Takeoff From Roosevelt Field | The Spirit of St. Louis | Warner Archive

[@reynaldoflores4522]

I appreciate that there was just the sound of the roaring engine during the take-off. NO distracting music playing.

[@tomservo5347]

I know Jimmy Stewart was near 50 when he filmed this, but he was a true aviator and commander of a bomber squadron during WW2 so who better to know what Lindbergh went through. 'Flight of the Phoenix' is another favorite.

[@lt4324]

Lets not forget "Strategic Air Command", great movie and fantastic REAL footage.

[@tomservo5347]

@@lt4324 '12 O'Clock High' while we're at it. Love Jimmy's line in 'Flight of the Phoenix' when they're burying passengers that died in the crash. Someone asks him "Would you like to say a few words?" Jimmy glares at him and says "What do you expect me to say, Sorry?" His loathing of Herr Dorfmann (Hardy Kruger) is almost comical sometimes.

[@lt4324]

@@tomservo5347 Yes, Great movie! as many fastastic shows and or movies back then!

[@lt4324]

@@tomservo5347 I loved 12'Oclock High! Movie and series

[@airzulu2733]

Mr Stewart flew for the USAF in england during the second world war . A truly talented man .

[@bcgrittner]

My Dad grew up in Little Falls, Minnesota. He was five when Lindbergh made his famous flight. Charles came home and did a lengthy flight with many maneuvers above Little Falls. Per my Dad everyone was out on the streets yelling and waving, including my Dad. Some day, huh?

[@scottfarmer8758]

The most incredible thing about Charles Lindbergh's flight is not that he was able to fly from New York to Paris, it's that he was able to stay awake for over 33 hours during the flight.

[@paulbizard3493]

And he didn't sleep - or barely - the night before the take-off...

[@paulbizard3493]

@@ZenYoda Yes, more famous than Neils Armstrong. But then Slim accomplished his goal alone. He held so many skills.

[@JAEUFM]

Also, no forward visibility really, few by instruments and dead reckoning.

[@CharlieBam]

And he navigated across the Atlantic with only a hand made chart and a compass, reached Ireland within a few miles of his planned course

[@davidhall8874]

He should have just turned on the autopilot and taken a nap.

[@robertlight5227]

My grandfather saw the Spirit fly over St John's Nfld. They let the children out of classes to see the plane as the local newspapers had announced the time the Spirit would be flying over the city enroute to Paris. He said it went high over the port as if Lindbergh wanted to be seen. People waved hankies and signs. He soared up, flew right over Cabot Tower atop Signal Hill, clearing it by about 500 feet, and then headed straight out east into the North Atlantic. Signal Hill is where Marconi received the 1st trans Atlantic wireless signal from Europe.

[@David-lb4te]

".. signal from Europe." From Poldhu, Cornwall, England to be precise.

[@CaesarInVa]

My mother saw him take off when he cross-countried the Spirit up to Roosevelt Field. Funny you should mention St. Johns, NFLD. in 1943, she later married my father, a naval aviator, and they ended up spending 3 years at NAS Argentia, NFLD in the late 50's (he was nearing retirement at that point and was flying EC-121 Lockheed Warning Stars).

[@javiermachin1]

Very nice comment. Thanks for sharing...

[@adamdorgant9454]

Good to know!!!

[@gazza2933]

Robert. That is fantastic, to have witnessed such an event! I believe St John's is still a 'jumping off' point for Transatlantic flights. 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇬🇧

[@cipherthedemonlord8057]

I will forever love this movie. It was one of the things that made me fall in love with aviation at an early age and continue to present.

[@bluemarshall6180]

Keep on Flying!!!!!!

[@flyinhawaiian5848]

Me too!

[@paulmurphy42]

Can you imagine how much music they'd add to this scene if it were filmed today!

[@elfowl6873]

One of my top 5 all time movie favorites!!!! absolutely wonderful depiction of the famous aviator!!!!!, I miss Jimmy Stewart, THE BEST!!!

[@BWolf00]

I actually can't recall ever seeing the movie...but it's amazing piece of work. It built the suspense relaying in general what it was like...all without the use of CGI and fireball explosions.

[@spikespa5208]

@@BWolf00 By all means, find it and watch it. Worth the time.

[@mariocisneros911]

My father was 3 in 1927 and Lindbergh became 1 of his all time heroes . Loved this movie

[@guardsful]

He was one of my heroes as well until WW11 where he trashed his legacy by becoming an adoring fan of Nazi Germany.

[@bcgrittner8076]

My late father was raised in Little Falls, MN, home of Charles Lindbergh. Dad was five when the solo transatlantic flight occurred. Lindbergh came home and spent a summer’s day flying over Little Falls while performing a one man air show. The people of Little Falls were waving and yelling enthusiastically. Dad clearly remembered that until the day he died.

