GRAVE OF CHARLES LINDBERGH
Tomb of Charles Lindbergh, the first pilot to cross the Atlantic from Paris to New York and who ended his days in Maui
Drive about a mile from Oheo Gulch. On the right you will see an old abandoned sugar mill, so take the slightly bumpy road on your left. Next to the unassuming church overlooking the sea is the grave of the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh. The son of Swedish immigrants, Charles Lindbergh was born in 1902 in Detroit, Michigan. Passionate about aviation, he abandoned his mechanical studies in 1922 and passed his pilot's license. On May 20 and 21, 1927, he became the first pilot in history to cross the Atlantic from Paris to New York. Aboard a plane specially designed for the occasion, the "Spirit of Saint Louis", he connected the two cities in 33h30. Designed specifically for a long, non-stop flight, this plane had the originality of having to be flown through a periscope, with the additional gas tanks blocking the pilot's view, original! However, contrary to popular belief, it was not the first to make a transatlantic flight; a flight between Newfoundland and Ireland had taken place in 1919, but the media coverage was less extensive because it was neither Paris nor New York... A few days earlier, some Frenchmen had also attempted the challenge, without success. After a life of adventurism under the spotlight, Charles Lindbergh, a great lover of Hawaii, chose to end his days in Maui. He died of lymphoma, almost anonymously, on August 26, 1974. He is buried in Hana.