, The Spirit of St. Louis, “Those carefully laid performance curves of ours have no place for mist, or a tail wind, or a soft runway.”
As the heavy plane lumbered down the muddy runway, it felt to him “more like an overloaded truck than an airplane.” Onlookers gasped as the 5,000-pound Spirit of St. Louis bounced down the runway, and finally let out a collective sigh of relief as the plane cleared the telephone wires at the end of the field by a mere 20 feet. Lindbergh was on his way.
Lindbergh flew northeast, following the coastline. He flew over Nova Scotia and St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he left the coast of North America and set out across the Atlantic Ocean. Inside the cockpit, Lindbergh managed the Spirit of St. Louis's fuel by switching among five tanks. He followed compass headings and kept track of his airspeed and time to estimate his position. He changed altitude, dipping, at times, to 20 feet above the ocean. Flying low, he studied the waves, assessing wind direction and adjusting his course. He changed headings each hour as prescribed by his pre-calculated flight plan along the Great Circle route. And perhaps more than all else, he fought a mounting fatigue.
Outside the cockpit, the world waited. The next morning, after 27 hours of flying, some fishing boats and then the coast of Ireland appeared beneath the Spirit of St. Louis's wings. The world went wild and clung to news of Lindbergh’s progress to Le Bourget Field in Paris, where searchlights swept the sky and a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 swarmed about the small silver monoplane. In 33-and-a-half hours, Charles A. Lindbergh had flown into history.
By attempting to re-create Lindbergh's flight you'll get a glimpse, perhaps, of just how difficult a journey it had been.
Leg Distance: 3146.46 Approximate time at 125kts: 1510 minutes.
Republic Airfield(KFRG) to Depart – Republic Airfield (KFRG)(POI1)
Distance: 72.77NM Bearing: 67° 35 minutes
Takeoff and turn to 68 degrees. About 15 minutes after takeoff you’ll pass Smithtown Bay, then Port Jefferson as you head out over Long Island sound. Continue holding 68 degrees, and fly 35 statute miles to the Connecticut shore. If all goes well, you’ll reach the shore close to the mouth of the Connecticut River. Extend the periscope and beware of towers and smokestacks. You should cross the Thames River between Norwich and New London.
Depart – Republic Airfield (KFRG)(POI1) to Checkpoint 1(POI2)
Distance: 98.78NM Bearing: 69° 47 minutes
8:52 AM: Pass over Providence, Rhode Island. Off the right wing, see the narrow channels of Narragansett Bay stretching south to the sea. Ahead, the Atlantic coast! Lindbergh noted: Some turbulence, but flight uneventful thus far.
Checkpoint 1(POI2) to Checkpoint 2(POI3)
Distance: 99.9NM Bearing: 71° 48 minutes
9:52 AM: Cape Cod, south of course. Lindbergh noted: Boston behind and Cape Cod to the south.
Checkpoint 2(POI3) to Checkpoint 3(POI4)
Distance: 99.91NM Bearing: 74° 48 minutes
10:52 AM: If you haven’t already, bring the periscope in, as Lindbergh did at this point (there hadn’t been any ships for miles). Lindbergh noted: He started to feel tired at this point, so he flew 10 feet above the waves to clear his mind.
Checkpoint 3(POI4) to Checkpoint 4(POI5)
Distance: 99.59NM Bearing: 77° 48 minutes
11:52 AM: Land ahead! It’s Nova Scotia. Striking land at Nova Scotia gave Lindbergh confidence in his ability to navigate over the open ocean, as it will for you too, no doubt.
Checkpoint 4(POI5) to Checkpoint 5(POI6)
Distance: 100.07NM Bearing: 78° 48 minutes
12:52 PM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Flying over mountain ranges and clouds thicken as storm front approached.
Checkpoint 5(POI6) to Checkpoint 6(POI7)
Distance: 100.45NM Bearing: 80° 48 minutes
1:52 PM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: The squalls are lighter and patches of blue sky are larger – the coastal weather is clear.
Checkpoint 6(POI7) to Checkpoint 7(POI8)
Distance: 99.73NM Bearing: 83° 48 minutes
2:52 PM: Eastern edge of Cape Breton Island. Lindbergh noted: Course is taking Lindbergh away from the edge of the storm.
Checkpoint 7(POI8) to Checkpoint 8(POI9)
Distance: 99.52NM Bearing: 84° 48 minutes
3:52 PM: Continue on course, over open water. Lindbergh noted: Struggling to stay awake as the open ocean approaches.
Checkpoint 8(POI9) to Checkpoint 9(POI10)
Distance: 100.29NM Bearing: 86° 48 minutes
4:52 PM: Newfoundland. Lindbergh noted: The plane is lighter and more buoyant, estimating that 800 pounds of fuel have been burned so far.
Checkpoint 9(POI10) to Checkpoint 10(POI11)
Distance: 99.6NM Bearing: 88° 48 minutes
5:52 PM: From here it’s open ocean until Ireland. Lindbergh noted: Haze in the light of sunset and the mass behind as Conception Bay.
Checkpoint 10(POI11) to Checkpoint 11(POI12)
Distance: 70.45NM Bearing: 91° 34 minutes
6:52 PM: Open water, continue on course.
