PARIS, May 2 (UPI) -- The grandson of American hero and flight pioneer Charles Lindbergh touched down in France late Thursday morning after a cross-Atlantic flight that echoed Lindbergh's celebrated, non-stop journey from New York to Paris in May 1927.
Artist and flyer Erik Lindbergh, 37, touched down in his single-engine "New Spirit of St. Louis" plane at Le Bourget airport outside Paris, at approximately 11:23 a.m.
The entire New York-to-Paris flight took Lindbergh 17 hours and 10 minutes -- about half the time of his grandfather's original flight, said his spokeswoman, Diane Murphy.
"He was just really glad to see that runway," Murphy said.
The sandy-haired Lindbergh, wearing a dark blue flight suit, emerged from his plane and kissed the ground.
Lindbergh, a sculptor and private pilot who lives outside Seattle, Wash., aimed his recreation of the original 1928 flight to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charles Lindbergh.
The senior Lindbergh became America's hero 75 years ago with his nonstop solo transatlantic journey. Along with his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, he spent his life as an explorer and aviator, mapping air routes for the world's emerging airline industry.
The Lindberghs also received darker fame, after their first son was kidnapped and killed. A staunch isolationist, Lindbergh was also branded a traitor and anti-Semitic, during World War II.
The younger Lindbergh's single-engine Laincair Columbia 300 is lighter than his grandfather's plane and has a smaller wingspan. His overall flight time was about an hour longer than scheduled due to windy conditions, his spokeswoman said.
Lindbergh, who hopes next to fly to the edge of space -- or about 62 miles from earth -- said he made his New York-to-Paris flight partly to promote space travel, and to honor his grandfather's legacy of innovation.
