The Levasseur PL.8 was a single engine, two-seat long-distance record-breaking biplane aircraft modified from an existing Levasseur PL.4 carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft produced in France in the 1920s. Levasseur built the aircraft in 1927, specifically for pilots Charles Nungesser and François Coli for a transatlantic attempt to win the Orteig Prize. Only two examples of the type were built, with the first PL.8-01 named L'Oiseau Blanc (The White Bird), that gained fame as Nungesser and Coli's aircraft.
Levasseur PL.8
1927 postcard showing L'Oiseau Blanc, with pictures of Nungesser (left) and Coli (right)
At the Pierre Levasseur Company in Paris, Nungesser and Coli, working closely with Chief Engineer Émile Farret and production manager Albert Longelot, assisted in the design of the new Levasseur PL.8 biplane. Based on the PL.4 developed for the Aéronavale to operate from the French aircraft carrier Béarn, the PL.8 was a conventional single-bay wood and fabric-covered biplane that carried a crew of two in a side-by-side open cockpit.
Major modifications included the reinforcement of the plywood fuselage, removing two of the forward cockpits with the main cockpit widened to allow Nungesser and Coli to sit side-by-side. The wingspan was also increased to approximately 15 m (49 ft). In adding two additional fuel tanks mounted aft of the firewall, the three fuel tanks held a total of 4,025 litres (1,056 gallons) of gasoline.[1]
The PL.8 also incorporated several safety features in case of ditching at sea. Apart from small floats attached directly to the undersides of the lower wing, the main units of the fixed tailskid undercarriage could be jettisoned on takeoff in order to reduce the aircraft's weight. The underside of the fuselage was given a boat-like shape and made watertight for a water landing. Nungesser and Coli's plan was to make a water landing in New York in front of the Statue of Liberty[2]
A single W-12ED Lorraine-Dietrich 340 kilowatts (460 hp) engine was used with the cylinders set in three banks spaced 60° apart from one another, similar to the arrangement used in Napier engines. The engine was tested to ensure it would last the entire flight and was run for over 40 hours while still in the Parisian factory.[3]
The aircraft christened L'Oiseau Blanc[N 1] was painted white[N 2] and had the French tricolor markings, with Nungesser's personal World War I flying ace logo: a skull and crossbones, candles and a coffin, on a black heart.[6] The biplane carried no radio [N 3] and relied only on celestial navigation, a specialty of Coli from his previous flights around the Mediterranean.[2]
In 1928, a second PL.8 was built, equipped with a Hispano-Suiza 12M 375 kW (500 hp) engine. Flown in 1928, the PL.8-02 was intended as a long-range record breaker but modified as an air mail carrier. On 20 December 1929, the second PL.8-02, registered F-AJKP to Cie Generale Aeropostale and based at Dakar while flown by pilot Henry Delaunay, was badly damaged when it hit a pothole on landing at Istres and not repaired.[8]
Operational history
In April 1927, the first PL.8 was shipped from the factory for Nungesser to begin a series of proving tests to determine aircraft performance. Most of the flights were conducted around Villacoublay and Chartres. Although full fuel loads were never carried, during one flight, he reached a speed of 207 kilometres per hour (129 mph) and flight elevation of 4,900 m (16,100 ft). Once the tests were complete, L'Oiseau Blanc was prepared for its record flight.
