Erik Lindbergh

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Erik Lindbergh
Erik Lindbergh at FLAA Closing Ceremony.jpg
Lindbergh in New York City, September 2002
Born
Erik Robbins Lindbergh

1965 (age 5859)
Occupation(s) Aviator, artist, public speaker
Parent(s) Jon Lindbergh
Barbara Robbins
Website www.eriklindbergh.com

Erik Robbins Lindbergh (born 1965) is an American aviator, adventurer, and artist. He is the grandson of pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly non-stop and solo between New York and Paris in 1927. In 2002, Erik Lindbergh honored the 75th anniversary of his grandfather's historic flight by retracing the journey in a single-engine Lancair aircraft. The journey was documented by the History Channel, [1] raised over one million dollars for three charities, garnered half a billion media impressions for the X PRIZE Foundation and helped to jump-start the private Spaceflight industry. The flight prompted a call from United States President George W. Bush for inspiring the country after the tragedy of September 11. [2]

Contents

Career

Erik Lindbergh in Quebec City, 2008 Erik Lindbergh.jpg
Erik Lindbergh in Quebec City, 2008

Erik has a degree in Aeronautical Science from Emery Aviation College, [2] is a commercial rated pilot and flight instructor. owns the Lindbergh Gallery, and is the founder and CEO of Powering Imagination. He also serves on the board of directors of Aviation High School in Seattle, Washington. He lives in a yurt which he built in the Pacific Northwest.[ citation needed ]

He serves on the board of the X PRIZE Foundation, which administered the Ansari X Prize for the first non-governmental reusable crewed spacecraft, in addition to serving on the NatureBridge Olympic Board of Directors. The X Prize is seen as a major boost for the cause of space tourism, and of private spaceflight in general. It is fashioned after the Orteig Prize, the aviation incentive prize won by Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight in 1927. [3]


Anniversary flight

In May 2002, Erik Lindbergh honored the 75th anniversary of his grandfather's historic flight by re-tracing the flight across the Atlantic in a small single engine aircraft, a Lancair Columbia 300 dubbed The New Spirit of St. Louis which cost US$289,000. [2] [4] [5] Leaving from San Diego, he flew to St Louis, then Farmingdale, New York, and then the most famous portion, the non-stop flight from Republic Airport on Long Island to Le Bourget Airport in Paris on May 2, 2002. [4]

The last portion of the flight was completed in 17 hours and 7 minutes, roughly half the time as the original (33 1/2 hours), but still a challenge as Lindbergh suffers from disabling rheumatoid arthritis and has two artificial knees. The "Mission Control" for the flight was located at the Saint Louis Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, which as of 2011 maintains multiple exhibits about the flight. [5] [6]

Lindbergh participated in the Flight Across America project, speaking during the opening ceremonies at Paine Field, Everett, Washington on August 11, 2002 and then participating in the closing ceremonies in New York City on the deck of the USS Intrepid on September 8, 2002.

Verdego Aero

In December 2017, Lindbergh formed VerdeGo Aero with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Pat Anderson, and Eric Bartsch. VerdeGo develops electric propulsion systems for aircraft.

As over 100 companies try to build eVTOL, Lindbergh wants to supply its electric distributed propulsion from 2023: the 200–325 hp (150–240 kW)IDEP-H2 powered by one or two piston engines for 2-3-seat aircraft and the 500–800 shp (370–600 kW) IDEP-H7 based on a gas turbine for 5-7-seaters. Its competitors would include Safran, Siemens, Yates Electrospace, motorist MagniX or Swiss H55 formed by Solar Impulse co-founder André Borschberg. Helicopter-style Articulated rotors provide more control for larger aircraft than multicopter drones' fixed-pitch propellers, avoiding control lag. [7]

Personal

Son of Jon Lindbergh and Barbara Robbins, Erik Lindbergh is the grandson, by his father, of the pioneering aviators Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. His father's Lindbergh siblings are Land Morrow Lindbergh (1937–), writer Anne Spencer Lindbergh (1940–1993), conservationist Scott Lindbergh (1942–), [8] and writer Reeve Lindbergh (1945–).

Writing

Lindbergh has written the foreword to several books, a monthly column in AOPA Pilot magazine and numerous freelance and op-ed articles.[ vague ]

Awards, honors, distinctions

In May 2008 Lindbergh was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws degree from Molloy College in NY for outstanding service to humanity.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VTOL</span> Aircraft takeoff and landing done vertically

A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-wing aircraft and other hybrid aircraft with powered rotors such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and gyrodynes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Lindbergh</span> American aviator and activist (1902–1974)

Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator and military officer. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance of 3,600 miles (5,800 km), flying alone for 33.5 hours. His aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis, was designed and built to compete for the $25,000 Orteig Prize for the first flight between the two cities. Although not the first transatlantic flight, it was the longest at the time by nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) and the first solo transatlantic flight. It became known as one of the most consequential flights in history and ushered in a new era of air transportation between parts of the globe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orteig Prize</span> Award given to the first Allied aviator to fly nonstop from New York to Paris

The Orteig Prize was a reward of $25,000 offered in 1919 by New York City hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first Allied aviator, or aviators, to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris or vice versa. Several famous aviators made unsuccessful attempts at the New York–Paris flight before the relatively unknown American Charles Lindbergh won the prize in 1927 in his aircraft Spirit of St. Louis.

