Spirit and Creator

Within the cracked and weathered exterior of an old steamer trunk, a family secret was waiting to be discovered. In 1999 Nova Hall, grandson of Donald A. Hall, uncovered a locked World War I era steamer trunk in his family’s garage. Found inside was a collection of over 100 never-before-seen photographs, personal correspondence with Charles A. Lindbergh, original documents, design instruments, models, and film footage. Because of these "treasures" archived by Donald A. Hall, we discover the mysterious man behind Lindbergh’s historic trans-Atlantic flight to Paris. This book is a visually inspiring story of their teamwork and triumph.

Spirit and Creator brings to life, the previously unknown collection of secrets surrounding the creation of this famous airplane. The over-sized horizontal format includes more than one hundred unpublished photographs, personal correspondence with Charles A. Lindbergh, original documents, design instruments, models, and film footage excerpts. Aviation books have focused on the trans-Atlantic flight, but rarely describe the bigger story that is equally as remarkable. Spirit and Creator fills this historical gap. The Spirit of St. Louis was built in San Diego in only sixty-days, a feat that is impossible to recreate today without modern technology.

Nova Hall, the only grandchild of Donald A. Hall, Sr., has lived in Arizona for over 17 years. following in his grandfather and father's footsteps as a student pilot, photographer, and writer, he is presently set to attend ASU for his bachelor degree. Managing his small health business, he co-founded the Donald A. Hall Aviation Foundation in 2002. Its purpose is to give scholarships to engineering students while establishing his grandfather's legacy. Greatly inspired by the families combined work in aeronautics and aerospace, he co-founded his company Orbital Air, Inc. (with David J. Pashman) to fulfill their shared goal of developing new aircraft while promoting the golden years of aviation. A competent toastmaster, EAA member, and an AOPA member, Nova continues to visit his hometown of San Diego and Sedona whenever possible. Recently he spoke at Hofstra University, AirVenture Oshkosh, the 25th anniversary Lindbergh awards dinner in Long Island, participated on !

the National Lindbergh 75th Anniversary Committee, and contributed to two published books about Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis.