Wheels Down. Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" Has Landed
I walked over to the National Air and Space Museum today at lunch to see it. I walked right past it. The place was aswarm with school groups, in DC for the annual Roe v. Wade demonstration.
Wheels Down. Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" Has Landed
By Li Zhou
smithsonian.com
January 16, 2015
In 1928, Charles Lindbergh bestowed his iconic aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis, to the Smithsonian, following his groundbreaking transatlantic flight from New York to Paris, and his worldwide celebrity touring. Since then, it’s been suspended for decades at a time, first at the Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall and then the lofty ceiling of the National Air and Space Museum—until now.
As part of a conservation project, the historic plane has been lowered to the ground for the first time in 22 years, enabling viewers to check it out at eye level and get a better understanding of what Lindbergh’s experience in the plane was like. It will stay in this position for the next eight months, as touchups are made to cracks in the exterior fabric and any other areas of damage.
On January 14, museum staff lowered the historic "Spirit of St. Louis" to the ground floor. (Mark Avino/Smithsonian Institution)
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It looks like this, except the original wheels have been removed and replaced with some temporary chrome-plated spoked wheels that would look at home on a Honda or Toyota. It's right next to a big window near the entrance on the north side of the building. I still managed not to see it as I entered the building. I thought it would over by the DC-3, so I headed in that direction.
Historic aircraft, "Spirit of St. Louis" is now on display on the ground floor of the Air and Space Museum. (Mark Avino/Smithsonian Institution)