[@robertlight5227]

"Flight's neither science nor art. Flight is and always will be a miracle."- Charles Lindberg.

[@tomcooper6108]

That's bullshite.

[@robertlight5227]

@@tomcooper6108 That's what he said. I like the poetry of it. What's yr issue with it?

[@robertlight5227]

@@BurntPlaydoh He was clearly being poetic. Allegory is something you dont get?

[@fluffy1931]

Lindbergh would spend the years leading up to WW II actively campaigning to “protect the white race” and for the U.S. to maintain strict neutrality toward Nazi Germany.

[@dorothygale5896]

That solo flight is still the Mount Everest of solo flights.

[@delavalmilker]

I just watched this on BluRay HD. Having only prior seen the film cropped and shrunk-down on a TV screen, I was amazed at the amazing detail, and the efforts the producers the went through to accurately depict every detail of the original Spirit. Great performance by James Stewart!

[@markmanning5683]

Freaking Missouri rain! One of Jimmy's best films. RIP Sir.

[@TheRoyalBavarian]

A great film with a truely great actor. Thank you Jimmy for helping us to escape.

[@bengus8148]

Lindbergh actually cleared the trees by 20+ feet and the backers of the Spirit weren't down at the takeoff roll part of the runway as you see in the movie,they were down at the other end with fire extinguishers just in case Lindbergh crashed.

[@angelreading5098]

Snagging the wires although in the actual take off he cleared them was considered dramatic enough to be left in the film.

[@MarkWilliams-pg5gk]

Filmed at Hancock Field, Santa Maria, CA

[@josephpadula2283]

Than k you for saying where it was filmed. In the movie Pearl Harbor the opening scene is suppose to be Mitchel Field but the mountain behind it looks more like SantaPaula California ?!! Probably 35 % of the USA from the East coast could tell you Long Island has No mountains within 100 miles!

[@ISIO-George]

@@josephpadula2283 Also Long Island in that area was not open fields at that time. In the 1960s I spent a lot of time at the shopping mall they built after the air base was closed.

[@flyinhawaiian5848]

Watched this wonderful movie for the first time as a kid in 1966, and it would become one of my inspirations to pursue an aviation oriented career. This takeoff scene and many other flying sequences were filmed at Santa Maria Municipal Airport and nearby Hancock Field, now Allan Hancock College in California. Those eucalyptus trees at the end of the "runway" (actually an abandoned taxiway) still exist at the airport and throughout the Santa Maria Valley.

[@Mikhail-Tkachenko]

I wish the federal government hadn't implemented the 1500hr law for first officers. Destroyed my hope of a flying career, now I have a useless CPL and instrument rating. Whoever voted that in are unforgivable. I'd give anything to be able to fly for a living.

[@flyinhawaiian5848]

@@Mikhail-Tkachenko Yeah, it's very difficult to become an ATP, easier if you're ex-military, then you only need half of those total hours. You could get your CFI and build hours that way, but it's still gonna take time. Wishing you the best of luck!

[@daytonasixty-eight1354]

@@Mikhail-Tkachenko Go build hours. You can say the 1500hr rule made it hard to get into a flying career, but you also can look at it with a positive mindset. It made wages increase dramatically. Regional pilots used to make minimum wage, now they actually make decent money.

[@Mikhail-Tkachenko]

@@daytonasixty-eight1354 Can you send me the contact info to the companies you're in touch with who hire low hour commercial/instrument rated pilots? I can relocate anywhere in the world within the week. My only lead was a close friend & dropzone owner killed in a plane crash at Skydive Hawaii 2 years ago. I've yet to find another company in my searching & networking but that'd be really a great piece of luck if I unexpectedly met someone who owns or know of a company I haven't contacted yet. I'm happy for you to have been able to increase your income from the 1500hr law. It's certainly good you were born early enough to start your aviation career & build enough hours prior to the implementation of that law so you weren't affected in a negative way by it. I'm strongly against corrupt politicians regulating things they know nothing about. Free market capitalism has historically shown to be the best course of action. Anyway, I'm also a licensed skydiver as well & hold a BASE # I don't wish to share here. Also certified master watchmaker and skilled TIG/SMAW/MIG welder & metal fabricator. Edit: Anywhere that doesn't still have closed borders that is.

[@daytonasixty-eight1354]

@@Mikhail-Tkachenko California has pretty routine openings for skydiving and banner towing. Cost of living is high. CFI is the most reliable way to build hours low time. To use your commercial ticket, you really need to get 500+ hours minimum because that is what a lot of insurance these companies carry requires. Look into Ameriflight, FedEx caravan, Mountain Air Cargo, etc. Basically any of the small feeders for UPS, FedEX, DHL etc are good for commercial. Typically require a multi engine and around 500-750 hours for first officer in something like a metroliner. Need multiengine obviously. Ideally get CFI and try to get a school to pay partially for Multiengine instructor. Survey companies in California, Texas, and Midwest. They tend to be around 500 hours or so. Sometimes less. Again, CFI is most reliable. If you are in Hawaii, you need to go to the mainland. Otherwise Mokulele might be a shot but it's not ideal.

