"Lucky Lindy" Takes Flight, Part 1

Sunlight glances off the simple lines of the single wing plane. Painted on its side are the words "Spirit of St. Louis." The sturdy little plane hangs, frozen in mid-flight, in the airy spaces of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

The plane is displayed in the "Milestones of Flight" gallery at NASM. Hovering nearby is the Wright 1903 Flyer, the first airplane ever to fly successfully. Why would "Spirit of St. Louis" rate such an honored place in the history of flight? The small silver plane was the first one flown solo, nonstop, across the Atlantic Ocean.

The historic flight took place in 1927. Aviation, the development and use of aircraft, was barely past its infancy at the time. World War I saw the first practical use of flying machines. Planes were used first for scouting the enemy and then for warfare.

These military functions didn't transfer well into civilian life. After the war, planes were used mainly for entertainment. Barnstorming became a fairground attraction. Crowds thrilled at the sight of planes rolling and diving in the sky above them. Some barnstorm pilots even had helpers who stood on the wings of the planes as they did their stunts.