Lindberg's Solo Flight May 1923
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.
GHM 129-8 GEORGIA HISTORIC MARKER 1985
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: GA Cacher.