On this day in Alabama history: Charles Lindbergh lands ‘Spirit of St. Louis’ in Birmingham

October 5, 1927

Aviator Charles Lindbergh landed the “Spirit of St. Louis,” the custom-built, single engine monoplane he flew across the Atlantic, at Birmingham’s Roberts Field on Oct. 5, 1927. Lindbergh earned worldwide fame earlier in the year for the feat, flying solo and nonstop from New York to Paris, on May 20-21. One of the best-known aircraft in the world, the Spirit and its pilot toured the country for months to follow. One of those stops was Roberts Field, which served as Birmingham’s primary airport from 1922 until the completion of the Birmingham Municipal Airport in 1927. Lindbergh and the Spirit stayed in Birmingham for two days before leaving for Jackson, Mississippi. Today, the Spirit is on display at Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Charles Lindbergh, with the “Spirit of St. Louis” in background, 1927. (The photo was restored in 2013. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Aerial photograph of Roberts Field, 1937. (From Bhamwiki, airfields-freeman.com)

Two large hangers at Roberts Field, c. 1922-30. (From Bhamwiki, airfields-freeman.com)

Roberts Field was named in honor of Lt. Arthur Meredyth Roberts of Birmingham, who was killed in a flying accident over France. The 106th Observation Squadron of the Alabama National Guard was housed at Roberts Field until 1931, when it moved to the new municipal airport. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Birmingham Public Library Archives)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.