Project Midnight Ghost

     Evidence that the 1927 Paris to New York attempt by Nungesser and Coli ended with a crash at Gull Pond is strong and getting stronger. Further work at Gull Pond is needed, but we currently lack the funding to mount a return to Newfoundland this year. Money for a major TIGHAR search operation in 2026 is included in the budget of a joint French/American feature-length film The White Bird, to be produced by noted by American producer Miles O’Brien. The film will tell the story of l’Oiseau Blanc and TIGHAR’s forty-year quest to discover its fate. A film crew will accompany TIGHAR’s 2026 expedition and the completed production will premier at the 2027 Paris Air Show, the 100th anniversary of the flights of both l’Oiseau Blanc and the Spirit of St. Louis.

     The White Bird project has attracted the enthusiastic support of an impressive list of French aviation personalities including the Director of Global Communications at Dassault Aviation; the CEO of Group Galaxie, France’s leading media producer; the Director of Communications for the European Association of Aeronautic and Space Industrialists, who is also CEO of the Paris Air Show; and the president of the Aéro-Club de France, the world’s oldest aviation association. The plan is to do in-person fundraising at this year’s Paris Air Show in June where Miles, the French team, and (if possible) Ric, will make the rounds of exhibitors to solicit support for the project.