When Charles Lindbergh needed a plane to carry him across the Atlantic, he had a lot of choices. Back then, America was dotted with small aircraft manufacturers, start ups inventing a brand new industry as they went along. Lindbergh settled on Ryan Airlines in San Diego, which designed and built the Spirit of St. Louis in two months flat. Maximized for long-range reliability, it was like no plane ever flown — it didn’t even have a windshield, placing the oversize fuel tank in front of the cockpit and leaving Lindbergh to see through a custom periscope. It was a golden …