Ansari X Prize ( Private Competition to Space ) - SpaceshipOne Wins X Prize on October 4, 2004

Beautifully engraved SPECIMEN commemorative certificate from the X Prize . This historic document was printed by the Security-Columbian Banknote Company and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of the X Prize logo and an underprint of Lindbergh. This item has the printed signatures of the Company’s President (Peter Diamandis) and Trustee ( Erik Lindbergh ). The certificate commemorates Erik Lindbergh's transatlantic Flight 75 years after his grandfather's historic flight.


Certificate Vignette and Underprint




Certificate Vignette



The X PRIZE competition is a $10 million prize for the first private team to fly 100 kilometers (62 miles) to space, return to Earth and repeat the flight within two weeks. A winner is expected in the next 12-24 months. The X PRIZE competition, the first-ever space-based incentive competition, follows in the footsteps of more than 100 aviation incentive prizes offered in the early 20th Century that created today's $300 billion-dollar commercial air transport industry. The most significant of these prizes was the Orteig Prize, won by Charles Lindbergh for his 1927 flight from New York to Paris.

On October 4, 2004 SpaceShipOne achieved its most spectacular flight and climbed to an altitude of 364,000 feet (70 miles), eight miles beyond what was needed to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize. "Today we have made history. Today we go to the stars," said Peter Diamandis, co-founder of the X Prize Foundation.

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The certificate we have for sale commemorates Erik Lindbergh's transatlantic Flight 75 years after his grandfather's historic flight. On May 4, 2002, Erik Lindbergh safely flew Solo from New York to Paris in 17hrs, 7min and successfully recreated hist grandfathers flight, Charles Lindbergh, 75 years later. Avoiding thunderstorms and icy wings, Erik Lindbergh, flying in the footsteps of his grandfather Charles Lindbergh, completed his trip to Paris, landing at 11:23 an Le Bourget in Paris, France. Moments after landing, Erik kissed the ground and embraced his mom, Barbara Robbins. He then was greeted by Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and President of the X PRIZE, and held up a commerative certificate from the same series being sold at Scripophily.com.


Moments after landing Lindbergh in Paris holding commemorative certificate

Along the way, Erik encountered turbulence, thunderstorms and dangerous weather conditions forcing him to fly at altitudes between 7,000 and 17,000 feet. Erik was thankful to several airliners in the area and his St. Louis Mission Control team, who offered encouragement and boosted his morale as he fought fatigue and sleep deprivation.

Erik noted that his Lancair Columbia 300 performed "perfectly" in, at times, "dangerous and difficult" flying conditions.

When asked by the press, "What will you do next?", Erik responded that he looks forward to flying into space with the X PRIZE. He also wanted to "thank the corporate and private sponsors" who helped make his flight a reality.

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Republic Airport (Farmingdale), NY Ð April 25, 2002 - Erik Lindbergh, grandson of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, today announced that he is prepared to depart May 1 from New York to recreate the solo flight across the Atlantic, first accomplished by his grandfather in 1927. Lindbergh will depart from Republic Airport, Farmingdale, NY, at approximately 10:00 a.m. (ET). Erik Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic will take approximately 18-20 hours, landing on May 2 at Le Bourget Airport, just outside Paris.

"I have dreamed for years about retracing my roots and flying across the Atlantic, but until recently, I was unsure I would be able to make this dream a reality. This year, I will be flying the New Spirit of St. Louis because now I can. I am making my flight to support the development and access to new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis as well as to focus attention on the next generation of transportation: space travel.

By crossing the Atlantic in a race to win the Orteig Prize, Charles Lindbergh opened the world of commercial aviation that today is a $250 billion business. Young Erik Lindbergh is doing this flight to honor his grandfather's innovation on the 75th anniversary, and to promote space tourism. The New Spirit of St. Louis flights will benefit the X PRIZE Foundation, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Lindbergh Foundation.

Lindbergh's Personal Journey Though he leads an active lifestyle, Erik also suffers from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a progressive autoimmune disease marked by pain, tenderness, and inflammation of the joints, which nearly caused him to give up his passion for aviation when he was diagnosed at the young age of 21. RA crippled Erik for 15 years and only recently has he been active again. During his worst years with RA, Erik was forced to use a cane due to the severe pain that made it almost impossible for him to walk. Today, with the help of a breakthrough biotech drug, Enbrel¨, Erik has his life back and is in pursuit of his dreams. Using his experience with RA, he now serves as a spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation, working to educate others about RA. If you currently have RA, or would like more information for family members or friends, you can visit www.ra-access.com or call 1-888-373-3700.

