Charles Lindbergh Goes Gliding, 1930
Lebec, California

This three-page photo essay by Edwin W. Teale in the May 1930 Popular Science Monthly documents Col. Charles A. Lindbergh's "gliding experiments" over Lebec where, "a few weeks ago," Teale writes, "with W. Hawley Bowlus, America's foremost glider pilot, he established a mountain camp" to learn the "new sport of motorless flying." These were halcyon times for the most famous man in the world — three years after his triumphant solo flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis, and two years before the kidnapping and murder of his 20-month-old son, Charles Jr., by Bruno Richard Hauptmann. All scans are at 1200 dpi; some closeups have been digitally modified to compensate for cropping in the original layout.

Page 41 Soaring over the Tehachapis Lindbergh and Bowlus Lindbergh repairing a cracked wing Lindbergh, Bowlus connect glider controls Mr. & Mrs. Lindbergh and crew at Lebec base camp Page 42 Towing the glider with a car Anemometer and weather vane being installed Lindbergh assembling glider Mrs. Lindbergh observes Lindbergh, Bowlus assembling glider Crew attaches cord to Lindbergh's glider Page 43 Lindbergh in flight over the Tehachapis Closeup of Lindbergh waiting for takeoff Lindbergh and crew attach new wing