Checkpoint 11(POI12) to Checkpoint 12(POI13)
Distance: 87.21NM Bearing: 91° 42 minutes
7:52 PM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Stars appear ahead and the ocean is obscured by fog. Lindbergh climbs to stay above the fog.
Checkpoint 12(POI13) to Checkpoint 13(POI14)
Distance: 79.84NM Bearing: 92° 38 minutes
8:52 PM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: A thunderstorm looms ahead – He flies into the clouds only to turn back as ice begins to form.
Checkpoint 13(POI14) to Checkpoint 14(POI15)
Distance: 95.83NM Bearing: 93° 46 minutes
9:52 PM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Lindbergh notes that the coating of ice is thinner and the haze outside is clearing.
Checkpoint 14(POI15) to Checkpoint 15(POI16)
Distance: 77.38NM Bearing: 94° 37 minutes
10:52 PM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Lindbergh fights to stay awake. Despite the cold, he keeps the windows open.
Checkpoint 15(POI16) to Checkpoint 16(POI17)
Distance: 89.38NM Bearing: 95° 43 minutes
11:52 PM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: The air has warmed and there is no more ice on the aircraft.
Checkpoint 16(POI17) to Checkpoint 17(POI18)
Distance: 78.02NM Bearing: 98° 37 minutes
12:52 AM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Anxiously awaiting the halfway point of the mission.
Checkpoint 17(POI18) to Checkpoint 18(POI19)
Distance: 83.33NM Bearing: 98° 40 minutes
1:52 AM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Halfway point. After 18 hours, Lindbergh begins to feel dread.
Checkpoint 18(POI19) to Checkpoint 19(POI20)
Distance: 87.76NM Bearing: 97° 42 minutes
2:52 AM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Daylight, after passing time zones. The light revives him, but only for a short time.
Checkpoint 19(POI20) to Checkpoint 20(POI21)
Distance: 81.31NM Bearing: 97° 39 minutes
3:52 AM: Continue on course. No log entries made.
Checkpoint 20(POI21) to Checkpoint 21(POI22)
Distance: 87.61NM Bearing: 96° 42 minutes
4:52 AM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Flying in fog, continue to fall asleep.
Checkpoint 21(POI22) to Checkpoint 22(POI23)
Distance: 79.59NM Bearing: 94° 38 minutes
5:52 AM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Feeling discouraged, stating that he has not entered anything into the log in 3 hours.
Checkpoint 22(POI23) to Checkpoint 23(POI24)
Distance: 80.79NM Bearing: 94° 39 minutes
6:52 AM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Sequence is broken and he will not enter into the log anymore.
Checkpoint 23(POI24) to Checkpoint 24(POI25)
Distance: 88.26NM Bearing: 93° 42 minutes
7:52 AM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: 24 hours have passed and he does not feel as tired at this time.
Checkpoint 24(POI25) to Checkpoint 25(POI26)
Distance: 87.89NM Bearing: 92° 42 minutes
8:52 AM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: 300 gallons have been burned at this point.
Checkpoint 25(POI26) to Checkpoint 26(POI27)
Distance: 86.44NM Bearing: 91° 41 minutes
9:52 AM: Continue on course.
Checkpoint 26(POI27) to Checkpoint 27(POI28)
Distance: 78.75NM Bearing: 90° 38 minutes
10:52 AM: Continue on course.
Checkpoint 27(POI28) to Checkpoint 28(POI29)
Distance: 80.09NM Bearing: 95° 38 minutes
11:52 AM: Continue on course.
Checkpoint 28(POI29) to Checkpoint 29(POI30)
Distance: 64.49NM Bearing: 101° 31 minutes
12:52 PM Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Several fishing boats are spotted at this point.
Checkpoint 29(POI30) to Checkpoint 30(POI31)
Distance: 82.82NM Bearing: 106° 40 minutes
1:52 PM: Continue on course. Lindbergh noted: Spots the southern tip of Ireland.
Checkpoint 30(POI31) to Checkpoint 31(POI32)
Distance: 71.83NM Bearing: 107° 34 minutes
2:52 PM: Continue on course. Ireland to the north and England straight ahead.
Checkpoint 31(POI32) to Checkpoint 32(POI33)
Distance: 77.5NM Bearing: 110° 37 minutes
3:52 PM: Continue on course. English coast, straight ahead.
Checkpoint 32(POI33) to Checkpoint 33(POI34)
Distance: 95.43NM Bearing: 113° 46 minutes
4:52 PM: Landfall! City of Plymouth, England.
Checkpoint 33(POI34) to Checkpoint 34(POI35)
Distance: 85.56NM Bearing: 97° 41 minutes
5:52 PM: City of Saint-Germain-des-Vaux, France.
Checkpoint 34(POI35) to Eiffel Tower(POI36)
Distance: 89.44NM Bearing: 114° 43 minutes
6:52 PM: Le Havre, France. Follow the meandering Seine River for 100 miles to Paris. Circle the Eiffel tower to follow in Lindbergh’s historic steps.
Eiffel Tower(POI36) to Le Bourget Airport(LFPB)
Distance: 8.85NM Bearing: 39° 4 minutes
7:52 PM: After you have circled the Eiffel tower triumphantly, proceed to Le Bourget airport (LFPB) on the northeast side of the city.