The Lindbergh Legacy and the X PRIZE. Erik Lindbergh serves as a Trustee and Vice President of the X PRIZE Foundation (www.xprize.org), an organization offering a $10 million prize for the first private team to fly to space in a privately-built spacecraft, return to Earth and fly again within two weeks. The X PRIZE is modeled after the "Orteig Prize," the $25,000 prize that Charles Lindbergh won for his 1927 transatlantic flight.

"My grandfather was motivated to make his flight by a prize that unquestionably helped to open the future of aviation," said Erik Lindbergh. "I am promoting the X PRIZE because I believe it will help open the door to space travel for the rest of us."

"The 1927 flights of the Spirit of St. Louis marked the beginning of the modern age of air travel. Seventy-five years later, a solo transatlantic flight in a small plane is still considered the Mount Everest climb of flying," said Gregg Maryniak, Mission Control Director for the 2002 New Spirit of St. Louis flight, and Executive Director of the X PRIZE Foundation. "Erik is an experienced commercial pilot and flight instructor, and has spent months undergoing rigorous training and testing to prepare himself for these highly demanding solo flights."

"Charles Lindbergh's flight 75 years ago this May, was made in response to a $25,000 prize (worth about $10M today at an 8 percent interest rate)," explained Dr. Peter Diamandis, founder and Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation. "This flight created a revolution in air transportation and most notably changed public perception about flying on airplanes. Within a year of Charles Lindbergh's flight, the number of passengers increased by 30-fold! The X PRIZE competition plans to change the public's view about space travel and to motivate the design and construction of a new generation of spaceships designed to carry the general public into space."

The History Channel, linking the past to the present, will follow Erik as he traces his grandfather's footsteps, in a two-hour documentary special scheduled to air May 20, the 75th Anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's takeoff from New York to Paris. The program, entitled LINDBERGH FLIES AGAIN, will include historic footage of Charles Lindbergh and his mythic accomplishment alongside the present day mission of his grandson, Erik. The History Channel will follow the 2002 flight of the New Spirit of St. Louis, from the building of the aircraft, to Erik's training for the flight, to the drama of the flight itself to his landing in Le Bourget.

Erik Lindbergh's flight plan Leg 1: On April 14, Erik Lindbergh departed Lindbergh Field for St. Louis. Flight time: 7 hours, 19 minutes. Leg 2: On April 20, Erik departed from the Spirit of St. Louis Airport (Executive Beechcraft Aviation) for New York. Flight time: 4 hours, 50 minutes. May 1-2: (conditions permitting) Erik will depart Republic Airport to fly non-stop from Republic Airport (Farmingdale) to Le Bourget, Paris (flight time: @17-21 hours).

Erik Lindbergh's New Spirit of St. Louis route of flight. Erik Lindbergh's flight plan follows the "great-circle" route followed by his grandfather, Charles Lindbergh. Actual flight information, which is updated by the minute during each flight, is displayed at our Mission Control website: www.xprize.org.

San Diego to St. Louis: San Diego, California, Lindbergh Field (departure point), Blythe, California, Winslow, Arizona, Angelfire, New Mexico (NE of Albuquerque), Liberal, Kansas, Jefferson City, Missouri, Spirit of St. Louis Airport, Chesterfield, Missouri (destination)

St. Louis to New York: Spirit of St. Louis Airport (departure point), Alton, Illinois, Vandalia, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana, Dayton, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, Wheeling, West Virginia, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Allentown, Pennsylvania, Solberg, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, Republic Field, Farmingdale, New York (destination)

New York to Paris Republic Field, Farmingdale, New York (departure point), Groton, Connecticut, Providence, Rhode Island (south of) Boston, Massachusetts, Margaree, Nova Scotia (Cape Breton Island), St. Johns, Newfoundland Atlantic Ocean (here be dragons!), Soutwestern tip of Ireland (south of) Cork, Ireland, Plymouth, England (south of) Dartmouth, England, Octeville, France (near the mouth of the Seine River), Le Bourget Field outside Paris (destination)