Most planes are in the design process for years before they go into production. With a 60-day deadline, that was not a luxury Hall could afford in designing the Spirit of St. Louis. All other projects were put on hold so that he could focus his full attention on the Spirit.
Hall was in a race against time. Everyone at the factory was aware that other pilots and other planes were preparing for the same flight across the Atlantic. Lindbergh desperately wanted to make his attempt before any of them succeeded. The young chief engineer worked tirelessly, week after week, at one point staying on task for 36 hours strait without sleep. He eventually logged more than 750 engineering hours on the Spirit’s design.