[@James-ok7ii]

my oh my.. i was maybe 6 when i first saw this about 20 years ago maybe even longer. i hunted the name of this movie for years after my dad passed. ive finally found it. im more than happy, thank you for posting this tiny clip, this helped me more than you could ever imagine.

[@josemoreno3334]

Love this movie and Jimmy Stewart. Thank You For Your Service Sir. I'm Retired USAF.

[@fluffy1931]

Lindbergh would spend the years leading up to WW II actively campaigning to “protect the white race” and for the U.S. to maintain strict neutrality toward Nazi Germany.

[@bradfordeaton6558]

I don't know how accurate that was but it's still a great scene.

[@mkor7]

In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@roconnor01]

James Maitland Stewart was just as brave in real life as Charles Lindberg.

[@sethkimmel7312]

Braver....

[@mercian7]

@@sethkimmel7312 They were both..lets not play games

[@sethkimmel7312]

@@mercian7 its not games shithead bigot! GENERAL Stewart did EVERYTHING lindberg did without hating any of his fellow countrymen! reported and blocked!

[@mercian7]

@@sethkimmel7312 Flippin eck

[@georgewhitworth9742]

@@sethkimmel7312 Umm...he didn't hate his fellow countrymen

[@edwardpate6128]

An amazing film about a great man!

[@Martin-sr8yv]

This is a Masterpiece of filming.

[@mkor7]

A masterpiece? It was exaggerated to all hell. In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@TralfazConstruction]

_Every_ time my brothers and I watched this when we were kids we'd yell 2:37 right there as he snagged the cables. How in the world did they compose this scene? Amazing!

[@angelreading5098]

They did not compose the scene,it was by accident that Paul Mantz snagged the wires,it was considered dramatic enough to leave in the film.

[@mkor7]

In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@abundantYOUniverse]

Greatest movie with one of the true heroes of aviation, James Stewart

[@kennethroyer9949]

James Stewart a great actor and an even better Intelligence Officer spreading propaganda regarding Charles Lindbergh hoaxed hop from New York to Paris. It was completely faked. America wanted to be the first so they faked it to win. Simple nothing more than propaganda!

[@ffjsb]

@@kennethroyer9949 STFU troll

[@voluweb]

They are awesome! The runway is aimed directly at the tallest trees in the area!

[@cowboybob7093]

0:32 "Pull the chocks!" 0:38 Eight men and the propeller straining to move that winged gas tank through the mud. IMO they didn't need the chocks. #humor

[@mkor7]

In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@7775Kevin]

Beautifully filmed. I love this movie and have watched it many times. A great book on the flight is Dan Hampton’s “The Flight - Charles Lindbergh’s Daring and Immortal Transatlantic Crossing”.

[@marsmars9130]

I grew up right by those fields, played on them as a boy! Never really knowing the important history that was right beneath my feet

[@Geense2525]

I was just reading Bill Brysons book 1927. This is very accurate to how the takeoff was like. The crappy runway, the bouncing, the near miss. Great stuff.

[@elfowl6873]

THE SPIRIT!!!!!! What a beauty!!!!!!!!!.God speed!!!!!

[@Seasider70]

SIMPLE and BRILLIANT.

[@ozzie-sk9dh]

Jimmy Stewart was great at underplaying so the story can be told. He was the same as Glenn Miller. One of the good guys.

[@angelreading5098]

One of three replicas made by Paul Mantz for the film,the aircraft were converted from Ryan Broughams a similar commercial design.

[@beegee22]

It never gets old to hear the music cut in after he clears the trees! 👍

[@randymiller3075]

One of my many lifetime HEROES!

[@kevincorcoran6493]

Jimmy Stewart. Yes. Lindbergh was an anti semite.

[@rcsutter]

I love this movie but I have to make a pot of coffee to watch it, I get so sleepy with Jimmy towards the end! Good movie though. Jimmy Stewart loved aviation, you know he enjoyed making this and many other movies about it. This movie captures an important milestone in aviation and helps pass down the story of how it happened.

[@stephenburgess5109]

The late Brigadier General USAF Reserve Jimmy Stewart RIP

[@toml.1408]

I saw this movie "Spirit" plane at Movieland of the Air Museum in Orange County, CA. several times, starting in 1965. The plane had 2 sets of flight controls: 1 for Stuart and 1 for stunt pilot Paul Mantz who did all of the actual flying. The plane was the prized showpiece of the museum.

