<p begin="00:00:00.00" end="00:00:07.38" style="1"> </p>
<p begin="00:00:07.38" end="00:00:09.96" style="1">BOB VAN DER LINDEN: Here at the National Air and Space Museum,</p>
<p begin="00:00:09.96" end="00:00:12.48" style="1">tonight we are lowering the Spirit of St. Louis</p>
<p begin="00:00:12.48" end="00:00:15.46" style="1">to the floor of the Boeing Milestones of Flight Gallery.</p>
<p begin="00:00:15.46" end="00:00:17.84" style="1">And it will give our visitors a wonderful opportunity</p>
<p begin="00:00:17.84" end="00:00:21.05" style="1">to see this remarkable aircraft up close in a way</p>
<p begin="00:00:21.05" end="00:00:23.18" style="1">that normally they will not have a chance to.</p>
<p begin="00:00:23.18" end="00:00:25.96" style="1">So it's a very rare opportunity. </p>
<p begin="00:00:25.96" end="00:00:27.71" style="1">The Spirit of St. Louis is one of our most</p>
<p begin="00:00:27.71" end="00:00:29.27" style="1">significant artifacts. </p>
<p begin="00:00:29.27" end="00:00:31.64" style="1">It's the aircraft in which Charles Lindbergh became</p>
<p begin="00:00:31.64" end="00:00:35.41" style="1">the first person to fly nonstop, solo across the Atlantic Ocean</p>
<p begin="00:00:35.41" end="00:00:36.76" style="1">in 1927. </p>
<p begin="00:00:36.76" end="00:00:41.24" style="1">And that flight really set the world on fire.</p>
<p begin="00:00:41.24" end="00:00:44.00" style="1">Lindbergh flew his Spirit of St. Louis from New York</p>
<p begin="00:00:44.00" end="00:00:51.43" style="1">to Paris, a distance of 3,610 miles, in 33 and a half hours.</p>
<p begin="00:00:51.43" end="00:00:54.49" style="1">It was very, very hazardous because he did it by himself.</p>
<p begin="00:00:54.49" end="00:00:57.40" style="1">There was no communications of that time to speak of.</p>
<p begin="00:00:57.40" end="00:01:01.35" style="1">And if he ever went down, he would have gone down</p>
<p begin="00:01:01.35" end="00:01:02.94" style="1">in the middle of the North Atlantic.</p>
<p begin="00:01:02.94" end="00:01:06.09" style="1">The fact that one man did it by himself,</p>
<p begin="00:01:06.09" end="00:01:10.10" style="1">nonstop, really struck a chord with the nation, and frankly,</p>
<p begin="00:01:10.10" end="00:01:12.89" style="1">with the world. </p>
<p begin="00:01:12.89" end="00:01:15.71" style="1">We got the plane in 1928, and since then it's</p>
<p begin="00:01:15.71" end="00:01:18.13" style="1">been suspended in either the Arts and Industries Building,</p>
<p begin="00:01:18.13" end="00:01:20.65" style="1">or here in our National Air and Space Museum.</p>
<p begin="00:01:20.65" end="00:01:23.54" style="1">The work on the aircraft is part of the refurbishment</p>
<p begin="00:01:23.54" end="00:01:25.94" style="1">of our Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall, which</p>
<p begin="00:01:25.94" end="00:01:29.38" style="1">is due to be completed in 2016. </p>
<p begin="00:01:29.38" end="00:01:31.35" style="1">While the aircraft will be on the floor,</p>
<p begin="00:01:31.35" end="00:01:34.73" style="1">it will be looked at by our conservators and restoration</p>
<p begin="00:01:34.73" end="00:01:37.11" style="1">technicians, just to make sure that the airplane is fine.</p>
<p begin="00:01:37.11" end="00:01:38.48" style="1">MALCOLM COLLUM: Well, this really</p>
<p begin="00:01:38.48" end="00:01:40.47" style="1">is a rare opportunity to get a close up look</p>
<p begin="00:01:40.47" end="00:01:42.34" style="1">at the Spirit of St. Louis. </p>
<p begin="00:01:42.34" end="00:01:46.04" style="1">It hasn't been down to the floor for about 22 years.</p>
<p begin="00:01:46.04" end="00:01:49.91" style="1">My primary concerns are the condition of the fabric.</p>
<p begin="00:01:49.91" end="00:01:52.95" style="1">We're noticing tears in the fabric.</p>
<p begin="00:01:52.95" end="00:01:54.41" style="1">Another one of our primary concerns</p>
<p begin="00:01:54.41" end="00:01:57.26" style="1">is about the state of preservation on the engine.</p>
<p begin="00:01:57.26" end="00:01:58.84" style="1">This is our rare opportunity to really</p>
<p begin="00:01:58.84" end="00:02:00.71" style="1">be able to deal with any kind of corrosion issues</p>
<p begin="00:02:00.71" end="00:02:02.09" style="1">that may have developed over the years,</p>
<p begin="00:02:02.09" end="00:02:04.42" style="1">and basically give it a good preservation treatment that</p>
<p begin="00:02:04.42" end="00:02:07.01" style="1">will last for another couple decades into the future.</p>
<p begin="00:02:07.01" end="00:02:08.97" style="1">BOB VAN DER LINDEN: I hope our visitors will</p>
<p begin="00:02:08.97" end="00:02:10.81" style="1">be able to see the aircraft in a new light,</p>
<p begin="00:02:10.81" end="00:02:11.93" style="1">with our new exhibitory. </p>
<p begin="00:02:11.93" end="00:02:13.51" style="1">You can get up a lot closer to it</p>
<p begin="00:02:13.51" end="00:02:15.51" style="1">than before, see it from different angles.</p>
<p begin="00:02:15.51" end="00:02:18.22" style="1">It makes it more personal, and perhaps even</p>
<p begin="00:02:18.22" end="00:02:19.39" style="1">a more memorable experience. </p>
<p begin="00:02:19.39" end="00:02:21.26" style="1">MALCOLM COLLUM: Well, the Spirit of St. Louis</p>
<p begin="00:02:21.26" end="00:02:22.34" style="1">is a national icon. </p>
<p begin="00:02:22.34" end="00:02:24.88" style="1">It's one of the most widely recognized aircraft</p>
<p begin="00:02:24.88" end="00:02:26.03" style="1">in the entire world. </p>
<p begin="00:02:26.03" end="00:02:28.45" style="1">It's important that we preserve it for future generations,</p>
<p begin="00:02:28.45" end="00:02:31.71" style="1">to really carry on that amazing story.</p>
<p begin="00:02:31.71" end="00:02:34.74" style="1">BOB VAN DER LINDEN: This is what makes it fun.</p>
<p begin="00:02:34.74" end="00:02:40.07" style="1">You can just see all the little details about it.</p>
<p begin="00:02:40.07" end="00:02:41.79" style="1">It's great. </p>
<p begin="00:02:41.79" end="00:02:49.00" style="1"> </p>