Completed Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis on the Field at Dutch Flats (1927)

Three-quarter front view of the finished Spirit of St. Louis at Dutch Flats showing damascened nose cowl and wing lettering. — Completed Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis on the Field at Dutch Flats (1927) · Donald A. Hall Estate Collection

A vintage positive slide from Donald Hall's original negatives capturing the completed Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis (N-X-211) parked on the dirt apron at Dutch Flats, San Diego, in late April 1927. The aircraft is shown in its complete transatlantic configuration, highlighting the hand-beaten aluminum nose cowl decorated with engine-turned damascening by Fred Rohr, the 46-foot high-aspect-ratio wing, streamlined balsa-faired struts, fabric-doped wheel covers, and painted Spirit of St. Louis nose insignia.