'L'Oiseau Blanc during the flight tests, in April 1927
L'Oiseau Blanc took off at 5:17 a.m. 8 May 1927 from Le Bourget Field in Paris, heading for New York.[6][9] The biplane weighed 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) on takeoff, extremely heavy for a single-engined aircraft.[3] The intended flight path was a great circle route, which would have taken them across the English Channel, over the southwestern part of England and Ireland, across the Atlantic to Newfoundland, then south over Nova Scotia, to Boston, and finally to a water landing in New York.[10][11]
L'Oiseau Blanc had been carrying a sizable load of fuel, 4,000 litres (1,100 US gal), which would have given them approximately 42 hours of flight time. Crowds of people gathered in New York to witness the historic arrival, with tens of thousands of people crowding Battery Park in Manhattan to have a good view of the Statue of Liberty, where the aircraft was scheduled to touch down. After their estimated time of arrival had passed, with no word as to the aircraft's fate, it was realized that the aircraft had been lost.[12]
Rumors circulated that L'Oiseau Blanc had been sighted along its route, in Newfoundland, or over Long Island, and despite the launch of an international search, after two weeks, further search efforts were abandoned.[2][13][14]
As of 2008, the landing gear is the only confirmed part of the L'Oiseau Blanc remaining, and is on display at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (French Air and Space Museum), in Le Bourget airport in Paris, the location from which L'Oiseau Blanc took off.[15]
^Ward, John W. "The Meaning of Lindbergh's Flight." American Quarterly (The Johns Hopkins University Press), Volume 10, Issue 1, Spring 1958, pp. 3–16. DOI=10.2307/2710171, jstor=2710171
Bibliography
Berg, A. Scott. Lindbergh. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1999, First edition 1998. ISBN978-0-42517-041-0.
Jackson, Joe. Atlantic Fever: Lindbergh, His Competitors, and the Race to Cross the Atlantic. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012. ISBN978-0-37410-675-1.
McDonaugh, Kenneth. Atlantic Wings 1919–1939: The Conquest of the North Atlantic by Aeroplane. Hemel Hempstead, Herts, UK: Model Aeronautical Press, 1966. ISBN978-0-85344-125-0.
Montague, Richard. Oceans, Poles and Airmen: The First Flights Over Wide Waters and Desolate Ice. New York: Random House, 1971. ISBN978-0-39446-237-0.
Mosley, Leonard. Lindbergh: A Biography (Dover Transportation). Mineola, New York: Courier Dover Publications, 2000. ISBN978-0-48640-964-1.
Stoff, Joshua. Transatlantic Flight: A Picture History, 1873–1939. Mineoloa, New York: Dover publications, Inc., 2000. ISBN0-486-40727-6.
Will, Gavin. The Big Hop: The North Atlantic Air Race. Portugal Cove-St. Phillips, Newfoundland: Boulder Publications, 2008. ISBN978-0-9730271-8-1.
Wohl, Robert. The Spectacle of Flight: Aviation and the Western Imagination, 1920–1950. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2007, First edition 2005. ISBN978-0-30012-265-7.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to L'Oiseau Blanc.
L'Oiseau Blanc, check-six.com
"Charles Lindbergh Won the Prize, but Did His Rival Get There First?" by Sebastian Mofett, Wall Street Journal
January 30, 2023
levasseur, single, engine, seat, long, distance, record, breaking, biplane, aircraft, modified, from, existing, levasseur, carrier, based, reconnaissance, aircraft, produced, france, 1920s, levasseur, built, aircraft, 1927, specifically, pilots, charles, nunge. The Levasseur PL 8 was a single engine two seat long distance record breaking biplane aircraft modified from an existing Levasseur PL 4 carrier based reconnaissance aircraft produced in France in the 1920s Levasseur built the aircraft in 1927 specifically for pilots Charles Nungesser and Francois Coli for a transatlantic attempt to win the Orteig Prize Only two examples of the type were built with the first PL 8 01 named L Oiseau Blanc The White Bird that gained fame as Nungesser and Coli s aircraft Levasseur PL 81927 postcard showing L Oiseau Blanc with pictures of Nungesser left and Coli right