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Background Information: Lindbergh did a lot of barnstorming in the 20's prior to his NY-Paris flight. For a small fee he would give anyone a short ride in his open tandem-cockpit bi-plane "Curtis JN-4-D Jenny" World War I plane. Between 1923 and 1927 he completed over 700 barnstormed flights around the country, joined the Army as a reserve pilot, and was one of the pioneering mail pilots. 1927 Information: The months (February - May) prior to Lindbergh's NY-Paris flight were spent at the Ryan Aircraft plant in San Diego building the Spirit of St. Louis. I don't believe he flew between San Diego and St. Louis during this time period. When the Sprit of St. Louis was completed in late April 1927 he had to rush the testing period in San Diego and then rush to NY to attempt the flight before others took off. He did stop in St. Louis on his way to NY but it was only for a few hours due to his fear that other pilots and planes were preparing to depart for Paris at any time. The Wilson story: I'm almost positive that Lindbergh did not leave San Diego prior to the completion of the Spirit of St. Louis. This was a very stressful time for Lindbergh because other flyers were likely to make the NY-Paris flight before he could finish the Spirit of St. Louis. In addition, I don't recall the name "Eagle" for one of his planes, although it's possible. If I had to guess, I would guess that he might have given your relatives a ride during his barnstorming days or mail pilot days and perhaps the famous NY-Paris flight made the dates change to add to the legend and story. Lindbergh was the most famous person in the world after his NY-Paris flight and many people tried to salvage anything with his name on it. Interesting Lindbergh Books: I've read almost every book about Lindbergh and by Lindbergh and his wife. Here's my favorite books and their links to Amazon.com to order: 1.) Lindbergh by Scott Berg (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399144498/qid=965584964/sr=1-40/103-2024518-8229406 2.) The Spirit of St. Louis by Charles Lindbergh (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684852772/qid=965585099/sr=1-60/103-2024518-8229406 3.) Charles Lindbergh Autobiography of Value by Charles Lindbergh http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0156094029/qid=965584964/sr=1-6/103-2024518-8229406 I hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if you have other questions and/or need more information. Sincerely, Pat Patrick Ranfranz Web Site:
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