The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1927-06-03
Lindbergh's
Life Story
Told BY Young Aviator's
Mother to Writer For The
PIeasantville Press
BY BONITA WITT
fstaff Writer for Central Press and
The PleasantVille Press)
copyright, 1927, by Central
Coz
Continued from Tuesday,
tThird Installment)

(Third InstallmenD
The aviator who crossed from
New York to Paris in single hop
didn't always travel with lightning
speed
1t was battered old motorcycle
that transported Charles A. Lind
bergh, from his home at Little
Falls, Mimi, to Lincoln, Neb.,
where he received his first flying
lessons. A rickety out-of-date air
plane took him to Brooks-Kelly
government aviation school at San
Antonio, Tex, where he enrolled
as cadet flyer on March Y, 1924.
Capt. Eugene Stevens, a classmate
of Lindbergh's at San Antonio tells
of the arrival of the Swede," as
he was affectionately called by the
cadets, at Brooks-Kelly school.
He came in the most ranshackle
ship you ever did see. The wings
had no canvas from the center to
the tip. 'Swede' flew the plane a
few times after he came to school
until one day the commandant or
dered him to run it off the field and
scrap it lest Lindbergh be killed
while flying it. But Slim wasn't
afraid.
Right from the first the 'Swede'
was the outstanding aviator in the
class. He had had many hours in
the air when he came to school, so
he had an advantage over the rest
Of us. The very first day we were
taking up into the air, Lindbergh
was assigned to solo wOrk-that is
flying without an instructor in a
single control plane He had abso-
lutely no fear Of the air; in fact,
he seemed to like to firt with dan
ger. He never was reckless-he
always was sure of his plane and
his ability to control it."
Only a Few Survive.
One hundred and five men
started in Lindbergh's class and all
but Is were washed out" (aviation
slang, meaning sent home from
schooD before graduation, March
J6. 1925. Lindbergh was rated per-
haps the most brilliant man in the
class as well as the best flyer. His
average was one of the highest.
Lindbergh was good student
and an earnest worker, but he liked
his good time as we'll as the other
flying cadets. Capt. Stevens tells
a tale about "Slim's" dog, Booster
a scrawny white just plain dog,
which he found wandering around
the school grounds and adopted
naming it for the starting magnetic
or booster" After the dog had
been introduced to the other ca
diets, Lindbergh decided to turn the
animal into an expert parachute
Jumper.
Improvising a parachute, Lind
bergh would climb to the top o.
the Brooks Kelly dirigible hangar
q hundred or more feet high, ant
drop the bewildered Booster" His
school comrades still roar witt
daughter as they recall the sight o
the awkward dog, feet widespread
slowly descending to the floor o
the hangar.
No Oates" for "Swede"
When other cadets were dat
ing" in San Antonio, "Swede" was
nnkering about a plane or taking
long walks in the country will
Booster" He was good mixer
popular with his fellow students
hut social life in the nearby city
didn't appeal to him.
Capt. Stevens says he never cal
recall single instance when Lind
bergh dated with girl. HI
wasn't afraid of women or bashfu
he just wanted to be a flyer an
he didn't have time to become &C
auainted with the fair sex.
N Which explains, perhaps, why h
<..wasted" so little time on girls
sbroad.