Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis – kit from LEGO® bricks

On May 20, 1927, the American pilot Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic from New York to Paris alone in a tiny, single-engine plane. Without a radio or sextant, armed only with a wristwatch, maps and a compass, he accomplished a feat that seems incredible today, almost 100 years later.

Lindbergh had to battle a heavy snowstorm near Newfoundland, but his greatest enemy during his 33.5-hour journey was fatigue. He did have one loyal companion, however: his small long-distance plane, the Ryan NYP. He named it the "Spirit of St. Louis" in honor of his private sponsors from St. Louis.

Lindbergh himself had commissioned the aircraft from the relatively unknown manufacturer Ryan. It was a so-called shoulder-wing aircraft made of fabric-covered steel tubes and wood. Everything about the construction was designed for low air resistance and a particularly low weight. The daring pilot not only dispensed with instruments, but also with a second engine.

What is particularly pleasing is that the Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis has been preserved. It hangs from the ceiling in the entrance of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

• Number of original LEGO® bricks: 26
• Dimensions of the model: 8.1 x 12.8 x 3 cm