Spirit of St. Louis in the air - AVweb

'Spirit Of St. Louis' Reproduction Makes First Flights

By Elaine Kauh

A reproduction of the Spirit of St. Louis made its first test flights from Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in New York. The pilot and leader of the building team, Ken Cassens of Stone Ridge, New York, flew the copy of Charles Lindbergh’s Ryan NYP for the first time last weekend. He reported the airplane performed well and other than being a little nose-heavy, flew as expected -- “a little bit hard to slow it down, because it’s so clean, and a little heavy on the ailerons.” His first flight lasted for 30 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 3500 feet. Taking advantage of the clear, unseasonably warm weather, Cassens flew the NYP five times this week and logged 2.5 hours, said Clay Hammond, Old Rhinebeck's chief pilot and a trustee of the airport museum. Hammond, who flew a loaned 1928 Curtiss Robin as chase plane, captured photos and video of NX211 in the air. He told AVweb Friday the Curtiss also was used as a practice plane for Cassens, who flew it from the rear seat with cardboard blocking the forward window view to replicate the Ryan’s lack of cockpit visibility. “The configuration was ideal, as the two aircraft share similar planforms and landing gear/strut arrangements, making for a very similar sight picture,” Hammond said via email. “The positioning of the back seat in the Robin also closely mimics the position of the pilot in the Ryan NYP, making for a surprisingly close approximation. In front of the divider I would ride along as a backup, acting as a safety pilot throughout the course of the training and also maintaining forward visibility.” Lindbergh’s historic solo flight across the Atlantic ended at Le Bourget airport in Paris on May 21, 1927. The airplane is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, where Cassens had the opportunity to examine it in detail as part of his research. Replicating the Spirit of St. Louis was a longtime dream of aerodrome founder Cole Palen, who died in 1993. “It was one of Cole Palen’s grandest projects, begun in his mind as a young aircraft builder and completed by Ken and his crew through a maze of trials and tribulations over the last two decades,” Hammond said. Other flying replicas of NX211 have been built over the years, and the aerodrome claims its version is “the most authentic reproduction.” The airplane will make its official debut on May 21, 2016, when the museum plans to hold a fundraising gala.