Lindbergh grandson to duplicate historic flight

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- Pushed by strong tail winds, the grandson of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh touched down Sunday in this St. Louis suburb in the first leg of a bid to duplicate his grandfather's historic 1927 solo crossing of the Atlantic.

About two hours ahead of schedule, Erik Lindbergh, 36, arrived here shortly before 7 p.m. in the New Spirit of St. Louis, a state-of-the-art Lancair Columbia 300.

The flight re-creation is part of the 75th anniversary celebration of Charles Lindbergh's cross-Atlantic flight, which began in San Diego, where the original Spirit of St. Louis was built.

Wearing a blue flight suit, the young Lindbergh left San Diego's Lindbergh Field at 11:32 a.m. without speaking to reporters. Hours later, he reached the Spirit of St. Louis Airport here, stepped from his tiny plane and gestured with a couple of thumbs-up signs.

Lindbergh called the flight uneventful, aside from the three hours of turbulence he said he weathered while trying to eat a sandwich.

"I'm ready to rest for a couple of days," Lindbergh said smiling, before being asked what he thought his famous grandfather might say about his plans. "He might say, 'Why are you doing this crazy thing?' I have no idea. I'm very excited."

Erik Lindbergh's arrival was greeted by about 20 spectators, some with binoculars and cameras. The observers applauded and wished him well.

He plans to fly Saturday to Farmingdale, N.Y., where he will begin the 17- to 21-hour crossing of the Atlantic on May 1. The cross-Atlantic trip took Charles Lindbergh 33 1/2 hours.

Erik Lindbergh's quest will be monitored by his mission control center at the St. Louis Science Center.