Charles Lindbergh :: essays research papers

Charles LindberghShortly after Charles Lindbergh set down, he was swarmed by 25,000Parisians who carried the wearied pilot on their shoulders. They were rejoicingthat Charles Lindbergh, the American aviator who flew the first transatlantic public life, had just landed at Le Bourget field in France. Having just completedwhat some people called an impossible feat, he was instantly a well-knowninternational hero. notwithstanding his pro-German stance during World War II, CharlesLindbergh is also an American hero. A record of his happiness and success existsin the material form of his plane hanging in the Smithsonian Institute however,much of Lindberghs life was clouded by turmoil. The life of Charles Lindberghthough best remembered for his heroic flight across the Atlantic, was marred bythe kidnapping of his do by and his fall from favor with the American publicfollowing his pro-German stance during the 1930s. Charles Lindbergh, the famousAmerican aviator, was born February 4, 1902 in Detroit, Michigan. As a boy helove the outdoors and frequently hunted. He maintained a good relationshipwith his parents "who trusted him and viewed him as a very responsible child".His father, for whom young Charles chauffeured as a child, served in the U.S.Congress from 1907 to 1917. Lindberghs love of machinery was evident by the ageof 14 "He could take apart a automobile engine and redress it". Attending theUniversity of Wisconsin, Lindbergh studied engineering for two years. Althoughhe was an excellent student, his real interest was in flying. As a result, in1922 he switched to aviation school. Planes became a center of his life afterhis first flight. His early flying career involved flying stunt planes at fairand air shows. Later, in 1925 he piloted the U. S. Mail route from St. Louis toChicago. On one occasion while flying this route his engine failed and he did anosedive towards the ground. Recovering from the nosedive he straightened theplane successfull y and landed the plane unharmed. This skill would later beinvaluable when he was forced to skim ten feet above the waves during his famoustransatlantic flight.     As early as 1919 Lindbergh was aware of a prize being offered by theFranco-American philanthropist Raymond B. Orteig of New York City. Orteigoffered 25, 000 dollars to the individual who completed the first non-stoptransatlantic flight from New York to Paris. Ryan Air manufactured his singleengine monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, so named because many of hisinvestors were from that city. In preparation for the flight, Lindbergh flew theSpirit of St.