In 1927, my grandfather, Charles A. Lindbergh, made history by flying solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris in his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis. His achievement catapulted him to worldwide fame across generations, continents and cultures. His accomplishment marked a turning point in aviation history.
Before he flew across the Atlantic people who flew in airplanes were known as barnstormers and daredevils. After he flew across the Atlantic people who flew in airplanes were known as pilots and passengers – a worldwide shift in public awareness about the viability of long-distance air travel.
Inspired to learn to fly at age 24, I overcame a physical disability (and a fair amount of mental resistance) to spend my career as a flight instructor, charter pilot, staff, board member, brand ambassador, and entrepreneur with a host of leading-edge aerospace companies and not-for-profit charities.
As the 75th anniversary of my grandfather’s historic flight approached, I embarked on a journey to retrace my grandfather’s historic flights in the Spirit of St. Louis. Despite significant advancements in technology, it was still an epic personal challenge. I used the media attention the flight received to help shift the world’s perspective about commercial spaceflight with the Ansari XPRIZE. Mission accomplished: Musk, Bezos, and Branson are now selling tickets to fly into space to governments, corporations and even private citizens!
It was incredible to be a part of a small team of people who caused a worldwide shift in public awareness about space flight. Empowered, I set my sights back on aviation and determined to apply myself to helping accelerate the nascent electric aircraft industry. After several years of advocacy and Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prizes (LEAP), I started VerdeGo Aero to provide propulsion systems for the emerging advanced air mobility industry. Our first VH-3-185 propulsion units are now installed in a new prototype aircraft and undergoing flight testing!
Looking forward to the 100th anniversary of the Spirit of St. Louis flights in May of 2027, the 47-year-old Lindbergh Foundation has focused on inspiring the next generation of explorers and breaking down the technical barriers to sustainable aviation.
With an eye toward our future, The Lindbergh Foundation just brought the first Electric Propulsion Innovation Challenge (EPIC) to the Saint Louis Science Center and their YES Teens program. Created by Starfish Education, EPIC is a STEM engineering design project for students in grades 6-12. It was awesome to watch the students design, build, break, rebuild, and fly small electric airplanes, fostering their STEM skills, creativity and perseverance. Witnessing the diverse solutions the students developed was truly inspiring and we are excited to expand our teacher training program and are planning for a St. Louis regional fly-off next year.
The overall winner — Laela G. — designed, built, tested and finally flew her electric airplane at the Science Center to a cheering crowd. You can see it fly here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r7rZJ9vBb2YPEwjE7427cGDRM7lnFtSE/view?pli=1
As The Lindbergh Foundation scales this inspirational program we plan to export it around the country – indeed the world.
The Lindbergh Foundation is a public 501(c3) organization, and is actively seeking collaboration with individual donors, volunteers, non-profits, and corporations to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the amazing flight that launched the golden age of aviation. Our mission (the nexus of technology and the environment) is to create a sustainable future for aviation and inspire the individuals who will live into that future with more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft.
Please visit our website and join our dedicated Spirit of St. Louis 100 team to help us celebrate a once-in-a-lifetime anniversary!