[@PDZ1122]

One of the best flying films ever. Before everything turned to CGI shit.

[@55pilot]

Ditto!

[@mariacornwallis1602]

@PDZ1122 Obviously you have never seen "The Battle of Britain"

[@mariacornwallis1602]

@@55pilot Obviously you have never seen "The Battle of Britain"

[@BWolf00]

@PDZ1122 - I commented to that affect before I way this post. I actually can't recall ever seeing the movie...but it's amazing piece of work. It built the suspense relaying in general what it was like...all without the use of CGI and fireball explosions.

[@mkor7]

Best? It was exaggerated to all hell. In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@alexanderreimer387]

Soooo riveting... I feel it in my gut...!!!!

[@MrEab2010]

growing up on Long Island, I was used to seeing the commemorative stone in the parking lot of the Roosevelt Field shopping mall in Garden City marking the spot where Lindbergh took off.

[@WanganTunedKeiCar]

I don't think this scene could be filmed any better today!

[@airzulu2733]

My favourite aviation movie .

[@briandeline5065]

God, I loved him. One of my favorites along with "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation."

[@dutchflats]

And this movie was filmed only 30 years after the real flight took place. What incredible progress we've made in aviation over the years, man really does want to fly!

[@juanpennisi1202]

All the trees right at the end of the runway. Great!

[@reynaldoflores4522]

They are there to protect the public. Those trees form a barrier to prevent wayward planes from crashing into the road and houses beyond the runway!!! If a planes crashes on takeoff he will hit the trees and kill himself. But without the trees, he would crash into the houses beyond and kill a lot more people. Lindbergh knew what those trees were for.

[@mkor7]

In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@kimnamlee5732]

I always dreamed of traveling on a plane around the world all by myself

[@visualonestudio]

And hopefully your plane has a windshield!

[@er1073]

The reason there isn't a windshield is that an extra fuel tank was added at the cowling between the engine and firewall. From I remember reading about this it was Charles Lindbergh's idea and mount a periscope to see out of. Can any of you imagine doing this for 33 hours? Thank you Charles Lindbergh and Col Jimmy Stewart for pioneering aviation.

[@scotpens]

Lindbergh figured that since most of his flight would be over water, he didn't really need a windshield. He could use the periscope to assist in takeoff and landing. The extra fuel, as well as the aerodynamic advantage of fairing in the cockpit, was worth the loss of forward vision.

[@er1073]

@@scotpens I would think that the extra fuel would have been better than the periscope I noticed if the portrayal is true to the story that Lindbergh would have been looking out of the side windows. Either way 33 1/2 was a long uncomfortable flight.

[@petrberanek4230]

You dont need to see forward from a plane. In mail plane he was sitting on the back, as there were mailbags on front seat. When you need to see directly in front of plane, just use you rudder to lean a little. There is a periscope mounted on dashboard to see obstacles when landing and taking of. Rest of light was done using only compass and looking left or right from windows.

[@crazyman8472]

Up, up and awaaaaayyyy!!! 😎

[@enedenedubedene4811]

Ein Meilenstein der Filmgeschichte.👆👆👆👆👆😍😍😍😄😄😄😄 Viele Grüsse aus Germany

[@Jo71603]

Great Movie!

[@alanstrong3295]

Lindy did it best in those days. It took bravery.

[@christopherthorkon3997]

And today we fly across the ocean with comfortable seats, full meals served to us, and our own individual TV monitor on which we can watch TV shows, watch movies, and play video games. And we complain about how "hard" it is to do a long flight. Oh my goodness. Could you imagine what Lindbergh went through?

[@lawrencelewis8105]

One comedian, I think it was Louis C.K. said something like, "you are sitting in a chair, 35,000 feet in the sky being served drinks and food, so what the hell is the problem? "

[@millimetreperfect]

I often shout “Which way to Ireland”? in my best Jimmy Stewart voice from altitude (when Solo, I wouldn’t want to look silly)! as a tribute to Mr Lindbergh

[@dickjohnson4268]

Briefly; The SoSL had never been tested with this fuel load, the prop had been increased 1° in pitch for better cruise speed, contaminated runway conditions, all with an aircraft about the size of a Cessna 207, and an engine with about 223 horsepower. When they got back from overseas, the Navy Sea Bees put her back together. They found a cracked wing attach point, and the number eight cylinder had a cracked valve lifter. There's lots more involved with the build that CAL didn't know about. A broken wing rib, and a lost rubber vent hose inside a tank. Talk about a stacked deck.

[@bbface21]

I thought the delayed takeoff was for the fuel load, and not the director being melodramatic.

[@samsharp8539]

@@bbface21 The above conditions were for the actual flight, not for the movie. Cal's fuel situational awareness was paramount. Frank Tallman's 1957 performance in flying the replica was with a very light fuel load.