Role Long range aircraft for record attempt National origin FranceManufacturer Pierre Levasseur CompanyFirst flight 1927Introduction 1927Primary user Charles Nungesser Francois ColiNumber built 2Developed from Levasseur PL 4 Contents 1 Design and development 2 Operational history 2 1 Transatlantic flight 3 Operators 4 Specifications Levasseur Pl 8 01 L Oiseau Blanc 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Notes 6 2 Citations 6 3 Bibliography 7 External linksDesign and development EditAt the Pierre Levasseur Company in Paris Nungesser and Coli working closely with Chief Engineer Emile Farret and production manager Albert Longelot assisted in the design of the new Levasseur PL 8 biplane Based on the PL 4 developed for the Aeronavale to operate from the French aircraft carrier Bearn the PL 8 was a conventional single bay wood and fabric covered biplane that carried a crew of two in a side by side open cockpit Major modifications included the reinforcement of the plywood fuselage removing two of the forward cockpits with the main cockpit widened to allow Nungesser and Coli to sit side by side The wingspan was also increased to approximately 15 m 49 ft In adding two additional fuel tanks mounted aft of the firewall the three fuel tanks held a total of 4 025 litres 1 056 gallons of gasoline 1 The PL 8 also incorporated several safety features in case of ditching at sea Apart from small floats attached directly to the undersides of the lower wing the main units of the fixed tailskid undercarriage could be jettisoned on takeoff in order to reduce the aircraft s weight The underside of the fuselage was given a boat like shape and made watertight for a water landing Nungesser and Coli s plan was to make a water landing in New York in front of the Statue of Liberty 2 A single W 12ED Lorraine Dietrich 340 kilowatts 460 hp engine was used with the cylinders set in three banks spaced 60 apart from one another similar to the arrangement used in Napier engines The engine was tested to ensure it would last the entire flight and was run for over 40 hours while still in the Parisian factory 3 The aircraft christened L Oiseau Blanc N 1 was painted white N 2 and had the French tricolor markings with Nungesser s personal World War I flying ace logo a skull and crossbones candles and a coffin on a black heart 6 The biplane carried no radio N 3 and relied only on celestial navigation a specialty of Coli from his previous flights around the Mediterranean 2 In 1928 a second PL 8 was built equipped with a Hispano Suiza 12M 375 kW 500 hp engine Flown in 1928 the PL 8 02 was intended as a long range record breaker but modified as an air mail carrier On 20 December 1929 the second PL 8 02 registered F AJKP to Cie Generale Aeropostale and based at Dakar while flown by pilot Henry Delaunay was badly damaged when it hit a pothole on landing at Istres and not repaired 8 Operational history EditIn April 1927 the first PL 8 was shipped from the factory for Nungesser to begin a series of proving tests to determine aircraft performance Most of the flights were conducted around Villacoublay and Chartres Although full fuel loads were never carried during one flight he reached a speed of 207 kilometres per hour 129 mph and flight elevation of 4 900 m 16 100 ft Once the tests were complete L Oiseau Blanc was prepared for its record flight Transatlantic flight Edit Main article L Oiseau Blanc L Oiseau Blanc during the flight tests in April 1927 L Oiseau Blanc took off at 5 17 a m 8 May 1927 from Le Bourget Field in Paris heading for New York 6 9 The biplane weighed 5 000 kg 11 000 lb on takeoff extremely heavy for a single engined aircraft 3 The intended flight path was a great circle route which would have taken them across the English Channel over the southwestern part of England and Ireland across the Atlantic to Newfoundland then south over Nova Scotia to Boston and finally to a water landing in New York 10 11 L Oiseau Blanc had been carrying a sizable load of fuel 4 000 litres 1 100 US gal which would have given them approximately 42 hours of flight time Crowds of people gathered in New York to witness the