Lindbergh’s Solo Flight

Year Erected: 1985

Image courtesy of Tom Stelling.

Marker Text: The "Lone Eagle" first flew solo in early May, 1923 from Souther Field. Charles Lindbergh had come to Americus to purchase a surplus aircraft from the World War I training center. He chose a Curtiss JN4 "Jenny." He got the plane with a brand-new OX-5 engine, a fresh coat of olive drab dope, and an extra 20 gallon fuel tank for $500. Lindbergh had less than 20 hours instruction when he soloed. He practiced take-offs and landings for a week; then having filled up with forty gallons of gas, he set course for Montgomery, Alabama, to start his barnstorming career. Four years later Lindbergh flew alone in the "Spirit of St. Louis" from New York to Paris and into aviation history.

Erected at the direction of a House Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, February, 1985.

Tips for Finding This Marker: On Souther Field Airport (Highway 49) in Americus.