In order to accurately depict the transatlantic flight, three replicas, at a cost of $1.3 million (equal to $11.9 million today), were made of the Spirit of St. Louis for the various filming units stateside, in Europe, and for in - studio shots. A similar Ryan Brougham was bought by Stewart and modified with Lindbergh 's supervision. It was donated to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan by Stewart in 1959. The third replica is displayed in the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis. Filming took place at the Santa Maria Public Airport in Santa Maria, California, at what is currently the site of Allan Hancock College. A non-flying replica for ground shots was also built, and hangs in the Minneapolis − Saint Paul International Airport. Aerial sequences were directed by Paul Mantz and taken from a North American B - 25 bomber converted as a camera platform for photography.
where was the spirit of st louis filmed
at the Santa Maria Public Airport in Santa Maria, California, at what is currently the site of Allan Hancock College