Lindbergh received his first instruction under I.O. Biffle, who was known as the baddest and toughest instructor the army ever had.
Biffle worked with the Nebraska Aircraft Corporation.
Charles found his instructor, Biffle, was not partial to early mornings. The calm air was in the morning, and the rough air was midday, so Charles didn't get much flying time. Charles tried to get as much instruction as he could from Biffle for a couple of months. If that was impossible, he wandered around the factory and learned as much as possible. There was no ground school with his training.
Biffle told Charles he was ready to fly. This was after Charles had received 8 hours of instruction and paid 500.00 for the course, the train ride, and personal expenses. Charles was ready to go solo. However, the factory president informed him he would need a bond to fly solo. He couldn't produce a bond and didn't fly for another two months.
A barnstormer named Mr. Bahl was planning a trip through southwestern Nebraska. Charles inquired whether he could fly as his mechanic and helper and pay his expenses.
Back in 1922, barnstormers were paid approximately 5.00 for a 20-minute ride.
Barnstorming consisted of finding a farmer's field to land, but first, you had to fly over it a few times to check for rocks or hidden ditches. They would then land and usually attract most of the farmers in the area and people from the nearest town.
Airplanes were extremely rare in 1922. The pilots then required gas, usually from farmers in the area. The pilots usually added mothballs to the gas for better running engines. The pilots often hired young men attracted to the plane to guard the aircraft at night. This was in part because the cows liked to lick the aircraft. They were attracted to the glue; the plane was just dessert.
When flying with Bahl, Lindbergh tried wing walking. They would fly over town, and Charles would stand on one of the wings. This attracted people to the field, where they gave rides and made money. Charles returned to Lincoln and had some more flying experience. He then received a few hours of instruction for 10 hours.
Charlie Harden, known for his knowledge of parachute jumps, was in Lincoln. Charles, fascinated by parachute jumps, was interested in this dangerous hobby. He wanted to do what they called a double jump. A double parachute Jump I (imaged) was like jumping with a chute that only opened 80 percent of the time.
This was in Lincoln, just the start of Lindbergh's barnstorming adventures; we can only guess how he survived. Charles used two Harlen chutes packed in a canvas bag and tied together with a rope to make this jump. Laces secured the mouth of the bag. It was tied securely to the wing. You would have a harness that you hook to the bags. This sounds so complicated that I can't even know how it worked from the description. Chares said one chute was supposed to pass him as he fell, but his chute didn't open for two or three hundred feet. I imagine he was a little concerned, but then his chute opened.
Charles then worked at the Lincoln factory for two weeks and made fifteen dollars weekly. He then went to western Kansas at the invitation of H.J. Lynch to parachute jump for him. Lynch's locations were set up ahead of time. Lynch gave Charles a new Harden Chute. (Charles was close to making his first solo.) I'm just paraphrasing excerpts from Linbergh's book WE. I will continue when I have time.
Lindbergh flew to many states after he received the Harden chute from a fellow barnstormer. His many friends, all barnstormers, were barnstorming from Kansas, eastern Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Charles flew over Custer's battlefield in the Bighorn mountains.
One interesting story Lindbergh told people is that during a flight over Wyoming, lynch was having trouble with their engine. They landed by a herd of Buffalo. While Lynch was working on the plane, Lindbergh got close to the herd to take a picture, and one of the bulls stamped on the ground. The whole herd turned and faced Lindbergh; He wasted no time returning to the plane. Lynch had just finished up on the plane. Lindbergh and Lynch barnstormed to Billings, Montana, and Lewiston, Idaho.
Another barnstorming story by Charles was in Montana. They landed near the fair in Billings, trying to devise a scheme to herd the people to their field where they could give rides for money. They made a dummy look pretty human. They flew over the Yellowstone River near the fairgrounds and turned so no one could see them drop the dummy. So they dropped it, and the dummy looked like a man falling. Only a few people came over. One of the Billings people told Lindberg a plane had been before us by a day and had dropped a person over the Yellowstone into the river. Lindbergh said Lynch, and he thought they would not try to thrill a crowd in Montana again.
Lindbergh left Montana; it was October, and the barnstorming was over. Lindbergh decided to buy a small boat for two dollars; that was all he could afford. He was going to run down the Yellowstone River to Lincoln. The river was shallow but swift. Charles plugged the many holes in the boat with resin and lashed his camping equipment in the ship. The way down the river was a series of rocks and rapids. His little boat hit many stones, and Charles couldn't keep up with the water. He furiously bailed and bailed to no end after traveling 20 miles down the river. Charles finally camped. The next day, rain poured, and his bailing couldn't keep the boat floating. A ranch was nearby, and he sold the ship to a boy for a ride to the nearest town, Huntley.
During the winter months, he traveled to Detroit to see his mother. Later, he visited their farm in Little Falls, stayed with his father in Minneapolis, and drove back and forth.
The winter was over, and the year was 1928. Charles visited Florida. Lindbergh had left Florida for Georgia and purchased a Jenny with a Curtis OX 5 motor, which was new. Five hundred dollars bought the plane. Still, Charles had not soloed.
(More story to follow.)
ric
Charles was in Americus, Georgia, at a World War II training field about to be abandoned. He and other pilots had purchased Jennys from the US Army Air Corps for $500.00 a plane. He stayed and slept in a large hangar where they were assembling the Jennys. He spent two weeks sleeping in the deserted hangers and barracks buildings until his Jenny was assembled.
Lindbergh was just about ready to solo!!
Lindbergh had flown with other pilots but never soloed. Whenever a pilot flew someone else's plane, he had to have what they called a bond that was like insurance or money, so the plane owner is compensated for the inexperienced pilot who wrecked his plane. Now Charles had his aircraft
As he waited for the assembled plane, one of his flying buddies flew in from Montana. The assembled airmen then got together for what they called "Groundpounding." This refers to the exchange of information between pilots, such as the weather.
Lindbergh stood before his finished plane and wondered what the proper procedure would be to get it into the air. No one on the field knew he hadn't soloed or been in a plane for 6 months. Lindbergh hadn't had 10 hours of official flight time, so he hadn't ever taken off alone. He had the money to take 10 hours of instruction and no bond to fly solo.
More to follow, Ric
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