The engine had been started and all was in readiness when this last picture was taken of Mrs. Lindbergh before making her flight in the Spirit of St. Louis. In a cabin plane of this type, it was not even necessary for her to remove her hat, nor to don any special flying clothes. Colonel Lindbergh is shown wearing goggles, but these are for use when he peers out of the windows in landing. Ordinarily, there is plenty of visibility in modern airplanes, but in this ship it was necessary to install a huge gasoline tank directly in front of the pilot's seat, making the plane "blind," so that unusual care had to be taken in landing and taxiing. This is one of the reasons the airports had to be so carefully cleared of people at each stop. The cylindrical object above Colonel Lindbergh's head is the magnetic compass. This is the same one by which he set his course for Paris. It is suspended so that he can see it by raising his eyes slightly. The compass may be read from the side as well as from the top. The rest of the instruments are on the board in front of him. We left Kansas City next morning and went on to Wichita. Governor Ben S. Paulen, of Kansas, was a passenger in the advance plane. It was his first flight, but he was able to pick out all of the cities along the route. He directed Love toward his home town, and had no trouble in finding his residence from the air. Our first early morning flight came at Wichita. We were scheduled to make a stop of one hour at St. Joseph, Missouri, and then to go on to Moline. There was some grumbling when we realized that we must get up at 3:30, but a good breakfast and a fine flying day soon put us in better spirits. This part of the country is excellent for flying, as landings can be made at almost any point. We flew low over a great checkerboard of prosperous-looking farms (see illustration, page 20). Sometimes a few other early risers waved up at us. The St. Joseph meeting was well conducted. We were sorry we could not stay longer, for this city has always been enthusiastic in supporting aviation. LOST, A MAP OF IOWA Love had some difficulty in getting us to Moline, for he had lost his map of Iowa and had to fly across the entire State by guesswork. In spite of this, When two planes fly side by side, as in this picture, each appears to the other to be hanging in the air without any movement except that of the propeller. This is true except in "bumpy" weather, when rising and falling air currents send the entire plane up or down or cause a wing to tilt slightly for a moment. Flying together in this way is always interesting, for pilots can signal each other and can carry on dumb-show conversation for long periods when there is nothing of particular interest to be seen below. Although the speed of the planes is not apparent when flying parallel, a slight touch on the rudder bar of either plane will cause it to shoot rapidly off to one side, so that within one or two seconds there will be a wide space between them. we reached Moline at 1:30, exactly on schedule. We left our ships at the Moline airport, but the official visit was paid to all four of the so-called Quad Cities-Moline, Davenport, Rock Island, and East Moline. We spent the night at the quarters of Col. David M. King, Commanding Officer of the Rock Island Arsenal, and before taking off for Milwaukee we inspected the arsenal buildings and shops. At Milwaukee we again met Lieutenant Maitland and Lieutenant Hegenberger, who were flying east in a three-engine Army transport, the same type of ship they has used in flying to Honolulu. From Milwaukee we turned west toward Madison, where Colonel Lindbergh attended the University of Wisconsin before taking up aviation. On the way to Minneapolis we deviated from our course to fly over the headwaters of the Mississippi. It was strange to see the source of the stream which we had already seen farther south as a great river. At Minneapolis the crowd proved too much for the police at the airport. Several thousand people broke through the line on to the field, as Colonel Lindbergh landed, so that he had to head for the nearest hangar to avoid running into them. He was supposed to use a hangar at the opposite end of the field, but he had no choice. MRS. LINDBERGH MAKES A FLIGHT OVER The time lost in getting the plane under guard and clearing the field cut the period for the Minneapolis program in half. We had agreed to be at the St. Paul city limits at a certain hour, and of course we had to keep our agreement. For this reason our visit to Minneapolis was rather short and our passage through the city was rapid. This was a dangerous moment for the photographer, whose shadow unfortunately fell upon the Colonel in this picture. A second later he was the target for a heavy shower of water, the