Cradle Of Aviation Museum Celebrates Anniversary Of Lindbergh's Flight

Charles Lindbergh with the Spirit of St. Louis

The Cradle of Aviation Museum will celebrate one of the most significant moments in history during the weekend of May 18th, 19th and 20th when they commemorate the 80th Anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's flight from Roosevelt Field to Paris. They will be joined on the weekend by Erik Lindbergh, the grandson of Charles Lindbergh.

On a cloudy morning in May of 1927, a crowd of roughly 500 people thought they had witnessed a miracle as a young Charles Lindbergh steered his "Spirit of St. Louis" down the dirt runway of Roosevelt Field. Thirty three and a half hours later, the miracle happened when Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Field outside of Paris, becoming the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic. This single event revolutionized aviation and our view of the world.

The celebration weekend which is being sponsored by Longines, will feature new access to the Cradle's "Spirit of St. Louis" airplane, a sister ship to Lindbergh's plane that was built to the same specifications and that was used in the Hollywood movie "The Spirit of St. Louis" starring Jimmy Stewart. The plane will be lowered to the museum floor providing visitors with the opportunity to look inside the cockpit and have their photo taken beside the plane. In addition, a variety of family activities will allow children to follow the path of Lindbergh's flight, build their own "Spirit of St. Louis" or "walk to Paris" using a compass to try and navigate as Lindbergh did. Screenings of the "The Spirit of St. Louis" starring Jimmy Stewart will be shown in the museum for free with museum admission. Back in 1927, Charles Lindbergh worked with Longines to design a special watch which was instrumental in helping him navigate across the Atlantic.

On Friday evening, Erik Lindbergh, the grandson of Charles Lindbergh will be featured at the Cradle's Legends of Air & Space Lecture Series where he will discuss the past, present and future of flight as well as the challenges he faced while retracing his grandfather's epic flight. Tickets are $10.00, $8.00 for museum members.

On Saturday evening a special fund raising dinner to benefit the Cradle of Aviation will be held honoring Erik Lindbergh and John D. Cameron, Jr. of Cameron Engineering and Associates, LLP. The dinner will honor Mr. Lindbergh and Mr. Cameron for their contributions to the community and the environment. Tickets to the dinner are $150.00, $135.00 for museum members.

The Cradle of Aviation Museum is dedicated to the history of aviation and its impact on Long Island. The museum is located in Mitchell Field on Museum Row, Charles Lindbergh Blvd. For information about the weekend call 516-572-4111 or log onto www.cradleofaviation.org.