Erik Lindbergh, the grandson of Charles Lindbergh is airborne and heading for Paris in an attempt to retrace the trek taken by his pioneering relative 75 years ago. The solo crossing is underway in a campaign to support space tourism.

Sitting at the controls of the New Spirit of St. Louis aircraft, the 36-year-old Lindbergh departed Wednesday at 12:16 p.m. EST from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York.

Making a solo transatlantic flight today 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. Mission Control Center is at the St. Louis Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri where Erik Lindbergh's flight will be continuously monitored.

Erik Lindbergh's sojourn is a high-tech one, making use of state-of-the-art telecommunications, meteorological, and navigation assistance via satellite.

In 1927, Erik's grandfather was the first to accomplish the New York to Paris journey, snagging the Orteig Prize -- a $25,000 purse for the first transatlantic flight -- after a grueling 33.5-hour trip.

Charles Lindbergh was motivated to make his historic flight by a prize that helped open the future of aviation, said Erik Lindbergh in a press statement. Now 75 years later, the young Lindbergh said he is both honoring his grandfather's legacy and also promoting the X Prize competition, "which I believe to be the catalyst for the future of space travel."

Erik Lindbergh is a vice president of the X Prize and a Trustee of the group.

Along with his backing of space tourism, Lindbergh's grandson is also using the voyage to call attention to rheumatoid arthritis. He suffers from the progressive autoimmune disease, which nearly caused him to give up his passion for aviation.

By using a breakthrough biotech drug, the disease is being fought, allowing Erik Lindbergh to lead an active lifestyle. He serves as a spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation, working to educate others about the crippling and painful disease.

The X Prize is a $10 million purse dedicated to kick-starting the space tourism industry through a competition that brings entrepreneurs and rocket builders together throughout the world. The prize will be awarded to the first team that:

• Privately finances, builds & launches a spaceship, able to carry 3 people to 62.5 miles (100 kilometers;
• Returns safely to Earth; and
• Repeats the suborbital launch with the same ship within 2 weeks

Maryniak, also executive director of the X Prize Foundation based in St. Louis, said the competition copies in spirit and intent some 100 aviation prizes offered between 1905 and 1935. Those prizes helped spur the multi-billion dollar air transport industry that we enjoy today, he said.

Yesterday, in preparation for Erik Lindbergh's New York liftoff today, Maryniak told SPACE.com that the event has been in the planning and training stage for more than two years.

"Weather is favorable and the winds are so nice that we will probably adjust our departure time so that the pilot's day night cycle will be as planned," Maryniak said. "The Lancair Columbia 300 is a beautiful, sleek machine. I confess that I wish I was going," he said.

"Erik is in great shape. He's rested and is test flying the plane following final tests and inspections by the factory and the engine manufacturers," Maryniak said Tuesday.

Also, a final test of the Global Positioning System (GPS) emergency rescue beacon was completed. That hardware, tied to a constellation of GPS satellites -- would be used to pinpoint Erik Lindbergh's position should he have to ditch his craft in water.

"Erik is trained in both underwater aircraft escape and open sea survival. It was a great adventure and wonderful training...but he came away convinced that it would be a good thing to avoid ditching entirely," Maryniak said.