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''L'Oiseau Blanc'' (commonly known in the English-speaking world as ''The White Bird'' ) was a French Levasseur PL.8 biplane that disappeared in 1927, during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York to compete for the Orteig Prize. The aircraft was flown by French World War I aviation heroes, Charles Nungesser and François Coli. 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''. The disappearance of ''L'Oiseau Blanc'' is considered one of the great mysteries in the history of aviation.〔 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. The disappearance of Nungesser and Coli 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 their aircraft was last seen in France. ==Background== In 1919, New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig offered a USD $25,000 prize, the Orteig Prize, to the first aviators to make a non-stop transatlantic flight between New York and Paris during the next five years.〔Schneider, Keith. ("Win fabulous prizes, all in the name of innovation." ) ''The New York Times,'' 12 November 2007.〕 With no takers, he renewed the offer in 1924, when aviation technology had advanced enough at that point that many people tried for the prize.〔Stoff 2000, pp. 24–25.〕 Most were attempting to fly from New York to Paris, but a number of French aviators planned an attempt to fly in the opposite direction, from Paris to New York.〔 François Coli, age 45, a World War I veteran and recipient of the French Legion of Honor, had been making record-breaking flights across and around the Mediterranean, and had been planning a transatlantic flight since 1923.〔McDonaugh 1966, p. 27.〕 His original plans were to fly with his wartime comrade Paul Tarascon, a flying ace with 12 victories from the war. They became interested in the Orteig Prize in 1925, but in late 1926 an accident destroyed their Potez 25 biplane.〔 Tarascon was badly burned, and relinquished his place as pilot to 35-year-old Charles Nungesser, a highly experienced flying ace with over 40 victories, third highest among the French.〔〔O'Mara, Richard. "Surviving Amelia." ''The Sun,'' 10 January 1999.〕〔("Curtain Call." ) ''Tighar Tracks'' (TIGHAR), Volume 3, Issue 1, Spring 1987. Retrieved: 17 January 2009.〕 Nungesser had been planning an independent attempt at a solo crossing to win the Orteig Prize, but initial discussions with designer Pierre Levasseur had led to the company owner insisting that Coli be considered as his navigator in a new two-place variant of the production Levasseur PL.4.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「L'Oiseau Blanc」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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