On this day in 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh completes his last series of flight tests of the Ryan NYP, N-X-211, Spirit of St. Louis before his transatlantic flight on May 20–21. Flying at 50 feet over San Diego Bay, he times the Spirit‘s flight from marker to marker with a stopwatch. After the speed runs, Lindbergh flies back to nearby Camp Kearney for load tests. Take-off distances are measured while increasing the fuel load in 50-gallon increments. Click image for a large view.
