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

Written by Dan Hampton

Narrated by John Pruden

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: May 16, 2017
• ISBN: 9780062660831

Dan Hampton

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Dan Hampton flew 151 combat missions during his twenty years (1986–2006) in the United States Air Force. For his service in the Iraq War, Kosovo conflict, and first Gulf War, Col. 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, and MSNBC discussing foreign affairs, military, aviation, and intelligence issues, he has published in Aviation History, the Journal of Electronic Defense, Air Force Magazine, Vietnam magazine, and Airpower magazine, and written several classified tactical works for the USAF Weapons Review. He is the author of the national bestsellers Viper Pilot and Lords of the Sky, as well as a novel, The Mercenary.

Reviews for The Flight

[ralphz-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an account of the 18-or-so hours that Charles Lindbergh spent crossing the Pacific from New York to Paris, and it's a riveting one. Let's be clear that the author isn't about to defend the man's politics, or to go over the kidnapping of his son. It's strictly about the flight, and it's a good thing. The perilousness of his feat is well illustrated by the forward, which follows the attempt by two French aviators to make the crossing from Paris to New York two weeks before. After using the best plane, a concocting a solid game plan, and leaving nothing to chance - they disappear. Lindbergh's margin of error was small, and the story illustrates the many times it could have gone wrong. Using his own account of the flight and other contemporaneous accounts, you're in the cockpit with "Slim," and find yourself rooting for him, too. The story does correct and unearth some forgotten information, such as the fact that he flew combat missions during WWII, which, of course, he opposed. That opposition didn't, and doesn't, make him a Nazi or Nazi sympathizer, any more than those in the 2010s who oppose action in Iraq are automatically ISIS or ISIS sympathizers.This book lets you revel in the triumph of flight, when it was still a wonder, and marvel at the people who stretched the boundaries. I received this book for review from Goodreads.Read more of my reviews on Ralphsbooks.

[Jason Northwood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great account of this historic feat of aviation, adventure and changing the world forever✈️

As a long-haul pilot who’s crossed the Atlantic many times in a luxurious flight deck, I have huge respect for Charles, spending 33hrs in a single engine piston all alone through the night, without any room to move, extremely basic navigation equipment and no horizon!

[buffalogr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Don Hampton's book is the story of Charles Lindbergh and the historic flight in the cockpit of the Spirit of St Louis, May 20-21, 1927. The book is strictly about the famous 33+ hour flight and nothing more--the flight is an aviation first. Yes, there is some background; family, supporters, etc. I liken the effort to home building a Cessna 150 in San Diego and then flying it to Paris with little instrumentation. Crew rest, prior to the over-water flight, was interrupted by a night of partying at a Broadway show, so no sleep for three days by the time he reached Paris. This accomplishment very much launched aviation into the commercial and every day thing that it is today. The heroic and historic flight occurred 93 years ago, today...and tomorrow.

[seitherin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review.Do not be put off by my rating of this book. It is very much a niche read for those who like to know what makes a machine tick, who like to know who made the parts and to what specifications, who want to know what weather conditions existed during the time involved, and who like a smattering of history tossed in for good measure. I enjoyed the history parts but the rest, not so much.