The Flight: Charles Lindbergh's Daring and Immortal 1927 Transatlantic Crossing Paperback – Large Print, May 16, 2017

I admit to having struggled through portions of this book, specifically parts in which the actual flight across the Atlantic took place due to the number of technical words that an aviator would use. The glossary includes four pages of such words and unless you are familiar with their usage regarding flight the reading can become cumbersome.I believe A. Scott Berg's book entitled "Lindbergh" is the definitive biography on Charles Lindbergh and this latest book "The Flight" by author Dan Hampton would still be recommended reading. It covers quite well the agony of staying awake for thirty-three and a half hours. I never realized The Spirit of St. Louis didn't have any windows in front and Lindbergh had to look through a periscope to see in front of the plane.Lindbergh had no idea he was to receive the welcome that Paris provided him and rather than let him go to sleep and get some rest he was taken on a tour of the city. Later he visited other European cities and wanted to fly back but the plane was disassembled and he and the plane returned by ship to the United States. Lindbergh always referred to himself and the plane as "We" rather than use the singular pronoun "I" in regard to what was accomplished. Rather than getting some rest the evening prior to his departure from New York Lindbergh attended a Broadway play in New York. This, he admitted, was a mistake.The book briefly covers the remainder of his life such as the kidnapping of his child, his opinions about America's involvement in foreign wars, and his fifty combat missions in World War II. Charles Lindbergh passed away in 1974 and is buried on the island of Maui in Hawaii. The book contains sixteen pages of photographs. The most interesting one to me is a photo of the cockpit of The Spirit of St. Louis.

Good book

This is definitely a book written for the pilot. Yes, the author writes about his family history, how he grew up, got into flying and the aftermath of his historic flight, but first and foremost it is about the flight, the aerodynamics of the plane, fundamental’s of piloting, navigation and the concerns most pilots can associate with and appreciate. In addition he introduces the reader to a Charles Lindbergh I think most readers did not know. Yes he grew up on a farm in the midwest, but his father became a congressman and he spent many years growing up in Washington, DC. He became aware of the roll politics can play in our society, and hoped that it could help advance the progress of aviation in this country. The rolls of the French and American governments in extracting him from the mobs at Le Bourget and the immediate aftermath of the flight are insightful. The author does fill in the rest of his life events that most are familiar with, but gives perspective to them that reflect on the character of Lindbergh. It makes you wonder how you could have handled the total change in life that occurred after his 36 hours in the air.

This is another example of Dan Hampton`s master storytelling ability. It would be an understatement to say that I enjoyed this book. I recently read Charles Lindbergh`s "The Spirit of St. Louis" and "The Flight" is a brilliant coda to that 1953 classic. As always, Dan Hampton writes from a pilot`s perspective, enthrallingly drawing the reader into that cramped cockpit, with "Slim" Lindbergh facing almost impossible odds of survival a few feet over an angry Atlantic Ocean in a small, single engine aircraft with only a small periscope for forward vision. The author well documents Lindbergh`s tremendous struggle to fight off sleep during the 33 1/2 hour flight, in which Slim was awake an incredible 55 hours! Hampton interjects engaging Lindbergh family history and a chapter entitled "Innocence Lost: Snapshots of a Decade," chronicling the social and cultural revolution of the 1920s. For flight enthusiast, the two events in the 20th century that captured the world`s imagination was Man`s first setting foot on the Moon in 1969 (50th anniversary just celebrated) and Lindbergh`s solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927. "The Flight" is a must-read for aviation historians and students of Charles A. Lindbergh.

Hampton is a good writer--this is an engaging narrative of possibly the greatest single airplane flight ever. Hampton does a great job of including the culture of 1920's America, the context that shaped Charles Lindbergh, influenced his thinking, and presented to him the goal of his young life: stretch the boundaries of aviation by flying farther than anyone had ever flown, between two major, distant cities. Hampton takes his reader along on that flight, and provides a narrative that is at times technical, but that is always difficult to put down. He weaves the technical with the historical, human side with ease. This book was a delight to read.Hampton makes the mistake, however, of repeating an error in the compass mirror story and gets a technical detail wrong. A young woman did in fact give Lindbergh her small, circular makeup mirror to use in the Spirit, and it was put in place temporarily with chewing gum. However, as any contemporary photo of the Spirit's cockpit will show you, the mirror was not left in place for the flight with chewing gum. Someone with the attention to detail that Lindbergh had, knowing his life was very much on the line with this flight, would not trust chewing gum to hold something as critical as a compass mirror in place. It was bracketed in place. Also, the compass's lettering was applied in reverse, so that it was read forward, or normal, via the mirror. Lindbergh did not have to read the compass in reverse, as Hampton claims.

This takes you into the mind of a pilot who is testing the universe. These few hundred pages show us how the world changes.

wonderful book that thankfully unlike some, does not dwell on stuff like childhood or family history. what you get is a detailed description of Charles flight from preparation, to execution, with the flight taking up 80% of the book. So if you are an engineering, aircraft or navigation nut you'll be especially satisfied with the detail. I was. An amazing feat, i rekon if it was analysed with today's computers, he'd be given a 40% chance to make it. In fact, one early chapter describes an attempt, made a few weeks before Lindberghs, by a couple of brave French pilots who's fate may sadly never be known.

Superb - beautifully written. The historical content and the flight detail is perfect for the reader interested in aviation.

A good read and well researched. The Flight is a find effort indeed, and I recommend it without reservation.

A nice interesting read.

Great book that puts you in the pilots seat all the way across the Atlantic. For aviation historians and adventurers alike you can almost smell the experience. Hard to put down.