<i>Spirit of St. Louis</i> Monoplane flown solo by Charles Lindbergh

The Spirit of St. Louis is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that Charles Lindbergh flew on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France, for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1927:

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1928:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceShipOne flight 16P</span> 2004 private crewed sub-orbital spaceflight

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<i>The Spirit of St. Louis</i> (book) 1953 autobiographical book by Charles Lindbergh

The Spirit of St. Louis is an autobiographical account by Charles Lindbergh about the events leading up to and including his 1927 solo trans-Atlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis, a custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane. The book was published on September 14, 1953, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1954.

<i>The Spirit of St. Louis</i> (film) 1957 film by Billy Wilder

The Spirit of St. Louis is a 1957 aviation biography film in CinemaScope and Warnercolor from Warner Bros., directed by Billy Wilder, produced by Leland Hayward, and starring James Stewart as Charles Lindbergh. The screenplay was adapted by Charles Lederer, Wendell Mayes, and Billy Wilder from Lindbergh's 1953 autobiographical account of his historic flight, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald A. Hall</span> American aerospace engineer

Donald Albert Hall was an American pioneering aeronautical engineer and aircraft designer who is most famous for having designed the Spirit of St. Louis.

<i>LOiseau Blanc</i> French biplane that disappeared in 1927

L'Oiseau Blanc was a French Levasseur PL.8 biplane that disappeared in 1927 during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York City to compete for the Orteig Prize. French World War I aviation heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli took off from Paris on 8 May 1927 and were last seen over Ireland. Less than two weeks later, Charles Lindbergh successfully made the New York–Paris journey and claimed the prize in the Spirit of St. Louis.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Brougham</span> Type of aircraft

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright-Bellanca WB-2</span> Aircraft manufactured in 1926

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Lindbergh</span> American underwater diver (1932–2021)

Jon Morrow Lindbergh was an American underwater diver. He worked as a United States Navy demolition expert and as a commercial diver, and was one of the world's earliest aquanauts in the 1960s. He was also a pioneer in cave diving, and one of the children of aviators Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindbergh Boom</span> 1920s period of interest in aviation

The Lindbergh Boom (1927–1929) is a period of rapid interest in aviation following the awarding of the Orteig Prize to Charles Lindbergh for his 1927 non-stop solo transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis. The Lindbergh Boom occurred during the interwar period between World War I and World War II, where aviation development was fueled by commercial interests rather than wartime necessity. During this period, dozens of companies were formed to create airlines, and aircraft for a new age in aviation. Many of the fledgling companies funded by stock went under as quick as they started as the stock that capitalized them plummeted in value following the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The Great Depression dried up the market for new aircraft, causing many aircraft companies to go into bankruptcy or get consolidated by larger entities. Air racing, record attempts, and barnstorming remained popular, as aviators tried to recapture the prizes and publicity of Lindbergh's Transatlantic flight.

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<i>"WE"</i> (1927 book) Autobiography of Charles A. Lindbergh

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References

  1. "Time machine: Lindbergh flies again" (PDF). History Channel . Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Erik Lindbergh Biography". charleslindbergh.com. Retrieved November 16, 2004.
  3. Dubbs, Chris; Paat-Dahlstrom, Emeline; Walker, Charles D. (2011). Realizing Tomorrow: The Path to Private Spaceflight . University of Nebraska Press. p.  177. ISBN   978-0-8032-1610-5.
  4. 1 2 Sampson, Pamela (May 3, 2002). "That's the Spirit! Erik Lindbergh flies to Paris in half the time of his grandfather's 1927 feat". St. Louis Post-Dispatch .
  5. 1 2 Sharpe, Rochelle (April 24, 2002). "Lindbergh spirit flying high again". USA Today . Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  6. Cole, Jackie (2002). "The legacy of Lindbergh's flight". Boeing Frontiers Online. Boeing.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. Graham Warwick (August 6, 2018). "Vehicle Developer Shifts Focus To Fill eVTOL Propulsion Gap". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  8. People Staff (May 19, 1975). "Charles Lindbergh's Son Scott Raises Rare Monkeys in France". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018. We didn't go to the usual type of parties. Neither of my sisters was a debutante or anything like that. We were never taught there was anything particularly remarkable about my father's flight.