LI remembers Charles Lindbergh's flight from Roosevelt Field to Paris

Charles A. Lindbergh with his mother at Roosevelt Field in May 1927.

In May of 1927, while working on the Spirit of St. Louis, and waiting for the weather to clear, Charles Lindbergh often had visitors in his hanger from rival camps who were also trying to complete the transatlantic feat. Here he is seen in an undated photo with Commodore Richard Byrd and Clarence Chamberlin.

This is a copy of a photo of Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis ready for takeoff for Paris on May 20, 1927 from Roosevelt Field.

Workers load fuel aboard "Spirit of St. Louis" at Curtiss Field before towing the plane to Roosevelt Field on May 20, 1927. Later, Charles A. Lindbergh started his flight to Paris to be the first to complete a nonstop transcontinental flight.

Charles Lindbergh and Spirit of St. Louis after landing in Paris in May 1927.

Charles A. Lindbergh, on his return to New York, with Nassau County Police Department motorcycle division, at Roosevelt Field on June 16, 1927.

An undated photo from the late 1930s showing the dedication of plaque at Roosevelt Field commemorating Charles Lindbergh's historic flight across the Atlantic.

On August 8, 1950, Daphne Hall of Levittown stops to read the plaque commemorating Lindbergh's 1927 transatlantic flight from Roosevelt Field to Le Bourget Field in France. The sign was erected on Post Avenue near the entrance to Roosevelt Raceway.

Carroll Wright, a mechanic from Mantz Air Service, works on the engine of a replica of the "Spirit of St. Louis" on Aug. 2, 1955, at Zahn's Airport in Amityville. The plane was a copy of the one that Charles Lindbergh flew on his solo transatlantic flight in 1927, and was used in the filming of the movie about his life.

During the filming of the 1957 Jimmy Stewart film, "The Spirit of St. Louis," navigators and stunt pilots were on hand at Zahn's Airport in Amityville to recreate flying scenes for the Charles Lindbergh biopic. Here, navigator Marvin Harness and stunt pilot Paul Mantz look at a filming schedule on Aug. 2, 1955, while radio operator William H. Boone sits in the cockpit of a De Haviland "Moth" airplane used in the movie. Lindbergh himself visited the movie set before filming began.

As part of the demolition of the old hangars at Roosevelt Field, Hangar 16, which once housed Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis," is reduced to rubble on April 6, 1956.

Capt. Harlan A. Gurney, a United Airlines pilot who had been friends with Charles Lindbergh, looks at mural on the wall of Hangar F at Roosevelt Field on Feb. 12, 1957. The mural, begun in 1935 by aviatrix and artist Aline Rhonie, depicted the historic flight of Charles A. Lindbergh in 1927. Gurney of California was an adviser on the 1957 film, "The Spirit of St. Louis."

A replica of Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" warms up in front of Hangar 4 at Mitchel Field on February 18, 1957. Moments later, the plane took off for the short hop to Roosevelt Field as part of a publicity stunt for Jimmy Stewart's film about Lindbergh.

As part of a publicity stunt for the Jimmy Stewart film, "The Spirit of St. Louis," a replica of Lindbergh's plane landed at Roosevelt Field on February 18, 1957. At left is mechanic Andrew Surini along with policeman William Begg. Both were on staff at Roosevelt Field in 1927 when Lindbergh took flight.

A bronze tablet commemorating the 30th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's 1927 solo flight to Paris is unveiled at Roosevelt Field on July 24, 1957. Retired Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, who spoke at the event, is seen with Sen. Roman Hruska of Nebraska, and Howard M. Lundgren, president of the "Woodmen of the World, " a fraternal organization that donated the tablet.

Nassau County Executive Ralph Caso, left, talks with Charles A. Lindbergh, center, and Robert Moses at the May 16, 1973, reopening of Falaise as part of the Sands Point Park and Preserve. Lindbergh had been a frequent visitor to the mansion when it was owned by his friend Harry Guggenheim.

Charles A. Lindbergh visits Falaise in Sands Point on May 16, 1973, when the mansion was reopened as a museum.

Charles A. Lindbergh was a guest at the official reopening of Falaise as part of the Sands Point Park and Preserve on May 16, 1973. Lindbergh had been a frequent visitor to the mansion once owned by his friend Harry Guggenheim.

Charles A. Lindbergh stands with his friend, book editor and environmentalist Hilda Lindley, near her home in Montauk on October 7, 1973. Lindley, as head of Concerned Citizens of Montauk, was instrumental in convincing Suffolk County to acquire 865 acres of land east of Lake Montauk for parkland. Lindbergh told Newsday that he and his wife had once considered moving to Montauk, and spoke of the need to preserve open spaces.

Kristen Hudanich, 4, from Freeport, looks at a dedication to Charles Lindbergh at the Roosevelt Field Shopping Center on March 26, 1976.

On May 20, 1981, Nassau County Executive Francis T. Purcell, Charles Lindbergh's daughter Reeve Lindbergh Brown, and actor Cliff Robertson stand in front of a sculpture dedicated to Charles Lindbergh's 1927 flight at Roosevelt Field in Garden City.

Ken Van De Water of Hempstead and his sister Anne of Garden City point to a photo on May 7, 1984, that shows a crowd assembled at the May 20, 1927, takeoff of Charles Lindbergh from Roosevelt Field. The siblings were part of that crowd, and members of the "Lindbergh Takeoff Eyewitness Society."

A monument to Charles Lindbergh sits next to a garage near Fortunoff's in Garden City on May 19, 1997. The monument claims that this is the spot from which Lindbergh started his transatlantic flight in 1927.

Charles Lindbergh's first plane, a Curtiss JN-4 biplane from 1918, at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City on April 19, 2001.

Erik Lindbergh, grandson of Charles Lindbergh, recreated his grandfather's historic 1927 solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean on May 1, 2002. Erik took off from Republic Airport in East Farmingdale headed for LeBourget Field near Paris. The three women seated in front witnessed Charles Lindbergh's original 1927 takeoff and landing. Janet Simpson, left, of Glen Cove saw the takeoff. Louise Piana of Flushing, center, saw Lindbergh land in Paris, and Dorothy Guelpa of Amityville, witnessed Lindbergh's takeoff from Roosevelt Field.