Jack Manley slowly put on the costume while standing in the school hallway. He stepped into the legs and pulled it up to his waist.

A couple of students walked by and smiled.

"Looking good, Jack," they said. He nodded and continued to dress.

Manley, 17, finally put on the head and — voila! — he became Lucky Lindy, the new mascot for the Lindbergh High School Flyers. The figure is complete with scarf, helmet, goggles, jacket and 'sits" in a small airplane.

"I felt strange when I first put in on," the senior said. "I've gotten used to it."

As for the former mascot, Lindbird is now extinct. The green-and-gold eagle served as mascot for decades.

The idea for a new mascot started last year. Superintendent Jim Simpson donated his 5 percent salary increase back to the district, following $4.7 million in budget reductions. With part of that money, the LHS Student Council was urged to think of a mascot more in tune with the school's nickname.

"We thought that it needed to be a man," said senior Jordan Gantner, 17, who is the student council president. "We thought of Charles Lindbergh and decided to put him in an airplane."

Both mascots honor the legendary Charles Lindbergh, who, in 1927, became the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Lucky Lindy resembles Lindbergh; Lindbird was an eagle because of Lindbergh's nickname, the Lone Eagle.

The new costume cost $1,500 and was made by a company called Cartoon Mascots.

Jack, who is a student council representative, first tried as a joke to volunteer a friend to be Lucky Lindy. However, it backfired on him when the student council found out and "kind of forced it on me."

His first reaction was that he would be humiliated. Then, he saw the costume.

"I didn't know there was going to be a big head," Jack said. "That was kind of a relief. Nobody knows who you are. It's hot and hard to maneuver at times. My friends haven't give me a lot of trouble, but they liked Lindbird."

The student council expected some negative reactions.

"A lot of people are attached to Lindbird," Gantner said. "We think the transition will be difficult, especially for the seniors."

However, senior Shekinah Kemp, 17, likes Lucky Lindy.

"I feel he represents Lindbergh," Kemp said. "We're the Flyers, not the Eagles. Besides, it was time to modern it up after a real person."

Manley's brother, Conner, 14, is a freshman. During football games, he fills in for Jack, who is on the squad.

"I have fun being Lucky Lindy," Conner said. "It's a lot of fun. Sometimes, though, I get involved watching the game instead of entertaining the crowd."