For pilots, it is important to note, that before Lindbergh was famous, he was a flight instructor here in St. Louis. Reading the book, is like having Lindbergh as your flight instructor and in that regard, there is no finer instructor or anyone better than him. Lindbergh's greatness lies in his modesty, honesty and total lack of ego as far as flying goes. He fully admits and explains the many mistakes he made as an inexperienced pilot and even as seasoned pilot. Even as a very experienced pilot, with thousands of hours of experience and army training, he admits that he was worried about his landing in Paris in the Spirit because he hadn't landed it at night before and was afraid he would stall it, but of course he didn't, but so many pilots are only into boasting and busting the chops of anyone that dares ask a "stupid question" or makes a mistake. Of course, the boasting and attacking come from insecurity, which I honestly think all pilots have their whole careers to a certain extent. Admitting our weaknesses and mistakes and working to improve will actually keep us alive and safe...I think ego kills pilots and their passengers in some instances, so in my opinion it is not only annoying, but actually dangerous.
I made 140 entries on my notes while reading this book of things I want to remember, found interesting or thought would help write this review. But, this is one of those times when the book was so great, the knowledge so much and the interesting tidbits so many, that I will have to make a more general than specific review of this book.
It is a beautifully written book. My particular copy is the first printing of the paperback from 1953. The book was written, in part, to help Lindbergh restore some of his reputation after his involvement in the anti-war movement of the late 30's and early 40's as well as some of this not so politically correct statements about race. The book did win the Pulitzer Prize and later his reputation was further helped by having Jimmy Stewart play him the movie adaptation of the book.
Lindbergh was not a perfect person and definitely had a darker side, such as his other families with children in Germany that weren't well known until recently. But, we are dealing with a pilot and a flawed human being like we all are and suddenly becoming the most famous man in the world in 1927 after completing the first flight non-stop from New York to Paris would be a lot to take on for anyone. Also, I always suspect that the loss of his first child in the kidnapping case, changed who he was and not for the better and that is understandable.
In my opinion, you can certainly make the argument that Lindbergh was the greatest pilot of all time. In any case, I am confident that he is at least the equal of my other two candidates: Erich Hartmann and Neil Armstrong. These three share humility as well as greatness.
