Donald A. Hall Estate Collection

Ryan NYP Fuselage Side Structure Showing Main Fuel Tank and Cockpit Bay (Plate #2987) (1927)

An archival master engineering photograph (negative plate #2987) capturing the uncovered fuselage structure of the Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis inside the Ryan workshop. Photographed from the side against a white backdrop, the image details the welded steel-tube Warren truss, the large 425-gallon welded main fuselage fuel tank, and the pilot's cockpit bay directly behind it. The view details the pilot's control stick, rudder linkages, throttle controls, instrument panel mount, and wooden cockpit floorboards. This photograph records the internal layout engineered by Donald A. Hall Sr., which positioned the massive fuel tank on the center of gravity between the engine and the pilot for balance stability and impact safety.