Bugatti 100P aeroplane reconstructed, will fly again after public debut

Bugatti 100P aeroplane reconstructed, will fly again after public debut

I could barely contain myself at this news, coming the same day as the announcement of another new steam locomotive from the A1 Steam Trust (see yesterday's post), but have managed to wait until today to share it with you.

While the name of Bugatti is most readily associated with luxury cars of the 1920s and '30s, or extreme sports cars of the present, the company's foray into aviation is less well known.  It's sole product, the Model 100, has - as the accompanying media says - been largely forgotten for 70 years; a great shame, considering the beauty, futuristic lines and design of the aircraft (not to mention its story!).

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It should come as little surprise that the designer of some of the most magnificent and luxurious cars of the 20th century successfully transferred his skills to create one of the most beautiful aircraft of the 20th century.  Working with brilliant engineer Louis de Monge Ettore Bugatti designed the 100P as a racing aeroplane, similar to the Schneider Cup Supermarines and Macchis of the early 1930s, to win the 1939 Deutsch de la Meurthe Cup air race.  Between them the two men came up with a fantastically advanced design, with swept-forward wings, a V-tail (a design feature not seen on production aircraft for another decade) and two 450hp Bugatti in-line motor-racing engines driving prop shafts that ran past the pilot's seat to two contra-rotating propellors at the front.  Many of these features resulted in patents being filed by Bugatti, five of which endure on modern aircraft.  As a racing aeroplane it was designed to be streamlined and lightweight - the body made of wood composite, the large cockpit fully integrated into the fuselage with the pilot sitting in a semi-recumbent position.

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Sadly the original 100P never flew in the Deutsch de la Meurthe, nor at any other time, thanks to the start of World War II.  Despite a French Government request for Bugatti to adapt the design for a fighter aircraft, the German Army's swift advance on Paris curtailed any such attempt and in June 1940, with the fall of France imminent, the single extant airframe was dismantled and spirited away.  It would remain in storage for the duration of the war.  It then passed through several hands, sadly losing its original engines along the way, before being restored in the early 1970s and passing through several museums before finally ending up at the EAA Airventure Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  It can be seen there today as a static display; it is no longer airworthy. 

900bhp Bugatti sports plane revived



For the last few years a group of enthusiasts (including, I'm happy to note, the great-nephew of Louis de Monge) have been attempting to rectify this tragic tale, however, by undertaking to build a full-scale replica of the 100P - to almost the same standard as the 1938 original (bar a few modern upgrades/alterations) - that will actually fly!  Now I'm delighted to see that, after a few setbacks, this new Model 100 is close to completion with the final unveiling now scheduled for the 25th March at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California.  Readers may remember that that institute featured previously on this blog, being instrumental in the building of a "new" 1939 Type 64 Coupé.  Quite a suitable venue, then, for the reveal of Bugatti's only aeroplane!

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Following its March appearance the new 100P is tipped to fly some time later this year and with luck may appear at European events shortly thereafter.  Whether or not it will ever reach the dizzying [projected] 550mph of its predecessor is immaterial - just seeing this wonderful design in the air where it belongs will doubtless be thrilling enough.  I wish continued good luck to the Bugatti100P Project; I can't wait to see more!

Man seeks to stage around-the-world airship race

Man seeks to stage around-the-world airship race

I promised you a corker of a story for the next featured article to appear on this blog and I do believe this delivers.  On my birthday (near enough) too; what a bloggy present!  This could easily enter my personal top ten, if not the Stats' most popular.  Why, because it features airships!  A particularly vintage mode of transport that regular readers will know I am quite enthusiastic about and which is long overdue for a resurgence.  If that isn't enough it also marries these fantastic machines to an undertaking of historic and thrilling proportions - an around-the-world race!