historic arrival with tens of thousands of people crowding Battery Park in Manhattan to have a good view of the Statue of Liberty where the aircraft was scheduled to touch down After their estimated time of arrival had passed with no word as to the aircraft s fate it was realized that the aircraft had been lost 12 Rumors circulated that L Oiseau Blanc had been sighted along its route in Newfoundland or over Long Island and despite the launch of an international search after two weeks further search efforts were abandoned 2 13 14 As of 2008 the landing gear is the only confirmed part of the L Oiseau Blanc remaining and is on display at the Musee de l Air et de l Espace French Air and Space Museum in Le Bourget airport in Paris the location from which L Oiseau Blanc took off 15 Operators Edit FranceCie Generale AeropostaleSpecifications Levasseur Pl 8 01 L Oiseau Blanc Edit Levasseur PL 8 3 view drawing from L Aerophile June 1927 General characteristics Crew 2 Length 9 75 m 32 ft 0 in Wingspan 15 m 49 ft 3 in Height 3 89 m 12 ft 9 in Wing area 60 9 m2 656 sq ft Empty weight 1 905 kg 4 200 lb Gross weight 5 000 kg 11 023 lb Powerplant Lorraine 12Ed Courlis W 12 water cooled piston engine 340 kW 460 hp Performance Maximum speed 193 km h 120 mph 104 kn Cruise speed 165 km h 103 mph 89 kn Range 7 000 km 4 300 mi 3 800 nmi Endurance 40 hours Service ceiling 7 000 m 23 000 ft See also EditHistory of aviation Transatlantic flightReferences EditNotes Edit In the United States L Oiseau Blanc was commonly known as The White Bird 4 Nungesser had the aircraft painted white to aid in recognition if forced down at sea 5 Period radios were considered too unreliable to be worth the extra weight 7 Citations Edit McDonaugh 1966 p 29 a b c O Mara Richard Surviving Amelia The Sun 10 January 1999 a b Godspeed Charles and Francois The Secret of The White Bird aero news net 9 May 2006 Retrieved 16 January 2009 Montague 1971 pp 102 132 Jackson 2012 p 239 a b Wiggens Bill Mystery of the White Bird Air Classics July 1999 Mosley 2000 p 102 Project Midnight Ghost Archived 2017 08 08 at the Wayback Machine tighar org 2006 Retrieved 18 January 2009 Berg 1999 p 105 Farrell John Aloysius Unraveling the mystery of White Bird s flight Boston Globe 8 March 1987 Will 2008 pp 21 22 Mosley 2000 p 86 Clayton John The White Bird Tracking an aviation mystery to NH New Hampshire Sunday News 28 May 2006 Wohl 2007 p 10 Ward John W The Meaning of Lindbergh s Flight American Quarterly The Johns Hopkins University Press Volume 10 Issue 1 Spring 1958 pp 3 16 DOI 10 2307 2710171 jstor 2710171 Bibliography Edit Berg A Scott Lindbergh New York G P Putnam s Sons 1999 First edition 1998 ISBN 978 0 42517 041 0 Jackson Joe Atlantic Fever Lindbergh His Competitors and the Race to Cross the Atlantic New York Farrar Straus and Giroux 2012 ISBN 978 0 37410 675 1 McDonaugh Kenneth Atlantic Wings 1919 1939 The Conquest of the North Atlantic by Aeroplane Hemel Hempstead Herts UK Model Aeronautical Press 1966 ISBN 978 0 85344 125 0 Montague Richard Oceans Poles and Airmen The First Flights Over Wide Waters and Desolate Ice New York Random House 1971 ISBN 978 0 39446 237 0 Mosley Leonard Lindbergh A Biography Dover Transportation Mineola New York Courier Dover Publications 2000 ISBN 978 0 48640 964 1 Stoff Joshua Transatlantic Flight A Picture History 1873 1939 Mineoloa New York Dover publications Inc 2000 ISBN 0 486 40727 6 Will Gavin The Big Hop The North Atlantic Air Race Portugal Cove St Phillips Newfoundland Boulder Publications 2008 ISBN 978 0 9730271 8 1 Wohl Robert The Spectacle of Flight Aviation and the Western Imagination 1920 1950 New Haven Connecticut Yale University Press 2007 First edition 2005 ISBN 978 0 30012 265 7 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to L Oiseau Blanc L Oiseau Blanc check six com Picture of landing gear of L Oiseau Blanc at the French Air and Space Museum Charles Lindbergh Won the Prize but Did His Rival Get There First by Sebastian Mofett Wall Street Journal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Levasseur PL 8 amp oldid 1126163237, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
