Charles Augustus Lindbergh
-The First Person to fly Across the Atlantic Ocean-
Early Life and Education
Charles spent much of his childhood in Washington D.C. He preffered the life in Minnesota rather to city life in Washington D.C. When Charles was very young, a pilot flew to Little Falls, to show off his airplane and sell rides in it. Even though Charles didn't get to ride in it he dreamed of being a pilot one day. When Lindbergh turned eighteen his parents convinced him to enter the University of Wisconsin. He learned about mechanical engineering. But he dropped out on his second year of study.
Major Struggles and Hardships
Lindbergh wasn't a good student in school. Charles was excused from school because he needed to run the family farm. Airmail pilots were faced with poor weather, nigh time flying, and fatigue. In 1932 Anne and Charles baby boy was killed.
Major Accomplishments
Lindbergh landed in Paris at 10:24p.m. On May 21, 1927, and was welcomed as a hero by a crowd numbering in the tens of thousands who had gathered for his arrival. Also he was the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.
Interesting Facts
Lindbergh brought in costumers by stepping onto a wing of the airplane as he and other pilots flew the plane into towns. With the new skills he had learned from the army, Charles Lindbergh was hired by Robertson Aircraft Corporation in St. Louis. He flew passengers and instructed flight students untill 1926 when the company got a contract to fly airmail between St. Louis and Chicago. Lindbergh was made chief pilot, responsible for scheduling and plotting the route. The flight was extremely hazardous. In the 1920's others were thinking about a transatlantic flight as well. In New York, a french buisness man named Raymond Orteig offered a prize to whoever could succesfully fly a plane from New York to France. Bixby suggested that Lindbergh name his plane the Spirit of St. Louis and Lindbergh readily agreed.
Other Information
Lindbergh's chances to make the flight improved in early 1927. The Spirit of St. Louis was built in California by the Ryan Aircraft compary. The early morning of May 20, 1927 was dreary in New York. The forecasts in Paris were good enough for Lindbergh. In 1929 he married Anne Morrow the daughter of a wealthy bank executive and ambassodor to Mexico. Lindbergh believed that America shouldn't enter world war two.
Death Information
Charles Augustus Lindbergh died on August 26th, 1974 age 72.