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In 1933, interest was growing in the ability to develop commercial air routes. So, Pan American Airways and other airlines started exploring possible routes around the Atlantic Ocean. Since Charles Lindbergh was their technical advisor, he was sent to survey a route from Newfoundland to Europe. Charles took along his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, as co-pilot and primary navigator.
Look at their final route. Why do you think they chose this route? What might have been the dangers or unknowns throughout this route?
Map, 1933 Atlantic Flight, Charles A. Lindbergh & Anne Morrow Lindbergh - currently on display at the Time and Navigation Exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum
The Lindbergh's flew a low-wing monoplane Lockheed Sirius airplane, nicknamed “Tingmissartoq” by a Greenland Eskimo, which means “one who flies like a big bird.” The original plane was modified with a sliding canopy and Edo floats for two overwater journeys in 1931 and 1933. This meant they had pontoon floats for water landings or wheels for ground based operations.
To see the full collection of items the National Air and Space Museum has from this journey, go to this collection link.
Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh with the Lockheed Sirius
Charles and Anne's Lockheed Sirius low-wing monoplane
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Charles was the primary pilot, but who made sure they were on the right track? His wife, Anne, was the primary navigator, handling all the radio work, and co-pilot for this expedition. Anne had her pilot’s license and was the first woman in the United States to earn a glider pilot’s license. After Charles’ transatlantic flight in 1927 with only a compass, a drift sight (measures the wind speed from the air to determine effect on a flight), a stopwatch, and a clock, he likely was grateful to have Anne, who he termed “the crew,” at the navigational helm with additional and better equipment.
Throughout the trip, the Lindberghs used a variety of navigational tools.
Take some time to explore these tools and think about how they would each be used to get the Lindberghs where they needed to go.
Radio Equipment
Radio Equipment
Anne operated all the radio equipment throughout the flight and even set a telegraph transmission distance record! She knew Morse code and had her radio operator’s license. She had to get used to doing radio “acrobatics” in order to tune dials and write down incoming messages on a pad of paper.
See the radio equipment pictured below. What were the roles of each of these items? How did they work together?
Radio, Receiver, Pan Am, Lockheed Sirius “Tingmissartoq”, Lindbergh
Headphones, Radio, Lockheed Sirius, “Tingmissartoq”, Lindbergh
Telegraph Key, Radio, Lockheed Sirius “Tingmissartoq”, Lindbergh
Radio Transceiver, Emergency Radio, Lockheed Sirius “Tingmissartoq”, Lindbergh - currently on display in the Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
Development of Radio Communication in Airplanes
Development of Radio Communication in Airplanes
Radio communication aboard aircraft was developed in the early 1900s in response to the need of military aircraft to respond to commands. In 1910, H.M. Horton and C.C. Culver built a transmitter and a receiver and sent a radio signal from an airplane to a ground receiver. In 1915, Culver is credited for advancing radio technology further. In September 1916, two airplanes transmitted a message while in flight and in 1917, voice communication between an airplane and a ground station was established. Read more about this history in this article in the Air and Space Magazine.
What is needed to transmit a radio signal?
What is needed to transmit a radio signal?
The image below shows a basic outline of how radio signals are transmitted. Look back at the equipment used by the Tingmissartoq. Is this equipment included? What is missing? Check out the entire Tingmissartoq collection to see if you can find any missing or additional pieces.
Octant, Mark 3 Model 1, Pioneer, Lockheed Sirius “Tingmissartoq” (Lindbergh) - currently on display in the Time and Navigation exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Octant
Octant
Besides the radio equipment, there were a few other things Anne and Charles used to navigate. One was the Octant. You learned about sextants with the U.S. Exploring Expedition and Apollo 11 mission, so what is an octant? Does it perform the same or a different function than a sextant? Does this one look more similar to Jesse Ramsden’s sextant or the Apollo sextant? What may be the same and what is different?
Anne kept a record of octant measurements. A sample of those measurements is shown here.
What data does it look like she recorded? Why might these be important?
Handwritten Note, Octant, Lockheed Sirius "Tingmissartoq" (Lindbergh) - currently on display in the Time and Navigation exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Navigational Board, Lockheed Sirius "Tingmissartoq", Lindbergh
Charts
Charts
The Lindberghs also used various charts, such as this Navigational Board with a sun chart. Why do you think this was important for them to take? How do you think this board and chart were used?
Remember, the plane had to hold all their equipment and supplies for the journey, so they had to choose wisely what was worth taking, so think about how that applies to each of these items. They had extra fuel and emergency equipment in case they had a forced landing in unknown territory.
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel
The instrument panel of the “Tingmissartoq” also included navigational instruments such as a Sperry artificial horizon and a directional gyro.
Why would these tools be built into the instrument panel?
What is a Sperry artificial horizon?
What is a Sperry artificial horizon?
A Sperry artificial (gyro) horizon indicates the aircraft’s orientation relative to the earth, expressed as pitch, roll, and yaw. It is especially useful in bad weather and low-visibility conditions.
What is a directional gyro?
What is a directional gyro?
A directional gyro, also known as a heading indicator, indicates the direction (or heading) of the aircraft since regular magnetic compasses can be prone to error when used in acceleration or sloped situations, both of which are common situations in flight. Gyroscopes are less prone to these types of errors, though they must be recalibrated using a magnetic compass periodically.
Compass, Lockheed Sirius "Tingmissartoq", Lindbergh - currently on display in the General Aviation at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
Compass
Compass
While it may be one of the most basic tools of navigation, the compass cannot be left out of the Lindbergh's navigational tools.
Why were compasses so critical to this mission? Why are they still important today?
At the time of the Lindbergh's flight, their equipment was state of the art.
How does it differ from what we have now? Do your navigational devices use any of these navigational principles?
Want to hear the “Tingmissartoq” story from an expert? Check out this video!
What would you like to explore next?
What would you like to explore next?
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