Rating: 
Summary: A Hero's Adventure
Review: This book has been around for fifty years.
Why read it now?
Because it is so well written.
It is written by the man who did it--The first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air and live to tell about it. No one had done it before.
His plane was so loaded down with fuel--he almost never made it off the ground, at take-off.
The thing I like so much about the way Lindbergh tells his own story is that he begins the Trans-Atlantic flight early in the book, and reminisces as the flight is taking place. By mixing the narrative as he does, the 33 1/2 hour flight is NEVER dull or monotonous.
You learn of his early life, his interest in Aviation, the early evolution of technology, his mishaps, his barnstorming days, and his early adventures with the Air Mail Service.
You get the feeling that Lindbergh wanted to succeed--not for personal notoriety, but for the success of Aviation.
Lindbergh's own story of the first Trans-Atlantic flight is a hair-raising adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Strong, clear, accurate, sometimes poetic writing
Review: Great account of an adventure. Includes all the early stages, including conception, financing, building, testing, and monitoring the competition. Especially relevant these days with all the X prize comparisons.
The writing of the actual flight is exhaustive, and sprinkled with autobiographical anecdotes to give context and color. His accounts of growing up on a Minnesota farm surely add to the American mythos of self-determination. And his days spent learning to fly through barnstorming and the Army are notable for being enchanting, yet completely straightforward and accurate.
Lindbergh says accuracy is one of his major aims. This adds to the substance of the book, since he examines his mistakes at least as much as his successes. The writing sometimes waxes poetic, as when he says "The dull blade of skill is sharpened on the stone of experience."
Overall, this is a valuable book on many levels. For the historical record of a groundbreaking flight. For the description of the early days of flight, and the adventure and pioneering spirit it embodied. And for the tale of a man who conceived a great project, found the friendly cooperation of others to help him achieve it, worked through many obstacles and setbacks to prepare for it, and then finally executed it well, despite his own human imperfections and mistakes along the way.
Rating:
Summary: An enduring aviation classic
Review: I first read this book as a high school student, and remembered well the hour by hour description of the flight over the Atlantic. On my second reading as an adult, I discovered an additional story within the story that can apply to everyone who has a desire to accomplish something great in their life. Lindbergh traces how the very wisp of an idea, that an aircraft with enough fuel, powered by a reliable engine, and held on course, could fly 3,600 miles from New York to Paris. Once he realized that he had enough qualifications to make the flight by himself, and could see himself doing it, he was a changed man, he was a man who was going to Paris by air! Now he faced the problem of obtaining support, a task that filled him with more anxiety than the flying itself. He nurtured his idea, protecting it from the naysayers, carefully confiding in those who could accept his reasoning that a single engine plane made more sense than the trimotor aircraft others were planning to use in that era. He fretted about obtaining an engine, and then an airplane, and met almost continuous obstacles in his path. Yet again and again, to his surprise, financial and technical support was provided, often from totally unexpected quarters. This book is not only an aviation classic, it is a classic on project management, on turning a vision into goals, and goals into tasks, knowing where the milestones of success can be measured, and when the go/nogo decisions can be made. If you are a pilot, or want to become one, then this book belongs in your library, and you should consider buying a second copy to give to your CFI. Our instructors represent an unbroken lineage of aviators back to the era described in the story. But it would be a shame to limit this story to the aviation community. Everyone who has a burning desire to achieve something beyond themselves will gain new insight into how ideas change our lives. If you have read "The Path" by Laurie Beth Jones, then you will most certainly enjoy this book, too.
Rating:
Summary: This book sets the record straight....
Review: I had wanted to read this book to gain an understanding of why Lindbergh's flight was so important. After reading this book, I found that out....and a whole lot more! The book is highly readable and brings to life the Golden Era of aviation -- canvas dope-covered wings, dead-reckoning navigation, and seat-of-the-pants flying, and delivering the mail by airplane like the pony express. This was quite an exciting time, and the book brings this era to life. The book is also significant in other respect -- setting goals and achieving them. Even this seemingly impossible task can be achieved with hard work, careful planning, and determination. If Lindbergh can do this, then you will get the feeling that you can achieve your own goals, however difficult they may seem. In the flight across the Atlantic you get to know Lindbergh in the various stories he tells. The book's afterward tells much about his landing in France, the accolades he received, and actual technical flight and test data, as well as log book entries. In the book's foreward his daughter says Lindbergh often said 2 things: 1) that he wrote the book to "Set the record straight". He achieves that, and a whole lot more, the book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1954. 2) that he often said to people who asked about his flight "Read the book". He spent something like 20 years writing this meticulously researched account. And who besides him would know more about this flight. All I can say is to reiterate Lindbergh's own words -- read his book. It's fantastic!
