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Aviation engineer Daniel B. Burnett, Jr.’s pair of project binders for the 40th-anniversary reproduction of Charles Lindbergh’s legendary Ryan NYP single-engine high-wing monoplane, the ‘Spirit of St. Louis,’ which he famously flew on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France, on May 20–21, 1927. Known by his friends as ‘Dapper Dan,’ Burnett (1905-1976) served as the original wing designer for Lindbergh’s ‘Spirit of St. Louis’ while working as an employee of Ryan Aeronautical in San Diego. To honor the 40th-anniversary flight of one of aviation’s most pivotal moments, Burnett, in partnership with Al H. Riley of the San Diego Aerospace Museum, conceived of ‘Project We,’ the building of a nearly exact replica of Lindbergh’s famed transatlantic airplane. Built by Frank Tallman and his company Tallmantz Aviation, the reproduction airplane ‘Spirit 2’ reached the skies on April 24, 1967, and later appeared at the 1967 Paris Air Show where it made several flights over Paris.
These two binders contain an abundance of material amassed by Burnett as project supervisor of ‘Project We,’ including letters, blueprint copies, and myriad documents such as technical notes, engineering reference booklets, and mimeographed model drawings. The paperwork is highlighted by a TLS from “Charles A. Lindbergh,” one page, 8.5 x 11, April 8, 1965, addressed to Burnett, which reveals the pilot’s partial disapproval: “On returning from two months travelling abroad, I find your March 8th letter in the mail on my desk. While I deeply appreciate the honor implied by the suggestion, I would be strongly opposed to a campaign to raise funds to build another flying replica of the ‘Spirit of St. Louis.’
The binders are tabbed and divided into sections and include the following: ‘Project We’ mission statement; lists and photos of original ‘Spirit of St. Louis’ builders (Lindbergh and Burnett pictured in the back row); official letter from San Diego Aerospace Museum president Howard Fisher detailing the funds and policy of the airplane’s production; letters and contract related to a documentary on the airplane’s construction; a copy of the 28-page ‘Technical Preparation of the ‘Spirit of St. Louis’ from 1927, written for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA); copies of Bjorn Karlstrom’s model plans for the Ryan NYP; specifications packets for parts and instrument panels; book excerpts; and numerous copies of the original Spirit of St. Louis blueprints, photos, and more, nearly all of which bears ‘Project We’ and San Diego Aerospace Museum stamps. In overall very good to fine condition, with scattered wear and essentially all items bearing punch holes.
