Vancouverites felt slighted in September 1927 when Charles Lindbergh landed across the Columbia River in Portland and not at Pearson Field, the site of many early aviation firsts. Still, three stories connect Southwest Washington to the famous pilot. One about a fly-under, one about a flyover and one about camping.
After Charles Lindbergh recovered from his 33½ solo hours crossing the Atlantic, landing at Le Bourget Airport in Paris on May 22, 1927, he toured the United States, promoting commercial airmail and passenger travel. His daring flight and tour boosted widespread interest in aviation for airmail and travel. Pacific Air Transport started airmail flights locally a year before. After Lindbergh’s Atlantic flight, its volume increased dramatically.
Rumors lingered about Lindbergh flying under the Bridge of the Gods for years. When Lindbergh toured the Pacific Northwest, he flew down the Columbia River Gorge toward the bridge. Evidently, his flight was preannounced, giving people time to gather at the bridge. Wayne Mann of Stevenson, then a child, recalled leaving school to watch. Bill Iman, a Columbia River bargeman, remembers seeing the plane “go under the bridge.” Val Thompkins, Cascade Navigation Canal lock tender, recorded that at 1:09 p.m., he observed the Lone Eagle pass down the river “under the Bridge of the Gods” and Lindbergh “wave to the operating crew in passing.”
Lindy was on his way to land at Portland’s Swan Island Airport the first day it was open. An article in The Columbian explained that Lindbergh said he wasn’t invited when asked why he didn’t land at Pearson. Still, Clark County wasn’t giving up easily. The local American Legion post commander, D. Elwood Caples, spoke with Pearson commander Oakley Kelly, a 1924 world endurance record holder, and urged him to contact the famous flyer.