[@dickjohnson4268]

@@samsharp8539 Actually, 'replica' is not correct. SoSL-II was more of a sister ship. There were other replicas

[@gregson99]

@@bbface21 it was close one for sure. but the movie makes it even more dramatic then it was.

[@PointyTailofSatan]

So basically you are saying Lindbergh was an idiot. Because it's the pilot's responsibility to make sure a plane is in proper working condition before a flight.

[@jonny-d5v]

This ~3 minute takeoff sequence is cited as another brilliant example of the editing by Arthur P. Schmidt. He helped Billy Wilder with 5 films (so he must have been tops).

[@alexalex13131]

Very, very accurate and close to the real thing of that takeoff from Roosevelt Field.

[@avmtech1968]

Except in reality he cleared the telephone wires by 10 feet.... The plane used in filming was weighted down and the stunt pilot didn't lift her off in time to clear the wires during the filming of the sequence....

[@bengus8148]

@@avmtech1968 Yeah...or even more than ten feet. And...that white scrap of material on that stake in the ground next to the runway is true, but it was used by Lindbergh to mark the half way point of the runway. In this clip it looks like it's almost at the end of the runway.

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

the records show he cleared the cables by 20 feet.

[@davidsmith4416]

Whoever that actress was looking adoringly as The Spiritof St..Louis was very cute. That Spirit replica flown by James Stewart in the film was donated to the Henry Ford/Greenfield Village Museum in Dearborn, Michigan shortly after the film was completed. Captain James Stewart/ United States Army Air Force.

[@SSN515]

@@avmtech1968 the whole thing was fake. lindberg shacked up in a whore house while a black dude flew the atlantic. he took a ship over to paris a week earlier.

[@Howrider65]

Jimmy reminds me of pilots back in the day everyone one of them I met was a credit to the human race.

[@paulw176]

Now That's a takeoff!

[@mkor7]

In reality, if you look at the actual film of the take off, he wasn't anywhere close to the trees when taking off.

[@windhoek-land8339]

My mum heard this song and that's why I'm called Emilia. This is a coincidence Emilia is a beautiful name.

[@JoseAlarkon-d4y]

El histórico vuelo del.piloto y aviador Charles Lindbergh , basado en un hecho real e historico con su protagonista James Stewart

[@ultrakool]

that's the oldest looking 25 year old I've ever seen

[@YesYouAreAbsolutelyCorrect]

Man got through some rough... air, ya know.

[@STho205]

Probably the most qualified actor at the time to play the role. In his 20s in the 20s so he knew how American men thought at the time, a pilot, an officer in the USAAC, USAF and Brigadier General USAF Reserves. Sure James Dean might have looked the part in 57, but he would have played it as James Dean like all his roles till his young death.

[@houstonhelicoptertours1006]

Have you ever been to New Mexico or Arizona? People there are dried up like prunes by their early 30s.

[@betaorionis2164]

Then, you haven't seen the supposedly young Robert de Niro at The Irishman

[@Nangleator22]

I loved the WWII movies with Robert Mitchum and John Wayne and others playing 20-25 year olds.

[@calvacoca]

A perfect runway to take off from with a plane overloaded with gas 😱

[@patrickwheeler5144]

And came close to costing Stewart his life! But he made it.

[@mkor7]

@@patrickwheeler5144 In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@patrickwheeler5144]

@@mkor7 I know. It’s been a while, but I’ve read his “Spirit of St. Louis” and “We.” The movie is still good, with a few embellishments every now and then.

[@rfletch62]

Great, suspenseful (though the outcome is never in doubt). Like the original "Day of the Jackal".

[@mkor7]

In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@bigbob1699]

The plane was one giant gas tank strapped to a great engine with one purpose , Get to Paris .

[@nathanduckeorth806]

BALLS OF STEEL!!

[@andrewallen9993]

Lindbergh's amazing achievement of this crossing a mere 8 years after Alcock and Browns flight across the Atlantic in a first world war military aircraft!

[@RandomDudeOne]

Lindbergh's flight was for the Ortieg Prize. He flew twice as far as the John Alcock and Arthur Brown flight.

[@matrox]

Jimmy Stewart was actually a real pilot. He flew bombers in ww2, also flew his own plan as a civillian.

[@Nighthawke70]

And SAC line aircraft, all types, including B-57's and B-52's. He probably rubbed elbows with Yeager, but Chuck was a fighter jock and stereotypicaly hated bombers.

[@FitzArias]

"for me to succeed, the others must fail." -Charles Lindbergh

[@rayopezzo4052]

The plane used in this film is displayed at Henry Ford Museum-Dearborn MI

[@ronashman8463]

@ Ray Opezzo thank you! Gives my good incentive to get there.

