Ryan Airlines First Flight Celebration Banquet with Lindbergh and Donald Hall (1927)

Banquet photograph of Charles Lindbergh, Donald Hall, B.F. Mahoney, dignitaries, and the Ryan Airlines team celebrating flight trials in 1927. — Ryan Airlines First Flight Celebration Banquet with Lindbergh and Donald Hall (1927) · Donald A. Hall Estate Collection

A historic gelatin silver banquet photograph capturing the Ryan Airlines team and civic guests gathered in San Diego in late April or early May 1927 to celebrate the successful completion and first flight of the Spirit of St. Louis. Seated along banquet tables, the gathering includes Charles A. Lindbergh, Chief Engineer Donald A. Hall Sr., company president B.F. Mahoney, factory manager Hawley Bowlus, sales director A.J. Edwards, and shop leads, documenting the camaraderie and shared triumph of the craftsmen who designed and built the transatlantic aircraft in 60 days.