Evening star., 1928-05-11
! INDY'S SHIP GOES
TO MUSEUM TODAY
Spirit OF st. Louis viii Be
ToWed to Smithsonian In
Two Sections.

The Spirit of st. Louis Is scheduled to
take the last step In Its history making
career shortly after o'clock this after
noon when 1t leaves Boiling Field in
two sections for the Arts and Industries
Building of the Smithsonian Institution.
The fuSelage, including engine and
landing gear will be towed across town
on its own wheels while the wing,
lashcd to n long wagon, will be con-
veyed to the institution, at the same
time, under police escort. BY Monday
morning at the latest. 1t Is believed, the
world-famed airplane. the gift Of Col,
Charles A. Lindbergh to the American
people. will be suspended from the CELL
ing of the building for the public's eyes.
Decision to transport the valuable
plane from the field, where it was left
by Col. Lindbcrgh about a week ago,
following a record-breaking flight from
ST Louis, to the Smithsonian In the
foregoing manner. was arrived at by
Maj. Howard G. Davidson, commandant
and Lieut.. Kellogg Sloan, engineering
officer, after every other method had
been considered and studied.
VIII BE Towed Backward.
The tail skid of the Spirit will be
placed in dolly" two-wheeled af-
fair. which facilitates the movement of
dead" airplane about the ground
This dolly" is connected with large
Army truck, which will tow the fiselage
backward. Thus the fuselage will be
on four wheels.
One of the greatest problems which
confronted Boiling Field officers when
they found the landing gear would not
go through the second front door of
the Arts and Industries Building was
solved by 2. Mcclellan Brown. shop
foreman of the engineering department
OF the field. The officers did not wanh
to separate the fuselagc from tho
wheels as this would necessitate the
lifting and carrying of the body of the
plane. Brown designed and built a
cradle which will permit the landing
gear TO be removed. the fuselage to be
rolled into the building and the wheels
and struts again replaced inside the in
stitution, In this manner:
AS the fuselage is rolled up to the
door the cradle. 5 feet wide. 5 feet
long. 80 inches wide and 38 inches high.
mounted on a rubber-tired truck. will
be slipped under at a point beneath the
pilots seat. The tail then will be
elevated three-inch blocks will be in
serted. the tail then will be pulled down
while more three-inch blocks will be
inserted in front. leaving the ftIselage
balanced three inches above the ground.
The landing gear will be stripped, the
body rolled into the building and the
wheels and struts again will be restored.
The blocks will be removed, the truck
hauled out from beneath and everything
win be In readiness for the Is airplane
mechanics. under Browns supervision,
TO replace the wing.
To Hang by Three Wires
Three pieces OF wire. each with a
tensile strength Of $4,000 pounds, will
be attached to the plane. One wire
will be secured TO a strong fuseiage
member on the left nose and another
at corresponding position on the right
side. The third wire viii be lashed
around strong member In the tail,
just in front of the rudder fin. II then
will be hoisted clear of the ground
Much work remains TO be done once
, the plane Is assembled. Streamlining
fabric around the connecting points OF
the wing struts will have 10 be replaced
l'and painted, the fiippers and rudder
viii have 10 be installed and general
pointine-up will be given the plane be-
fore 1t Is swung Most of the work will
be done tomorrow. and while there is a
possibility that everything will be In
readiness for display Sunday afternoon,
the mechanics. realizing their RESPONSE
bility. will not hurry the work.
e~~ae--~--~s--~~~--~
No matter what you think you can't
do. yoa are right about 1t.