[@track1219]

Nice takeoff! Tom cruise had a similar scene in an Aerostar in the movie “American Made”

[@stephendavidbailey2743]

Wonderful movie about a deeply flawed man.

[@mitchellminer9597]

Lindbergh was 25 years old.

[@historybuff66]

Yes, Jack Warner selected a 27 year old actor but unfortunately he turned down the role.

[@pinksin103]

Good idea to have high trees at the end of a runway in those days!

[@reynaldoflores4522]

They are there for the protection of the public. Precisely to prevent wayward planes from crashing into the road and houses beyond.

[@mkor7]

In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the tree line upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@oscarsajovic6]

Fabuloso. Parabéns. Grande exemplo p/ toda a humanidade. Cresci ouvindo essa linda história. Meu conterrâneo, filho de família amiga, de Jaú SP, aviador João Ribeiro de Barros concluiu a travessia entre Europa (Ilha da Madeira) e Brasil (Ilha Fernando de Noronha) na mesma época que Charles Lindemberg concluiu a travessia entre EUA e Europa. João era filho de um grande cafeicultor, e batizou seu avião bimotor com o nome de Jahu. Na ilha da madeira seu avião foi sabotado, e ele mesmo precisou desmontar os motores, tendo encontrado dentro do motor, areia, sabão e pedaços de bronze. Enquanto desmontava os motores, o ditador Getúlio Vargas lhe mandou um telegrama, falando p/ deixar dessa loucura, desmontar o avião e embarcar em um navio, remetendo-o para o Brasil. João respondeu: Presidente, cuide do seu trabalho, que do meu cuido eu. A mãe de João enviou-lhe outro telegrama dizendo: Continue Filho, a Bandeira Nacional do Brasil está nas asas de seu avião. Qdo João conclui sua travessia, meus avós paternos estavam no Adriático, e comentavam que houve uma grande comemoração, por lá, do feito de João Ribeiro de Barros. Minha avó, ao ler nos jornais, sobre a conclusão da travessia de João Ribeiro de Barros, ficou impressionada e falou para meu avô: Olha, é o Joãozinho! Ele estudou com minhas tias + velhas.

[@sporty1701]

I consider Lindbergh's 1927 solo flight , an act of unmatched courage...even to this day. The technology of that era was primitive, to say the least. He relied on his gut and his flying skills...nothing more. There were no preflight checks, no computer simulations...just his sheer will. What Lindbergh did is nothing short of miraculous. Few individuals have changed the world as profoundly as Charles Lindbergh did, in that flimsy little plane. Bravo to Jimmy Stewart for such a wonderful performance...one of my favorite movies ever!

[@mikebird2571]

Seen the plane, when i was younger, either they photoshopped it out , or removed it... Older pics had it, but for some reason, newer history books, have sanitized and deleted embarrasing, chapters, or misleading facts, to bend their minds, to a biased outlook, on history.....

[@brit1066]

Scott Lunsford Perhaps but consider the immense bravery of the two British pilots Alcock and Brown who flew the FIRST TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT 10 YEARS EARLIER. If things were primitive for Lindbergh JUST IMAGINE WHAT IT WAS FOR Alcock and Brown.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

It was state-of-the-art airaplane custom-built just for that one purpose with all possible available simulations and calculations. And Lindbergh certainly had to do pre-flight checks necessary for that airplane. He was gutsy indeed, but first solo flight from New York to Paris was more a technical achievement instead of gutsy display or piloting. Gutsy piloting (and luck with following winds) was needed, but all the work was more than halfway done before he even took off. General James Stewart also performed really well in this role.

[@GH-oi2jf]

I saw this in original release at a theater. I remember it as being in black and white.

[@borisromanoff6956]

It's interesting that such a dangerous take off had to be made because of the race, but who else was competing for the prize I'd like to know?

[@mkor7]

@@borisromanoff6956 In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@randymiller3075]

And oh yes,I have a plastic model of the "SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS"!

[@leifvejby8023]

Me too - FROG 1/72

[@dickjohnson4268]

Only one? You can never have enough. Still have the one that came in a cereal box in 1957. And my first Spirit that I built when I was 10 years old.

[@daytonasixty-eight1354]

I like that they chocked the wheels even though the plane was stuck in the mud and needed to be pushed by a bunch of guys.

[@reynaldoflores4522]

Everything had to be done according to the pre-flight checklist!!

[@johnrandom]

Does it make sense to have a power line and trees at the end of a runway?

[@mkor7]

If you look at actual film of the take off he wasn't anywhere near the trees and lines in actuality.

[@jebise1126]

imagine hitting those trees... shortest movie ever

[@mkor7]

In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the trees or power lines upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@dclark142002]

Lindberg the man may have been an ass...but he was a great pilot. One of the great moments in aviation history...

