The Ugly Beauty

[Randy Ryan]

Just watched "The Spirit of St Louis" again for the ?th time. Every time I watch it I'm struck by the simple elegant beauty of that airplane. Remembering this was 1926-27 makes it even more so. I've been wondering if others feel the same way, every time I see it I am again taken by it long slick fuselage and curves of the tailfathers. The stout straight wing and the cylinders all peeking out of that sculpted boot cowl. I just think this is one gorgeous airplane, in a class all its own.

[Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach]

I have to agree with your fine assessment.  It was a plane before its time.  Although it would have looked better with a windsheild!

[Jeffrey Olijar]

I went and saw it after I got done with my divorce court in Maine... went down the coast, took Atlantic city for $100, then $%^# near gave it all to D.C. for parking...  She is a pretty plane.  Though I will admit I am more for the Bell X-1 in the backround



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[Randy Ryan]

Well guys, 3 out of 100, I guess the rest of the world thinks it ugly.

[wwwarbird]

 Yep, good looking plane and a viable candidate for a good semi-scale stunt model.

[Dan McEntee]

Yep, good looking plane and a viable candidate for a good semi-scale stunt model.

    Yeah, ask Jim Lee and Keith Trostle. There was one published in Mechanics Illustrated that I think is the model the they built Very OTS worthy and pretty scale looking also. The replica that used to hang in our airport here in St. Louis was one of the three built for the movie with Jimmy Stewart, and Mr. Stewart financed and owned one of them. it's in the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan , I think, and the third was destroyed in the San Diego Air Museum fire several years ago. Sean Elliott flew the EAA's current flying replica into SIG field one year as part of a recruiting trip fro KidVenture volunteers, and Sean and I got to sit in it. You got to remember that this airplane was built to do one thing and one thing only, and it did it in very fine fashion. That is a thing of beauty in itself. I'm kind of prejudiced, but I thing is a very sleek, beautiful design.
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[billbyles]

I have to agree with your fine assessment.  It was a plane before its time.  Although it would have looked better with a windsheild!

"Although it would have looked better with a windsheild!"

Maybe, but Lindbergh had been able to see through the windshield the airplane would not have been able to carry enough fuel to get to Paris.  The airplane in the photo looks like the EAA replica with windshields.  It had covers that were Dzus fastened in place when parked.

[Bill Heher]

I agree a - beautiful plane elegantly designed for the mission.

Think about it for a minute- no GPS, loran,INS, no radar, no radio altimeter, engines that had a usefull life that ranged from 50 to 1000 hrs, insturments that were totally mechanical, radios that may or may not work if there was a signal to receive, and the list goes on.

Hand flying an overloaded, marginally stable, noisy, uninsulated airplane with little FWD visibility across a cold ocean. Staying awake around the clock in freezing temps, while rationing your coffee and sandwiches- and NO Bathroom! Thinking about the earlier attempts to try the crossing- and the deadly consequences of failure.
Barometiric strip recoreders later showed that he lost thousands of feet of altitude multiple times in clouds / storms, and recovered the craft and kept on going.  Talk about balls!

[Dennis Adamisin]

I'm with you Randy, the Spirit has a functional beauty well ahead of its contemporaries. The Wright J5 is a beautiful funtional piece too.

Good flick too!

[Marvin Denny]

 Sean Elliott flew the EAA's current flying replica into SIG field one year as part of a recruiting trip fro KidVenture volunteers, and Sean and I got to sit in it.   Dan McEntee
[/quote]

   My wife took some pictures of that plane as it made a "fly-by" and did an oil painting of it that I think is really good.

  Bigiron

[Brian Massey]

Put me in the catagory of those who see it as truly functionally georgous! That movie has and remains one of my favorite; I don't think anyone could have done the part better than JS.

Brian

[Bill Little]

HI Randy,

I agree!  Though our view of its beauty might be overshadowed by our knowledge of just what the airplane (and pilot) did.  Seeing something that has as much history with it seems to heighten its "beauty". 

Now, get with Jim or Keith and build a stunt version of it! (don't have a clue as to where the plans are available)

Bill

[Randy Ryan]

Actually I'd like to see it built as maybe a 1/3 scale R/C version and have the flight repeated via RC

[John Paris]

Randy,
One of the replicas flew into the Sig meet a few years ago.  Pretty cool for sure.  I was amazed that it made if off the ground even though I had seen it fly in.  Those things just don't spool up like I would have expected.
John

[Serge_Krauss]

Randy-

I always thought it had a great functional beauty - 'even looked modern to me in my youth (1950's). Lot's of us knew what "NX211" was, and I've never forgotten from the time I was quite small. When Dad was a kid, it seemed that everyone built that model, and plans and kits continued to be generated prominently for many years. 'doubt they've ever really stopped. I had a plastic model of the "Spirit" very early, and it was probably later hanging with my WW I planes from my bedroom's ceiling. Lindberg was probably the most famous figure of his time, and "The Spirit of St. Louis" was iconic and recognized by everyone. You know a generation has forgotten its history, when you start meeting or seeing people on TV who don't recognize either name. I doubt that any other 20th century hero or object has been better known than that pair. Well, we'll all remember and appreciate them a while longer. For us, its lines and rugged grace make it hard to forget.

SK