Lancair Columbia "The New Spirit of St. Louis" Makes First Flight in Fifteen Years

By Carmelo Turdo

On February 1, the Lancair Columbia, The New Spirit of St. Louis, made its first flight since going into hangar storage at St. Louis Downtown Airport in 2008. The twenty-minute flight, flown by pilots Nick Turk and Brandon Schnitker, took place at twilight after a two-year restoration to flight program performed by Big River Aviation (now STL Flight Maintenance). Even though the Columbia was in a climate-controlled hangar, the idle time took its toll on the aircraft's nose gear, brake system, propeller, fuel pump, engine hoses and similar components that would eventually be replaced or overhauled. The engine was in remarkably good condition, and after a recent fuel pump installation and thorough run-up, it performed flawlessly during the flight.   

This was originally the third Columbia 300 pre-production aircraft that was modified with a custom model 400 wing and auxiliary fuel tank for use by Erik Lindbergh in May of 2002 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of his grandfather's famous solo transatlantic flight. Following the flight, the aircraft received a new production interior and went on national tours promoting Erik Lindbergh's Foundation, the Ansari X-Prize and the Arthritis Foundation (Lindbergh has a crippling arthritis condition). In 2008, The New Spirit of St. Louis was donated to the St. Louis Science Center, the mission control site of the commemorative flight. In late 2022, the Columbia was donated to AeroCareers, a charitable education non-profit organization, for use at youth events and in mentoring programs throughout the region.    

Here is a brief pictorial of The New Spirit of St. Louis during the restoration process in 2022 and 2023. 

In September of 2023, The New Spirit of St. Louis appeared, along with a reproduction of the original Spirit of St. Louis cockpit, at the St. Louis University Girls In Aviation Day at St. Louis Downtown Airport. 

The Aero Experience thanks AeroCareers, STL Flight Maintenance and everyone who supported the restoration and initial flight program. More coverage will be produced by AeroCareers in the near future.