User:Buk~enwiki/Sandbox/New Article start 2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The White Bird (L'Oiseau Blanc or The White Dove) was a French biplane which disappeared in 1927, during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York. The aircraft was flown by French aviation World War I heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli, who were attempting to win the USD $25,000 Orteig Prize for the flight, but the aircraft disappeared after its 8 May 1927 takeoff from Paris. Two weeks later, Charles Lindbergh successfully made the New York–Paris journey and claimed the prize, flying the Spirit of St. Louis.
L'Oiseau Blanc (The White Bird) | |
---|---|
1927 postcard showing L'Oiseau Blanc, with pictures of Nungesser (left) and Coli (right) | |
Role | Levasseur PL.8 biplane |
National origin | France |
Manufacturer | Pierre Levasseur Company |
Designer | Levasseur, Nungesser and Coli |
Status | Disappeared during flight |
Primary user | Charles Nungesser, François Coli |
Produced | 1927 |
Number built | 1 |
Developed from | PL.4 |
The disappearance of L'Oiseau Blanc is considered one of the great mysteries in the history of aviation.[1] Many rumors circulated about the fate of the aircraft and crew, with mainstream opinion at the time being that the aircraft was probably lost in a squall over the Atlantic. Investigations starting in the 1980s suggest that the aircraft probably reached Newfoundland, and may have crashed in Maine.
L'Oiseau Blanc has an extensive legacy, and is referred to in many films and museums. A street in Paris is named after the aviators, and a commemorative postage stamp was issued in 1967. A statue at the Paris Le Bourget Airport honors the attempted flight, and there is a memorial on the cliffs of Étretat, from where L'Oiseau Blanc was last seen in France.