Levasseur Pl.8, L'Oiseau Blanc

[RichieW]

I have recently become obsessed with the fate of Charles Nungesser and Francois Coli who vanished on May 9th 1927 in a bid to win the 25,000 Orteig prize for the first non stop Atlantic flight between Paris and New York. Twelve days later Charles Lindbergh achieved immortality in the Spirit of St. Louis while Coli is largely forgotten and Nungesser is remembered as a heroic ace of WW!.

Carte_postale-Oiseau_blanc-1927 by Richard Williams, on Flickr



Levasseur PL.8 L'Oiseau Blanc by Richard Williams, on Flickr

L'Oiseau Blanc was a modified naval biplane built specially for the attempt and carried Nungesser's wartime emblem on the fuselage.

train-oiseau-blanc-920-720-001 by Richard Williams, on Flickr

All that remains of The White Bird is the undercarriage which was designed to be jettisoned after take off to save weight and aerodynamic drag. It is seen here on display in the Musee de L'Air et Espace in Paris.

I am in touch with an organisation, TIGHAR, which is dedicated to finding L'Oiseau Blanc. Their website has much useful information and even detailed 3 view drawings.

I am still at the research stage and hope to make a start soon while I also limp through the final stages of my BE2c project. I will stick to simple methods and will not be making the engine so hopefully this won't turn into a marathon!



Richie

[Davos522]

Great project! What scale are you going to work in?

 I have a friend who was an enthusiastic member of TIGHAR in the early days of its activities and went into the woods in Maine on a couple of their expeditions looking for the remains of the White Bird. I'll check with him to see if he has any refs that aren't on the website (he's got a vast collection, he actually owns Nungesser's wedding album!). I'll also check my back issues of Skyways magazine, I seem to remember a couple of photos in there.

I was supposed to go on that first expedition too, back around 1988, but my son, who was two at the time, got sick and I had to cancel out. By some odd coincidence, I just had a gallery opening this past weekend outside Machias, Maine, which they think was where the a/c came down, and which was TIGHAR's base of operations up there.

Dave V.

[RichieW]

Great project! What scale are you going to work in?

 I have a friend who was an enthusiastic member of TIGHAR in the early days of its activities and went into the woods in Maine on a couple of their expeditions looking for the remains of the White Bird. I'll check with him to see if he has any refs that aren't on the website (he's got a vast collection, he actually owns Nungesser's wedding album!). I'll also check my back issues of Skyways magazine, I seem to remember a couple of photos in there.

I was supposed to go on that first expedition too, back around 1988, but my son, who was two at the time, got sick and I had to cancel out. By some odd coincidence, I just had a gallery opening this past weekend outside Machias, Maine, which they think was where the a/c came down, and which was TIGHAR's base of operations up there.

Dave V.

Yes please Dave, anything at all would be of great help to me. I have asked TIGHAR if they can help with bigger files of their 3 view drawings. I posted this early in the hope that somebody might be able, I am so excited that you have replied. What a shame your son was ill and you were unable to attend the first expedition. Family always must come first, especially when they are tiny.

The White Bird, as you probably know, was a massive biplane. In 1/32 it would be a foot long with a wingspan of 18 inches. Ever the fool, that's what I'll go for!

Your friend is clearly an avid fan of the great Nungesser!

Many thanks!!!!
Richie

[Davos522]

As am I! My avatar here on the forum is actually one of my paintings of one of Nungesser's N.17s (unfinished, at the moment).

Two modeling pages you may have already seen:

https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/2015/03/24/l-oiseau-blanc-ressuscite-par-un-passionne-d-aviation-241309.html

https://1-72.forumgratuit.org/t6696-mach-levasseur-pl8-oiseau-blanc

Plus I found these, which again you may already have:







I contacted my friend, who I have to see this week anyway. I'll let you know what he has, if anything.

DV

[RichieW]

That's great, thanks Dave. I'll add a link to an album I created on Flikr which contains what I have so far.

I hope you will be posting a photo of your completed painting when it is done. It looks absolutely wonderful in your avatar!

Richie

[lone modeller]

Good to see another less well known but still extremely interesting type being built. The informaton that you showed me recently was already pretty comprehensive - I wish you luck in getting more. I will of course be following with interest (even if it is in the wrong scale!)

Stephen.

[RAGIII]

This should be quite a challenge Richie.  Lots of compound curves  I am looking forward to seeing you conquer this one!
RAGIII

[RichieW]

Thanks for you interest Stephen and Rick. I am nearly ready to make a start. My model making life has been taken up by wing making of late so I might just as well continue a little longer and start with them.

Yes Rick, the hull looks intimidating with all those compound curves. I have a few options for how to make it, none of which strike me as being very straightforward!

Will have something to show in a week or so and will tell a little more of the story of The White Bird.

Richie

[Flamingo]

Will follow this with great interest!
Greetings Joe

[RichieW]

Will follow this with great interest!
Greetings Joe

Thanks for your interest Joe, great to have you on board.


I got a tip off from a modeller on another forum about a book, Atlantic Flyers by Kenneth McDonough, that had a lot of information and 3 view plans. I managed to find a cheap second hand copy online and it is brilliant, anyone interested in the conquest of the Atlantic by air would do well to seek out a copy.

 The plans of L'Oiseau Blanc are in 1/72 so I visited a local print shop and got them enlarged to 1/32. I have said before that the White Bird was massive. Here is a copy of the plan with my 1/32 Scratchbuilt Bristol Scout and a 30cm ruler to show just how enormous it was.

20230713_113806 by Richard Williams, on Flickr

Clearly the first step of this build is to clear a big enough space.

Pierre Levasseur took just 6 weeks to build L'Oiseau Blanc, it will probably take that long just to clear and organise my bench.

[DaveB]

Well this is going to be a very different project, Richie!

Looking forward to seeing how you pull this one off mate.

Regards

Dave

[Davos522]

Hey Richie, I just sent you a PM, I heard back from my friend.

Dave V.

[RichieW]

Hey Richie, I just sent you a PM, I heard back from my friend.

Dave V.

Thanks Dave, have replied. Modellers United!

[Naimbs]

Hi Richie!

It's such an interesting and historic subject!

You can find a topic on this French-speaking forum, with detailed photos of the real aircraft and a nice 1/72 scale build.

https://master194.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=114104

Arnaud

[RichieW]

Hi Richie!

It's such an interesting and historic subject!

You can find a topic on this French-speaking forum, with detailed photos of the real aircraft and a nice 1/72 scale build.

https://master194.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=114104

Arnaud

Arnaud, you gem! Thank you so much, I will have a good read through the thread later.

Well this is going to be a very different project, Richie!

Looking forward to seeing how you pull this one off mate.

Regards

Dave

Thanks Dave, I've made a start already. It's certainly a departure for me. I can't help wondering if there will be a 1/32 kit released in the next few years.

Richie