[@mariacornwallis1602]

WHY DOESN'T HOLLYWOOD MAKE A FILM ABOUT THE FIRST MEN WHO FLEW NON STOP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC IN JUNE 1919? ..... OH I KNOW, THEY WEREN'T AMERICAN

[@blueskynevada8466]

That's a good point Maria...however, Lindbergh won the Orteig prize for being the first to fly non-stop from NY to Paris. You are correct, other aviators managed to clear the Atlantic before Lindbergh. I always thought the outpouring of adulation was way out of proportion to Lindbergh's accomplishment. It was truly just a matter of time before someone managed to fly a plane from NY to Paris. It was just a matter of stepwise improvements in technology leading to the eventual day that someone would make it. Not long after Lindbergh's flight, several other teams duplicated the feat without much incident.

[@mariacornwallis1602]

@@blueskynevada8466 I think crash landing a Vickers Vimy first world war bomber in an Irish bog would make a more exciting ending to a film than landing safely on a French lawn.

[@blueskynevada8466]

@@mariacornwallis1602 Absolutely! People don't realize how much the "lucky" in "Lucky Lindy" really meant.

[@ernesthill2681]

Good point, friend. Few Americans are even aware of the remarkable flight of the RN R-34 dirigible in 1919. Perhaps because it simply wasn't dramatic enough fodder for a film. Cool, capable, competent, that is the British way

[@mariacornwallis1602]

@@ernesthill2681 I was thinking about Alcock and Brown in a Vickers Vimy bomber also in 1919 .... Very good sir ... I think crashing into an Irish bog makes a better film climax than landing safely on a French lawn.. lol

[@bigearedmouse17]

Where is he going ?

[@gotch09]

Jimmy was too long in the tooth for this role. Lindbergh was only 25 yrs old when he did this.

[@steveconkey7362]

Lindbergh wasn't an Air Force General you moron.

[@alanboston5811]

Probably

[@gotch09]

@@steveconkey7362 No joke, Woodrow. Now, do bears really crap in the woods?

[@steveconkey7362]

@@gotch09 Who's Woodrow and why would he be involved in this discussion? No joke...The Pope shits in the woods, and the bear wears a funny hat.

[@gotch09]

@@steveconkey7362 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@Kharkovkid]

2:38 in the video. Someone dropped the ball! Those phone wires should have been clipped, then rehooked up after take off...And the trees at the end of the runway trimmed or removed also...

[@ericnolan2969]

He had balls, no forward vision, no brakes

[@kennethroyer9949]

No front windshield; no radio; and no compass. Balls?? No! It was faked so the U.S. would win the prize as propaganda for the masses!

[@bengus8148]

Forward vision periscope. Small but he could see forward.

[@kennethroyer9949]

True but takeoffs and especially landings would be a complete bitch. Nothing more than a death trap. That is why it was faked. The Lindbergh's were nothing more than a clan of hoaxer's that is why our intelligence services pick him. He loved playing the part. And by the way James Steward retired as a General and since he was in the movies then he was in intelligence!

[@bengus8148]

Because of tank placement he was so far back in the fuselage where he set he could touch BOTH SIDES with his out stretched elbows. All he had to do was lean a bit and he could look out the window. Gawd....

[@kurtfrancis4621]

@@kennethroyer9949 Ah, another flat-earther type. Go back in your hole.

[@daninbox]

Is this coming to blu-ray?

[@bobbyd6680]

Ask Google

[@billbright1755]

1/2 inch lower, well, it would have been a different story. Took off one time with one of my r. c. pusher type electrics. Knew I was close to a concrete curb stop on take run but had a good flight. Would oft fly for two hours or more on thermals, fifteen minutes of full power battery life. But after landing, the bottom of the left wing had a 1/8” deep grove about 6 “ out from fuselage. A piece of re-bar to locate the curb had left its mark,,, cutting it close.

[@superancientmariner1394]

All that looking out of the window...when he had a periscope.

[@netzer7739]

minut 2:50. but before of the landing a trees cut ????

[@bertsmith7013]

Fancy building a plane with no windscreen, I would have thought being able to see where you're going is the most fundamental requirement when traveling forwards at speed.

[@EdwinValero-m7j]

Wow un criminal volando

[@ChristopherBond-j2h]

He also flew f four corsairs in the pacific theater in world war two

[@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont]

I'll bet a tail wheel instead of a tail skid would have been helpful. But, any takeoff that you can land from is a good one.

[@samsharp8539]

No brakes on the Spirit. Tailwheels were just being thought of in 1927.

[@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont]

@@samsharp8539 All the years I have been interested in planes and with your help I just realized that the tail skid was to stop the thing on landing. Any day one can learn something is not a wasted day!