third impromptu bath he had received in trying to get this scene. It was the authorphotographer's plight which caused the amusement registered on the face of Assistant Secretary MacCracken, of the Department of Commerce, who was one of Colonel Lindbergh's hosts at Chicago, where this picture was taken. We all regretted this, but it could not be helped. At this point we lost one of our party. Sorenson was recalled by the Wright Corporation and C. C. Maidment was assigned to take up his work. After a rest day at St. Paul we left for Little Falls, Minnesota. Colonel Lindbergh's mother also made this flight as a passenger in the advance plane. This was familiar country to her, as she had flown over it several times with her son. She pointed out many landmarks which she recognized from the air. From Fargo, North Dakota, which was our next stop, we turned south for a time. There was a short visit at Sioux Falls, and then we went on to Sioux City, Iowa. Here the committee had arranged the program so smoothly that it was completed ahead of time. The citizens and visitors from neighboring communities evidently had expected the delay which is sometimes a part of public ceremonies. At any rate, At any rate, many of them missed the parade and it was necessary to make a second one. The next two flights were over the great Iowa corn belt, from Sioux City to Des Moines and on to Omaha. Love had found his map of Iowa by this time, so that he did not have to fly down and read the names on the railroad stations. After this we began a series of longer jumps. On the hop from Omaha to Denver, Colonel Lindbergh flew about 590 miles. This was slightly more than the advance plane covered, as he had to fly over five or six cities which were not on the course. September I had been scheduled a rest day. We decided to use it for making a flight to Pierre, South Dakota, as there had been only one short visit in this State. A HERD OF RANGE HORSES ENCOUNTERED IN THE BAD LANDS As we left Denver we circled around Longs Peak, and then past Estes Park and ST. LOUIS, CHILD OF THE FATHER OF WATERS Up the Mississippi, long ago, came the French fur traders to found the trading post that became St. Louis. Now this mighty city, with its 22 railroads, its river traffic, and its net of motor highways, ranks among the great manufacturing and exporting centers of the world. And, curiously enough, its fur trade is bigger and brisker than ever-in fact, St. Louis is now the world's greatest raw fur market. Colonel Lindbergh's plane appropriately bears the name of this splendid metropolis in the heart of the Nation. This was one of the few places where some difficulty was experienced on the United States Tour. When landing at the Minneapolis airport Colonel Lindbergh was forced to taxi hastily into a hangar at one side to avoid the huge crowd, which had broken through the police lines and was rushing out on to the field. Because of this the period which would have been available for the program at Minneapolis was reduced to half an hour, so that it was necessary to make a rapid passage through the city instead of a more leisurely parade, which had been planned (see text, page 16). moving rapidly and the horses would swerve in the other direction when we got down near them (see illustration, page, 22). A MESSAGE DROPPED AT THE SUMMER WHITE HOUSE We took off from Pierre early the next morning and followed a straight course to the President's summer home, near Rapid City. Colonel Lindbergh came down low and dropped a message which we found later was delivered to Mrs. Coolidge. There were several people grouped on the steps, but he could not recognize them because of the speed in passing. The advance plane was forced to stay at a higher altitude because of its heavy load. We could not gain altitude quickly and might have had trouble in getting out of the pass. From the Summer White House we went on past the Black Hills, Sheep Moun tain, Harney Peak, Rapid City, and Deadwood. From Custer, near Wind Cave National Park, we crossed over the border into Wyoming. From here we followed a fairly straight course past Fort Laramie into Cheyenne. WHEN A MAP BECOMES ALIVE Reading the map on such a flight as this is an interesting game. There was always something to be seen. The cross-country pilot becomes used to seeing his map take life in the country that passes below him. Only from the air can a traveler get this feeling of having the earth moved by for his inspection. He glances at the map and sees a mountain range indicated at a point eighty miles ahead. At the moment there is only a level prairie beneath him, but within a few minutes a bluish haze shows on the horizon. This is the mountain range, still more than 50 miles away. To check his location he looks again at |