https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_of_St._Louis

The Spirit of St. Louis (Registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single
engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May
20–21, 1927, on the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight from Long Island,
New York, to Paris, France, for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize.

Officially known as the "Ryan NYP" (for New York to Paris), the single engine
monoplane was designed by Donald A. Hall of Ryan Airlines and was named the
"Spirit of St. Louis" in honor of Lindbergh's supporters from the St. Louis
Raquette Club in his then hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. To save design time,
the NYP was loosely based on the company's 1926 Ryan M-2 mailplane with the main
difference being the 4,000 mile range of the NYP and, as a non-standard design,
the government assigned it the registration number N-X-211 (for "experimental").
Hall documented his design in "Engineering Data on the Spirit of St. Louis"
which he prepared for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and
is included as an appendix to Lindbergh's 1953 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The
Spirit of St. Louis.

Lindbergh believed that multiple engines resulted in a greater risk of failure
while a single engine design would give him greater range. To increase fuel
efficiency, the Spirit of St. Louis was also one of the most advanced and
aerodynamically streamlined designs of its era.

Lindbergh believed that a flight made in a single-seat monoplane designed around
the dependable Wright J-5C "Whirlwind" radial engine provided the best chance of
success. The Ryan NYP had a total fuel capacity of 450 U.S. gallons (1,700 L;
370 imp gal) or 2,710 pounds (1,230 kg) of gasoline, which was necessary in
order to have the range to make the anticipated flight non-stop. The fuel was
stored in five fuel tanks, a forward tank (88 gallons), the main (209 gallons),
and three wing tanks with a total of 153 gallons.[6]

At Lindbergh's request, the large main and forward fuel tanks were placed in the
forward section of the fuselage, in front of the pilot, with the oil tank acting
as a firewall. This arrangement improved the center of gravity and reduced the
risk of the pilot being crushed to death between the main tank and the engine in
the event of a crash. This design decision meant that there could be no front
windshield, and that forward visibility would be limited to the side windows.
This did not concern Lindbergh as he was used to flying in the rear cockpit of
mail planes with mail bags in the front. When he wanted to see forward, he would
slightly yaw the aircraft and look out the side.

Specifications (Ryan NYP)

General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 27 ft 7 in (8.4 m)
Wingspan: 46 ft (14 m)
Height: 9 ft 10 in (3 m)
Wing area: 320 ft2 (29.7 m2)
Airfoil: Clark Y
Empty weight: 2,150 lb (975 kg)
Loaded weight: 2,888 lb (1,310 kg)
Useful load: 450 gal (1,703 l)
Max. takeoff weight: 5,135 lb (2,330 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright Whirlwind J-5C Single blade Standard Steel Propeller, 223
hp (166 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 133 mph (214 km/h)
Cruise speed: 100-110 mph (161-177 km/h)
Range: 4,100 mi (6,600 km)
Service ceiling: 16,400 ft (5,000 m)
Rate of climb: Considered[41] ()
Wing loading: 16 lb/ft2 (78 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 23 lb/hp (10.4 kg/hp)




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