Civilian Aviation
World Exploration
Smithsonian Institution Photo
NASM A-48532-L
The Lindberghs with the Sirius, which has been pulled up on a beaching platform at College Point, Long Island, New York, to be fitted with aluminum floats.
The Lindberghs made two long and risky journeys across the globe in this airplane in 1931 and 1933 to survey possible overseas airline routes.
Packing for the Unknown
Pack for a long and potentially dangerous aerial journey and see how your decisions of what to bring compare with the Lindberghs.
Requires Flash player.
Who Were the Lindberghs?
Charles gained worldwide fame as the first person to fly alone across the Atlantic. Anne served as his copilot, radio operator and companion in adventure in the Lockheed Sirius Tingmissartoq. Charles demonstrated to the world the airplane's potential as a safe, reliable means of transportation. Anne became an award-winning author and wrote two books about their flights in the Tingmissartoq.
The Lockheed Model 8 Sirius Tingmissartoq
In 1931 and 1933, Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh embarked on two lengthy trips to explore possible overseas airline routes.
The Lindberghs bought this Sirius in 1929 and soon set a coast-to-coast speed record in it. But its most important flights were their two trans-global trips to survey airline routes. On the second trip, a Greenland Eskimo boy gave the plane its name, Tingmissartoq—"One who flies like a big bird."
Smithsonian Institution Photo
2005-22902, Eric Long
Look Inside Lockheed Sirius Front Cockpit
Click and Drag to Rotate Zoom In [Shift Key] Zoom Out [Ctrl Key]
QuickTime VR panorama created from actual cockpit photography.
Look Inside Lockheed Sirius Rear Cockpit
Click and Drag to Rotate Zoom In [Shift Key] Zoom Out [Ctrl Key]
QuickTime VR panorama created from actual cockpit photography.
Wingspan: 13 m (42 ft 10 in)
Length: 9.1 m (30 ft)
Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Weight, empty: 2,082 kg (4,589 lb)
Weight, gross: 3,502 kg (7,699 lb)
Engine: Wright Cyclone SR-1820-F2, 710 hp
Manufacturer: Lockheed Aircraft Corp., 1929, Burbank, Calif.