Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis

Ryan Airlines · United States · first flew 1927 · light aircraft

The Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis was the custom-built monoplane flown by Charles Lindbergh on the first non-stop solo transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in May 1927. Its dimensions as recorded in the source data are corrupt (332 m length, 552 m wingspan) and have been corrected to the known values of 8.36 m and 14.02 m.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	8.36 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Single-engine high-wing monoplane with no forward windshield
Wright Whirlwind radial engine
Purpose-built for transatlantic solo flight

Unmistakable for its blocked forward view from the cockpit (fuel tank ahead of pilot), distinctive narrow fuselage, and the large Wright Whirlwind radial mounted ahead of the fuel tank.

Specifications

The Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis has a length of 8.36 m (27 ft).
It has a wingspan of 14.02 m (46 ft).
Its maximum speed is 214 km/h (133 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Built in just 60 days by Ryan Airlines in San Diego, the aircraft was a heavily modified Ryan B-1 Brougham. Lindbergh completed the 5,800 km crossing in 33.5 hours on 20–21 May 1927, winning the Orteig Prize. The aircraft is now preserved at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Variants

The Spirit of St. Louis was a unique one-off aircraft; no production variants were built, though Ryan produced other similar monoplanes.

Where you'll see it

After the transatlantic flight, Lindbergh toured the United States and Latin America in the aircraft before donating it to the Smithsonian Institution.

Related aircraft

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