In 1919, a hotel owner named Raymond Orteig offered $25,000 to the first aviator to fly non-stop from New York to Paris. Several people were killed or injured while competing for the Orteig prize. By 1927, it had still not been won. Lindbergh believed that he could win the prize if he had the right plane. He talked nine St. Louis businessmen into helping him pay for the plane. Lindbergh chose the Ryan Aeronautical Company of San Dieg`o to build a special plane which he helped design. He named his plane the Spirit of Saint Louis. On May 10-11, in 1927, Lindbergh tested his plane by flying from San Diego to New York City with an overnight stop in Saint Louis. The flight took 20 hours and 21 minutes, making a transcontinental record.

The flight involved great danger. Before Lindbergh's attempt, 6 men had died trying. On May 20, with all his equipment ready, including a turkey and bologna sandwich, Lindbergh took off in the Spirit of Saint Louis from Roosevelt Field , near New York City, at 7:52 a.m. Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Field near Paris, on May 21, at 10:21 p.m., Paris time. Thousands of cheering people had gathered to meet. Lindbergh's flight had taken over 3,600 miles, and took him 33 and 1/2 hours.

His heroic flight thrilled people around the world. He was given awards, celebrations, and parades. The French made him the knight of the Legion of Honor. President Calvin Coolidge gave Charles Lindbergh the Congressional Medal of Honor and, the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Currently the Spirit of Saint Louis is at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.