Bob Collins
It was quite a moment in upstate New York this weekend when The Spirit of St. Louis took to the sky.
It was a recreation of Little Falls, Minn. native Charles Lindbergh’s plane, which he flew across the Atlantic in 1927.
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome has been building the Ryan NYP replica in fits and starts for decades. The original, which hangs in the Smithsonian, was built in 60 days.
Cole Palen, who founded the Aerodrome, started the project when he acquired the proper engine in the 1970s. He died in 1993 and never saw his vision become reality.
Flying the plane is a challenge since there are no windows to see what’s ahead of the plane. It also has no brakes.
The plane will make its public debut next May 21, the 89th anniversary of Lindbergh’s flight.
