The Flight Lib/E: Charles Lindbergh's Daring and Immortal 1927 Transatlantic Crossing

A gripping and unique in-the-cockpit account of Charles Lindbergh's extraordinary first transatlantic flight from New York to Paris, by acclaimed aviation historian (Viper Pilot, Lords of the Sky) and former fighter pilot Dan Hampton--one of the most decorated pilots in Air Force history (New York Post). America's finest aviation story in the hands of our finest aviation historian, The Flight is Dan Hampton's biggest, most dramatic book yet. On the morning of May 20, 1927, a little known pilot named Charles Lindbergh waited to take off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island. He was determined to claim the $25,000 Orteig Prize promised to the first pilot to fly nonstop from New York to Paris--a contest that had already claimed six men's lives. Just twenty-five years old, Lindbergh had never before flown over water. Yet thirty-three hours later, his single-engine monoplane, The Spirit of St. Louis, touched down in Paris. Overnight, Charles Lindbergh became the most famous aviator of all time. The Flight is a long overdue, flyer's-eye-view look at Lindbergh's legendary journey. Decorated fighter pilot and bestselling author Dan Hampton offers a unique appreciation for Lindbergh's accomplishment: Hampton has flown the exact same route many times, knowledge that informs and shapes The Flight. Relying upon a trove of primary sources, including Lindbergh's own personal diary and writings, Hampton crafts a dramatic narrative of a challenging, death-defying feat that many had believed was impossible. Moving hour by hour, Hampton recounts Lindbergh's uncertainty over his equipment and his courage as he traverses the vast darkness of the Atlantic with no radar. Moving between the sky and ground, Hampton intersperses the tale of the flight with Lindbergh's personal history as well as some of the stories of those waiting for him on the ground, praying he would make it safely across.

About the Author :
Dan Hampton is the New York Times bestselling author of Viper Pilot, Lords of the Sky, and The Hunter Killers, as well as a novel, The Mercenary. During his twenty years (1986-2006) of service in the United States Air Force, Colonel Hampton received four Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor, a Purple Heart, eight Air Medals with Valor, five Meritorious Service medals, and numerous other citations. He is a graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, USN Top Gun School (TOGS), and USAF Special Operations School. A frequent guest analyst on CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC discussing foreign affairs, military, aviation, and intelligence issues, he has published in Aviation History, Airpower, the Journal of Electronic Defense, Air Force Magazine, Vietnam magazine, and Dartmouth College's Clamantis literary journal, and written several classified tactical works for the USAF Weapons Review. John Pruden is an Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator. His exposure to many people, places, and experiences throughout his life provides a deep creative well from which he draws his narrative and vocal characterizations. His narration of The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powers was chosen by the Washington Post as a Best Audiobook of 2010.

Review :
A historic flight recounted in vivid detail...A celebration of a heroic feat sure to interest fans of aviation history. -- "Kirkus Reviews"