Spirit of St. Louis Departs for Paris (1927)

An air-to-air photograph taken from a chase plane showing a distant view of the fully completed Spirit of St. Louis flying over the California landscape during its departure. — Spirit of St. Louis Departs for Paris (1927) · Donald A. Hall Estate Collection

An exceptionally rare, historically monumental 1927 photograph. This is not a test flight; this is Charles Lindbergh in the fully completed Spirit of St. Louis, having just taken off from Rockwell Field on North Island to begin his first leg to St. Louis, then New York, and ultimately Paris. Chief Engineer Donald A. Hall Sr. and B.F. Mahoney captured this image from their Ryan M-2 chase plane before turning back, watching Lindbergh fly off into the unknown and aviation immortality.