Handmade ballpoint pen with embedded real linen skin covering replaced after Charles Lindbergh's historic first flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis. Very limited supply, rare authentic material that made the historic flight.
Spirit of St. Louis is the airplane in which Charles Lindbergh made the first nonstop solo flight, 3,600 miles, across the Atlantic Ocean, from Long Island, New York, to Le Bourget, near Paris, May 20–21, 1927. His flight was sponsored by a group of businessmen in St. Louis, Missouri. Lindbergh’s plane was a Ryan NYP, a single-engine high-wing monoplane, modified to Lindbergh’s specifications. In standard configuration the airplane would have seated five people; extra fuel tanks in the Spirit of St. Louis occupied much of what had been cabin space. The windshield was replaced by an extension of the nose cowling. Lindbergh had direct vision only from the side windows, relying on a periscope to see straight ahead. There was no radio.
When Lindbergh arrived in Paris, he and his aircraft were mobbed by ecstatic well-wishers. Pieces of the linen covering the aircraft were torn off as souvenirs, some of which Lindbergh autographed. The airplane underwent repairs over the next month, during which the original linen on the fuselage and tail was stripped and replaced with new material. In the 1930’s Col. George Burling Jarrett was an icon with his collection of historic aircraft and his work with Hollywood aviation fills. Jarrett often shared his collection with friends. On March 21, 1937 he sent some of his Lindbergh linen and a descriptive letter to Richard Boehme. The linen was acquired in 2022 by noted artist and airplane enthusiast Ron Cole in Ohio. The silver doped linen relic embedded into this pen was covering from the Spirit Of St. Louis as it was on the aircraft during its May 20-21 non-stop historic trans-Atlantic flight.
This pen operates with a simple 1/2 twist to extend or retract the Parker compatible refill - available at office supply stores or on-line. Instructions are included. I include a Certificate of Authenticity with the history of this aircraft and this historic flight.
I have been custom crafting and designing fine writing instruments since 2005. Experience matters. Thank you for looking.
Pen crafted by Brian Lane, Mission City Pens, www.missioncitypens.com