The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-05-20

Thirty-three and a half hours later, when he landed at Le Bour- get field, Pairs, amid the widest, most hysterical throng France had ever seen, he was the most faTn- ous man in the world and the greatest figure in aviation. De- flying predictions of certain fail- ure, fighting sleet and storms over an ocean nobody had ever flown before, he had made perfect nonstop flight from New York to Paris and opened new era in aviation.
 The young transport pilot, who had set out in the Spirit of St. Louis" naively armed with letters of introduction to people in Eu- rope, was feted by kings and presi- dents and accorded every honor America and Europe could give.
 He had known it would be an important flight, but he had never measured his own tremendous per- sonal triumph, and for long time afterward appeared uncomfort- ably to wonder what all the ado was about.
 Several Pliers Planned Hops
 The story of that flight is one that America will never forget. Four months before, while he was piloting his mail planes and earn ing a reputation as 8 competent and courageous aviator, he dream ed of an ocean flight. But for that matter, most other aviators did, too. Richard E. Byrd, who had flown to the North Pole, talk ed of a flight to France; Noel Davis was getting ready for one; Clarence Chamberlin was working on the project; and the great war ace Nungesser and his partner Coli were about to make the flight from which they never returned.
 Lindberg worked a long time trying to get backing, and finally got together $25,000, including his entire savings of $2,000. Harry K. Knight and some other St. Louis men provided the bulk of it. A Bellanca plane was what Lindbergh wanted, but he couldn't get it, and finally chose 8 Ryan monoplane, whose design made many aviators shake their heads. It had an abnormally long wing span, was fitted with 8 huge gaso- linS tank under the wing and had the cockpit in the fusilage in the back.
 The planes first big test was a flight from San Diego, Cal, where it was built, to St. Louis, and 1t came through marvellously-t that flight, in fact, showed for the first time what Lindbergh could do, for he made the 1,600 miles in IA hours, which was itself a record trip for solo pilot.
 Flew On To New York
 On May May 12, 1927, Lindbergh flew to New York in a little over 2 hours and began his final pre- parations at Roosevelt field. Als though the boldness of his pro- ject made sceptics of the men on the ground he won their sym pathy by his obvious coolness and the courage displayed behind his boyish smile.
 He waited impatiently for fav- orablbe weather. And finally on the morning of May 20, as fine drizzle soaked the field, the silvery Spirit of St. Louis," was rolled out on the runway, filled with 451 gallons of gasoline and 20 gallons of oil. Lindbergh gTinned at Q small group of wet, long-faced and tense men, said, "So Long!" and started the motor. Those few witnesses still talk of the terrible minutes during which the heavily laden plane rolled down the soft field, the tires sinking into the mud, refusing at first to gather speed and rise but finally doing so just an instant before it would have been too late and the plane would have crumpled into gully at the end of the runway.
 Narrowly Missed Tractcr
 And at that, Lindbergh cleared a tractor in his path only by inches and his clearance over telegraph wires was only a matter of feet as the heavy machine, barely making flying speed, set out toward the sea. Byrd and Bert Acosta were among those who watched, breathless, and knew that the take-of had been a