Rating:
Summary: This book is about more than flying
Review: I love reading about aviation, and Lindbergh does an excellent job describing the flight. However, the more inspiring story (I think) is found long before Linbergh cleared the power lines at Roosevelt Field and went on his way. The St. Louis banker who took a chance on an unknown airmail pilot; the obscure aircraft manufacturer in San Diego whose management, engineers, and craftsmen poured their hearts and souls into a one-off creation that they would practically sell at a loss; the fact that Linbergh succeeded where world-famous pilots, backed by five and ten times the money and the best of everything, failed... even the most hardened cynic will want to stand up and cheer. Lindbergh's writing is detailed, yet very easy to read. Buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've Read
Review: I've always enjoyed non-fiction and this Pulitzer-Prise winning autobiography by THE hero of the 20th century places the reader firmly in the cockpit with Lindy. The hour by hour tale of his non-stop flight over the Atlantic in 1927 is filled with flashbacks of his past as he reviews his life on a voyage that easily could have been his last. I highly recommend this book! And, I also highly recommend the movie by the same name starring James Stewart which pretty much accurately depicts the flavor of the book itself.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring story of a legendary flight
Review: In this book, Charles Lindbergh tells us the story of his flight from New York to Paris, one of the great milestone flights in aviation history. It covers the venture in its entirety, from the moment the idea of trying out for the $25,000 Orteig Prize (offered to the pilot who would complete the first successful New York-Paris flight) occurred to him, on a routine night mail flight, to the final, triumphant landing at Le Bourget. The "Lucky Lindy" moniker nonwithstanding, Lindbergh comes across as the exact opposite of the popular idea of the daredevil pilot. He was a meticulous planner who knew only too well the difference between courage and recklessness. Step by step, with determination and common sense, he got together the financial backing necessary for the venture, and achieved the goal he had set for himself in the face of stiff competition from other, more experienced pilots. Lindbergh has the teacher's gift of explaining things in simple and clear language, so that even a reader who has no knowledge of aviation learns quite a bit about the technical side of flying, especially in the part about his close collaboration with Ryan Airlines in the design of his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis. Throughout the book and especially during the long hours of the flight itself, he includes reminiscings about his father's farm and his days as a barnstorming pilot, flying cadet, flight instructor, air mail pilot, stunt flier, wing-walker, and parachutist. One really is taken back to the days when aviation was still in its experimental stages. The Spirit of St. Louis is a great choice if you have an interest in the early days of aviation or just would like to read an inspiring story about how a man set about fulfilling a dream--and succeeded.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring story of a legendary flight
Review: In this book, Charles Lindbergh tells us the story of his flight from New York to Paris, one of the great milestone flights in aviation history. It covers the venture in its entirety, from the moment the idea of trying out for the $25,000 Orteig Prize (offered to the pilot who would complete the first successful New York-Paris flight) occurred to him, on a routine night mail flight, to the final, triumphant landing at Le Bourget. The "Lucky Lindy" moniker nonwithstanding, Lindbergh comes across as the exact opposite of the popular idea of the daredevil pilot. He was a meticulous planner who knew only too well the difference between courage and recklessness. Step by step, with determination and common sense, he got together the financial backing necessary for the venture, and achieved the goal he had set for himself in the face of stiff competition from other, more experienced pilots. Lindbergh has the teacher's gift of explaining things in simple and clear language, so that even a reader who has no knowledge of aviation learns quite a bit about the technical side of flying, especially in the part about his close collaboration with Ryan Airlines in the design of his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis. Throughout the book and especially during the long hours of the flight itself, he includes reminiscings about his father's farm and his days as a barnstorming pilot, flying cadet, flight instructor, air mail pilot, stunt flier, wing-walker, and parachutist. One really is taken back to the days when aviation was still in its experimental stages. The Spirit of St. Louis is a great choice if you have an interest in the early days of aviation or just would like to read an inspiring story about how a man set about fulfilling a dream--and succeeded.
Rating:
Summary: An Adventure That Soars
Review: It's no surprise that Charles Lindbergh was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1954 for the book he had labored on - perfecting, if you will, as a perfectionist does - for fourteen years. One would expect that a soft-spoken, intellectual type such as Lindbergh would write a rather drab, scientific account of the most dangerous and thrilling flight in history (yes, even more dangerous and thrilling than the Apollo missions.) Instead we get a book that that carries us on wings of a pulsating first person indicative, from the beginning: his days as one of the first airmail pilots when the idea for the flight originated; to the final destination: the spectacular night landing at the Le Bourget Airport in Paris where a throng of hundreds of thousands swarmed toward the little monoplane, nearly swallowing it and its exhausted pilot. The Spirit of St. Louis is likely the most absorbing true adventure story written by an American. It's a masterwork that rates as Lucky Lindy's second great achievement.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: Lindbergh's flight solo New York to Paris is still hard to repeat with a small, prop driven, aircraft. It is hard to summarize or constuct a methaphor to measure the impact of Lindbergh's historic flight in today's setting, it was such a great leap forward for mankind. The flight inspired my father, 14 years old and living on a farm in Wisconsin in 1927, to become a graduate aerospace engineer, and later to work on the design of the P-38, X-15, and the Apollo capsule, among others, many of which he could not even tell me about. It had similar effects and results for thousands of others. This book is well written and documents not only the flight, but the life of Lindbergh, and the logistics of pulling off this incredible event. After reading this book, I came to the opinion that the planning and logistics (including fundraising and sponsorship) may have been more difficult than the actual flight. We owe much for this leap forward to a group of individuals from St. Louis, who told Lindbergh, "you worry about the design, building, and flying of the aircraft, we will take care of the money". Reading about this portion of the effort alone, provides much food for thought about current corporate management and government projects. A case study in delegation! I found this book interesting, fascinating, well written, and inspiring. The event and the book are timeless. Reading it makes you realize the difference one person can make when perseverance is applied in a large dose.
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