[@samsharp8539]

@@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont Exactly... That's the fun part. Now TURNING the plane around back then, require the pilot to add down elevator, full rudder, and 'blip' the engine. I still teach in taildraggers on occasion, and it's fun to watch a nosewheel pilot try to do a 180 degree turn with the engine at idle while moving. No rudder authority there. Doh!!!

[@samsharp8539]

@@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont I forgot to mention... The R/C modellers that have built the SoSL in various scales are fun to watch. The handling of the Spirit in scale shows just how much adverse yaw and instability the Spirit had inherently by Eng. Hall's design. Some of my best students (now major airline captains) are still R/C and tailwheel pilots. R/C and me?? I have tried... And failed miserably.

[@mustang6172]

Who puts power lines at the end of a runway?

[@reynaldoflores4522]

Who builds a runway next to power lines?

[@mkor7]

In actuality, he wasn't anywhere near the tree line upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@mkor7]

Or power lines.

[@historybuff66]

Eight years later Jimmy Stewart would barely manage to take off in “Flight of the Phoenix”.

[@Nangleator22]

You could feel every butterfly in his stomach, facing that terrible flaming death in the face. And was that an amazing miniature, or did somebody fly a replica Ryan for this movie?

[@BWolf00]

They flew a replica for this.

[@giorgiolazara3367]

Sparit ! Ovvio ..

[@andrewallen9993]

How incredible! An American managing a crossing of the Atlantic only a decade or so after Alcock and Brown did it in a Vickers Vimy!

[@bengus8148]

Actually Lindbergs flight was eight years later,a solo flight,a much longer flight from NY to Paris instead of St.Johns to Ireland and a safe landing instead of a crash. Other than that............

[@andrewallen9993]

@@bengus8148 Well let's face it The Spirit of At Louis was a much more modern aircraft and didn't even have biplane wings with a better engine and navigation equipment and of course he knew it was possible as it had been done before by somebody else :)

[@henryhall9623]

He also did it solo.

[@andrewallen9993]

@@henryhall9623 Amazing he was able to do it with an aircraft as technically more advanced over the Vickers Vimy as the Vimey was over the first1908 Wright flyer purchased by the US army.

[@leifvejby8023]

@@andrewallen9993 It wasn't just a flight across the bloody atlantic, but a flight from New Your to Paris! St Johns to Eire is only 3150 km, New York to Paris is 5830 km, 85% longer.

[@RickJones222]

This story has a happy ending, but it also explains the failures of pilots trying to do the same thing in the days of "daredevil" flying. Lindbergh depended on luck for many things, short runway with obstacles at the far end, underestimating the distance required for the over weight plane, the weather, not sleeping the night before. Pilots now would never take so many chances. Makes a great story but he could have easily been another tragic footnote in history, and remembered as a reckless fool, not a hero.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

The biggest stroke of good luck Lindbergh had was wind. It was practically always behind him giving him a boost of speed. Risky undertaking, but using state-of-the-art design optimized for long-distance flight was not taking a chance. It was combination of daredevilish antics and carefully calculated science.

[@mkor7]

He wasn't, in actuality, anywhere near the tree line upon takeoff. Check the actual film of it.

[@jimdrake-writer]

The role of Lindbergh was offered to John Kerr by Jack Warner, but Kerr turned it down because of Lindbergh’s association with the Nazis in the late-1930s. Stewart lobbied for and got the part, but had to lose 30 lbs and be fitted with a curly brown hairpiece to look anything like the 26-year-old aviator. Lindbergh was very impressed with Stewart’s performance, especially an unscripted moment when Stewart tapped the glass of the oil gauge. “Only an experienced pilot would do that before starting the engine,” Lindbergh commented to director William Wyler.

[@kennethroyer9949]

There is a secondary reason why John Kerr turned down the part as “Lucky Lindy” as he most likely knew that it was staged - FAKED - as military intelligence wanted to be the first to make the hop from New York to Paris. Failure was not an option but absolutely an option for the actor John Kerr. If the cat got out of the bag that it was FAKED along with Lucky Lindy’s love affair with the Nazis his acting career could have been ruined. Why Jimmy Stewart despite his age?? He was connected to military intelligence for years. Who made the hop?? Don’t know but you can bet it was a tri-motor of its day with a pilot/co-pilot plus a radio operator/navigator with a compass and just for grin’s a front windshield.

[@avmtech1968]

@@kennethroyer9949 The most idiotic comment I have ever read.

[@avmtech1968]

@@kennethroyer9949 You're a God damned idiot.

[@kennethroyer9949]

@@avmtech1968 Wow what a reasoned and well positioned argument I can see you are a man of aristocratic upbringing along with being highly educated with an arsenal use of the English language. Wow! I'm impressed!

[@avmtech1968]

@@kennethroyer9949 You're still an idiot. time to change the tin foil hat of yours....