The Spirit of St. Louis and Donald A. Hall

“Relating the story of the Spirit of St. Louis, its pilot Charles Lindbergh and the Ryan NYP aircraft at the Smithsonian museum, to educate the minds of tomorrow about discovery and innovation.”

Flying Over Time

Through our outreach, events, and talks, we teach lessons on innovation and risk-taking by emphasizing the lessons of: the $25,000 Ortieg Prize, Donald Hall’s 60-day aircraft build, Lindbergh’s goals and how building a fearless team succeeded in planning the flights of the Spirit of St. Louis.

The Engineer's Trunk

Our Story

Chief Engineer

DONALD A. HALL SR.

Inside the cracked and weathered exterior of an old steamer trunk, a family secret was waiting to be discovered. In 1999 Nova Hall, grandson of Donald A. Hall Sr., uncovered a locked World War I era steamer trunk in his family’s garage in Sedona, Arizona.

The collection held more than 900 never-before-seen photographs, personal correspondence, letters from Charles Lindbergh, original newspapers, design tools, models, negatives, and the original Hall blueprints of the Spirit of St. Louis.

Through those treasures archived by Donald Hall Sr., we discover the mysterious man behind Lindbergh’s historic flight to Paris and the unique engineering masterpiece that propelled Hall and Lindbergh into a new age of aviation and commercial flight.”

IT ALL STARTED…

In 1927, when the world discovered a young airmail pilot named Charles Lindbergh and his famous aircraft designer, Donald A. Hall Sr. Lindbergh became the most famous man alive by braving the Atlantic Ocean. He had flown solo, in a uniquely aerodynamic airplane, built in San Diego and engineered for one death-defying flight. No one expected him to survive. The airplane had been designed by Ryan Airlines new Chief Engineer, Donald A. Hall Sr., and the “Spirit of St. Louis” had performed perfectly.

Built in 60 days, it allowed Lindbergh to take off in New York City and land in Paris after 33 1/2 hours. Lindbergh beat two of his close competitors, forever establishing his place in aviation history and winning $25,000.

After the flight, Lindbergh’s celebrity and influence continued. Yet for this young and shy 25 year old, nothing would ever be the same. As the years passed, his fame would continue to change the world, stretching into the 30’s, through World War II, and into the space age, well beyond his death in 1974. In his lifetime, Charles Lindbergh would see himself championed by many, reviled by others, and yet always respected for his first flight of faith in Donald A. Hall’s design. The first man to fly non-stop from New York to Paris. more

THE JOURNEY FORWARD…

The History

The story of the historic transatlantic crossing and the engineering feat that made it possible. Read More

The Book

Spirit and Creator is a unique fine-photography book that features over two hundred original photographs and documents. Read More

The Art

The Spirit of St. Louis Exhibition is unique because of the integrative approach to historic narrative, the blending of art and history. Read More

The Photography

The exhibition includes large prints of the 1927 photos of Donald A. Hall, Sr., Chief Engineer and designer during the sixty-day construction. Read More

The Rose Chest

The discovery of a locked steamer trunk containing the records and keepsakes of the Spirit of St. Louis Chief Engineer. Read More

The Play

In 2011, Flying Over Time premiered the one act, one person play about Donald A. Hall Sr., The Creator behind the Spirit. Read More

Flying Over Time

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Experience the fascinating story of Nova Hall, whose discovery of a lost and forgotten collection of photographs, documents, and personal correspondence with Charles A. Lindbergh revealed the amazing work of his grandfather, Donald A. Hall Sr. - one of the most...