Ryan NYP Cockpit Enclosure, Instrument Board, and Fuel Selector Manifold (1927)

Interior view through the open cockpit door showing the instrument board and complex lower fuel plumbing manifold. — Ryan NYP Cockpit Enclosure, Instrument Board, and Fuel Selector Manifold (1927) · Donald A. Hall Estate Collection

An archival interior photograph looking through the right cockpit door of the Spirit of St. Louis. Prominently featured are the black oval instrument panel, the control stick, and the intricate lower brass fuel distribution manifold engineered by Donald A. Hall Sr. This plumbing enabled Charles Lindbergh to select and balance fuel feed between the 425-gallon main tank, nose tank, and three wing tanks, maintaining longitudinal center-of-gravity stability and mitigating crash hazards.