The Spirit of St. Louis
This project took 7-years and 3-months to complete ...
from the time the first crate of materials arrived in the shop until the Maiden Flight of the aircraft.
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Details about the conception of the project ... the actual build ... flying the aircraft ... and discoveries we made along the way are provided in the links below.
The Spirit of St. Louis has 5-fuel tanks and 1- oil tank with multiple baffles within each one.
Finding parts for a Wright J-5 engine originally built in 1926 presents another challenge
The wide, outrigger gear was required to support the wing and the weight of the fuel when all the tanks were filled
To be authentic to the original; this replica has both Grade 'A' Cotton as well as Linen fabric covering the airplane
Creating the iconic "swirls" associated with the Spirit of St. Louis was just ONE of the many intricacies encountered while building the cowling
Detailing the components found within the cockpit was truly a 'labor of love'
Building a one piece, 46' long wing with a 7' chord presented several challenges along the way
The airplane had to be moved into a hangar large enough to accommodate the 46' long wing before the final assembly could be accomplished
Throughout the process of building and flying this incredible replica the "Spirit" revealed previously unknown or undisclosed "secrets" as we confirmed that history is not always recorded as accurately as we wish it was.
The Spirit of St. Louis by JNE began flying in July 2019 at the Arlington Municipal Airport in Arlington, Washington
