René Couzinet was the father of the "Arc-en-Ciel" (The Rainbow) - the three-engine record airplane. Powered by a trio of Hispano-Suiza engines, the "Arc-en-Ciel" made its first flight on February 1932.
Next year, piloted by Jean Mermoz and accompanied by René Couzinet himself, this aircraft crossed the South Atlantic (Saint-Louis, Senegal to Natal, Brazil) in less than 12 hours.
In the process the "Arc-en-Ciel" (The Rainbow) proved its reliability, an essential quality to future regular operations. And it precisely what this unique aircraft did with Air France until 1937.
When the "Arc-en-Ciel" came out of the factory in 1928, the news media issued the most complimentary reports.
The Couzinet "Arc-en-Ciel" was equipped with extra several fuel tanks having a total capacity of over 6000 liters and providing a range of 10000 kilometers. The plane weighed 16 tons, and had a wingspan over 27 meters.
This revolutionary airplane not only made the biplanes antic machines, but it had a wing loading of 100 kilos per square meter whereas the official norm for the period never exceeded 50 kilos!
The second prototype was burned on the evening of February 17, 1930 after a fire consumed the Meudon factory.
The third plane was completed at the beginning of 1932. Jean Mermoz, the famed French pilot, would fly it to Buenos Aires a year later with its inventor at his side. Upon their return in France, they would be welcomed and greeted as heroes. At the age of 29, the constructor René Couzinet was at the peak of his glory.
The Couzinet "Arc-en-Ciel" had undergone miscellaneous modifications and served at Air France, where it was retired in 1937.
General characteristics.
Maximum speed: 230km/h; Cruise speed: 180km/h; Flying range: 3000kms (6000+kms with extra fuel tanks); Service ceiling: 6000m.