Aviator recalls days spent flying 'Spirit of St. Louis' replica

Ocala aviator Jimmy Leeward got a small taste of what Lindbergh must have felt like when he donned a leather helmet

OCALA - Eighty years ago today, a young pilot made the first solo nonstop, trans-Atlantic flight in a single-engine monoplane. Charles Lindbergh flew the "Spirit of St. Louis" more than 3,600 miles from Roosevelt Field on Long Island to Le Bourget Field near Paris, making a huge mark in aviation history.

Ocala aviator Jimmy Leeward got a small taste of what Lindbergh must have felt like when he donned a leather helmet and goggles like those Lindbergh wore and got behind the controls of an exact replica of the "Spirit of St. Louis..."