Bernard 191 "Oiseau Canari"
The "Oiseau Canari" was derived from the Bernard type 19. The prototype was designed in 1927 by Galtier, an aeronautic engineer at the Bernard airplane factory, and was ready by 1928. This high wing monoplane was planned for long distance commercial flights and also the big raids. The Bernard 19 has been classified in several derivatives according to their motorization, and those equipped with the 500 hp Hispano-Suiza V12 were named 191 GR. Three copies were constructed.
The second airplane was painted yellow and baptized the "Oiseau Canari" ("Bird Canary"). It was bought by Armand Lotti, then assistant manager at the Lotti hotel, in Paris. The aircraft was prepared by engineer Raoul Leroy of Hispano Suiza, who took care of the aircraft until it took off from the United States.
The Atlantic crossing attempts, already difficult from East to West, became really dramatic in the other way and many deaths had been deplored by 1928. For that reason, France decided to suspend the financings and to forbid these attempts. It is therefore clandestinely, without papers or authorizations, under the pretext of a radio calibration that the "Oiseau Canari" took off from Paris to England, from where they were able to reach the USA legally.
On Thursday June 13, 1929 at 10 hours 18 local time, the plane, loaded of a mixture of 3900 litres of gas and 600 litres of benzyl, took off with great difficulties from Old Orchard beach, north of Boston.
A short time after takeoff, a clandestine passenger appeared from behind just to declare "Here I am". It was Arthur Shreiber, an American youngster, who intended writing an article or a book about his adventure. As the plane was unable to land directly because of its overweight at this stage of the flight, Lotti did not have any solution but to continue the flight with this supplementary handicap.
The crew, because of the meteorological conditions, could not follow the optimal route, and was obliged to shift its trajectory to the south, increasing dangerously the crossing distance. A navigation error is finally what prevented the airplane to come short of fuel before reaching the French coast, as it finally reached the beach of Oyambre near Comillas in the Spanish northern province of Cantabrie on June 14 at 40 minutes past 20 hours after a 29 hours and 22 minutes flight that became the longest journey over sea (5,900 kilometres). Taking off again on the 16th for Cazaux, in France, they finally reached the Bourget airport, close to Paris on that same day.
It was a real triumph for the crew over there and they later took off with the "Oiseau Canary" for a tour of Europe. In 1932, the plane was purchased by the French government so that it would be preserved at the Bourget Museum.
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