I'm struggling to find the words to convey my enthusiasm for this idea - I mean, airships... flying around the world... visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites!  It sounds incredible - a never-before-tried, once-in-a-lifetime event.  Although even I started off thinking the accompanying video was a trifle hyperbolic in its language the more I think about it the more excited I become.  Is it too much to ask, though?  The World Sky Race, as it is known, has already had a long gestation period with launch dates having come and gone.  It would be a monumental task in both monetary and logistical terms and is the brainchild of just one man.  But some big names in aviation seem genuinely interested and more importantly members of UNESCO appear quite sympathetic to the idea, so there may be a good chance for it.  I certainly hope so!



It wouldn't be the first circumnavigation of the globe by a lighter-than-air ship, of course, as the German airship LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin undertook its own around-the-world flight in 1929.  That journey captured the public's imagination and cemented its place in aviation history.  Many dozens of books have been written, articles published and documentaries recorded - including the recent 2009 Dutch drama-documentary Farewell (shown on B.B.C. Four as Around The World By Zeppelin, as you may recall).  Why should it not be the same for the World Sky Race?

Those involved in the enterprise speak of its potential attraction to the public of today and I for one agree with them.  I'd even accept the airships having to be plastered in advertising if that's what it takes to realise this idea.  In this age of the Internet and instant communication, where distances are forgotten and travel is sanitised, a global airship race could serve as a reminder of the thrill and excitement of travel, the great expanses that make up our planet and the human endeavour it can still take to cross them.



Such was the kind of reaction to the famous long-distance aeroplane races of the 1930s, when friendly competition and national pride combined with cutting-edge technology to create spectacles that enthralled thousands - if not millions - of people as they followed these pioneering aviators as they raced across land and ocean in their attempts to be the fastest.  Like the 1929 Graf Zeppelin circumnavigation these journeys were the great adventures of their day.  As the human race becomes ever more sedentary with its computers and automated machines, events like the World Sky Race take on an even greater rôle - a challenge that requires strength, endurance and skill; proof that long-distance, circumnavigational racing by air still has its place in the 21st century.



Eleven years ago the 2001 London-Sydney Air Race gave me some idea of what it must have been like to follow the pilots of the 1930s in their similar England-Australia flights and proves that there is still an appetite for this kind of event.  Indeed record-breaking and endurance flights are still happening on a regular basis, but the suggestion of using airships is a novel yet worthwhile variation.  Worthwhile thanks in no small part to the involvement of UNESCO and the desire of the man behind the World Sky Race for these majestic "sky ships" to visit heritage sites throughout the world on their journey inspiring children everywhere to discover more about these important locations in a fun new way and showing these remarkable natural and man-made landmarks in a new and stimulating way to people all over the world.  For this noble reason alone the World Sky Race deserves to succeed.

The United States Army are known to be testing a new airship design and while the military aspect may not sit well with the peaceful, educational nature of the World Sky Race both it and the worldwide race would do wonders for the public perception of airships and go a long way to ushering in a new age of lighter-than-air travel.  If the World Sky Race stays on course then come 2014 I shall definitely be at Greenwich to cheer the participants on as they start their momentous journey and perhaps begin the renaissance of the airship.

Documentary showcases woman pilots of the 1920s

Documentary showcases woman pilots of the 1920s

Proving that anything men can do women can do equally as well, if not better, this second aviation story of the week focuses on the pioneer aviatrices of the United States.

Ruth Nicols

In an amazing story that risked being lost in the mists of time, this new documentary looks at the 20 women including Amelia Earhart who undertook a nine-day flight across continental America in 1929, in what was the first all-female cross-country air race.

The accompanying article gives us a delightful taste of what went on during those 9 days and seventeen stop-overs and the details of this new documentary certainly sounds fascinating - a pity then that it looks to be confined to the US/Region 1 for it covers what was indeed a pivotal moment in the aviation history not of America but also the wider world and so really deserves a wider audience.  If it wasn't for this film producer stumbling across the story it might have remained untold for another 80 years!

As it is the story of this event has been saved for another generation, and for us to marvel at the sheer guts and determination of these early aviatrices - particularly in the face of attitudes to women at that time.