Two pilots of note, Gen. James M. Doolittle and Neil A. Armstrong, announced yerterday plans to honor one of the most clebrated aviators with the establishment of the Chales A. Lindbergh Memorial Fund to support the work of young scientists, explorers and conservationists.

General Doolittle, who led the first World War II air raid on Tokyo and Mr. Armstrong, the first mand to walk on the moon, will direct a drive to raise a $5 million endowment for the fund between now and May 20, 1977 - the 50th anniversary of Mr. Lindbergh's takeoff on the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Mr. Lindbergh died Aug 26 1974 at the age of 72. After his epic flight from New York to Paris, he continued in aviation as a test pilot and airline executive, but also branced out into medical technology research and increasingly in his later years, wildlife conservation.

Announcement of the memorial fund was made at a new conference at teh Wings Club in teh Hotel Biltmore. Headquarters of the fund are at 30 East 42nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10017.

General Doolittle, who will be 80 years old in December, stood erect and spoke in a clear, commanding voice to reporters. He said that he was sure that Mr. Lindbergh "would have been happier with a living memorial than one out of bronze and stone," and that the fund, so conceived, would " carry on the projects in which Slim was interested."

Members of the fun's sponsoring committee are prominent representatives of all the fields of Mr. Lindbergh's interests - aerospace, science and engineering, ecology, wildlife preservation and exploration. Two of the sponsoring organizations are the Explorers Club and the World Wildlife Fund.

The announcement of Lindbergh Fellows will be made annually on May 21, the anniversary of the polot's arrival in Paris after the 33-hour flight in the "Spirit of St. Louis."

Mr. Armstrong showed up 15 minutes late for the conference, apologizing by saying:

"I've mastered some kinds of transportation, but not the streets of New York."

The former astronaut and commander of the Apollo II mission to the moon is now 46 and a professor of terospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. coincidentally, like Mr. Lindbergh, one of Mr. Armstrong's post-flight interests is research in medical technonlgy. << Return to Article Index