Breguet 19 The Breguet 19 ( Breguet XIX , Br . 19 or Bre . 19 ) was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane , also used for long - distance flights , designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924 . Development . The Breguet 19 was designed as a successor to a highly successful World War I light bomber , the 14 . Initially , it was designed to be powered by a 450 hp / 335 kW Bugatti U - 16 engine , driving a four - blade propeller , and such a prototype was shown on the 7th Paris Air Show in November 1921 . A new design was flown in March 1922 , featuring a conventional layout with a single 336 kW ( 450 hp ) Renault 12Kb inline engine . The aircraft was built in a sesquiplane platform , with lower wings substantially smaller than the upper ones . After trials , the Breguet 19 was ordered by the French Army s " Aéronautique Militaire " in September 1923 . The first 11 Breguet 19 prototypes were powered by a number of different engines . A " trademark " of Breguet was the wide usage of duralumin as a construction material , instead of steel or wood . At that time , the aircraft was faster than other bombers , and even some fighter aircraft . Therefore , it met with a huge interest in the world , strengthened by its sporting successes . Mass production , for the " Aéronautique Militaire " and export , started in France in 1924 . Design . The Breguet 19 was a biplane ( sesquiplane ) , conventional in layout , with braced wings . The fuselage , ellipsoid in cross - section , was a frame of duralumin pipes . The front part was covered with duralumin sheets , the tail with canvas . The wings were canvas covered . It had a conventional fixed landing gear with rear skid . The crew of two , pilot and observer / bombardier , sat in tandem in open cockpits , with dual controls . Many different engines were fitted , mostly water - cooled 12 - cylinder inline engines : They carried 365 L ( 96 US gal ) of fuel in a fuselage tank . The propeller was wood . A fixed 7 . 7 mm ( . 303 in ) Vickers machine gun with an interrupter gear was operated by the pilot , while the observer had twin 7 . 7 mm ( . 303 in ) Lewis Gun s . There was also a fourth machine gun , which could be fired by the observer downwards through an opening in the floor . The CN2 night fighter variant was fitted with two pilot ' s machine guns . The bomber variant could carry up to 472 kg ( 1 , 041 lb ) of bomb s under the fuselage , or in a vertical bomb bay ( small bombs up to 50 kg / 110 lb ) . The reconnaissance variant could carry 12 10 kg ( 20 lb ) bombs . The reconnaissance variant had a camera mounting , which was optional on the bomber variant . All variants had radio . Br . 19 . 01 was the first Breguet 19 prototype which first flew in March 1922 . It was later bought by the Spanish government . Pre - production aircraft , whose fuselage was lengthened by 60 cm . Br . 19 . 02 was sent to Yugoslavia for evaluation in 1923 . Two - seat reconnaissance plane . Two - seat light bomber biplane . Variants . These first two variants were the most numerous , and were practically identical . They used a variety of engines , the most popular being the 298 kW ( 400 hp ) Lorraine - Dietrich 12Db inline V12 , the 336 kW ( 450 hp ) Lorraine - Dietrich 12Eb W12 , the Renault 12K , the Hispano - Suiza 12H and the Farman 12W . Night fighter version , almost identical to the B2 reconnaissance variant with two additional forward - firing machine guns . A variant specially modified for long - distance flights , after early long - range attempts were made with the regular Br . 19 A2 no . 23 fitted with additional fuel tanks . The first Br . 19 GR ( no . 64 ) had a fuel tank of about 2 , 000 L ( ca . 530 US gal ) , and captured the world distance record in 1925 . In 1926 , three further aircraft ( no . 1685 to 1687 ) were modified to Br . 19 GR 3000 litres specifications . They had larger fuel tanks fitted in the fuselage , with a total capacity of about 2 , 900 to 3 , 000 L ( ca . 770 US gal ) . The cockpit was moved slightly aft , and the wingspan was increased to 14 . 83 m ( 48 . 65 ft ) . The three aircraft were fitted with different engines : the first one ( no . 1685 ) had a 500 hp Hispano - Suiza 12Hb , the other two had a 550 hp Renault 12 kg and a 520 hp Farman 12Wers . In 1927 , no . 1685 received a new 600 hp Hispano 12Lb engine , its fuel capacity was extended to 3 , 500 L , and its wingspan was further increased by one metre . It was christened " Nungesser et Coli " after the two airmen who disappeared in a transatlantic flight attempt in May 1927 . A fifth aircraft was built ( no . 1554 ) for Greece , called " Hellas " , with a 550 hp Hispano 12Hb . ( Other Br . 19 aircraft may have received additional fuel tanks for long distance flights , but these were not officially called Br . 19 GR . Some sources mention a Belgian Br . 19 GR , maybe a confusion with the Belgian Br . 19 TR . ) Built in 1927 with various aerodynamical refinements and 3 , 735 L ( 987 US gal ) of fuel in the fuselage . With an additional fuel tank in the wing , the total fuel capacity was 4 , 125 L ( 1 , 089 US gal ) . Five were built by Breguet and two by the Spanish company CASA . Three of the French aircraft had a 600 hp Hispano 12Lb , one had a 550 hp Renault 12 kg , and one had a 450 hp Lorraine 12Eb . The first Bidon Hispano was sold to Belgium , and the Bidon Renault was sold to China after a Paris – Beijing flight . The third Bidon Hispano became the French Br . 19 TF . The second Spanish Bidon was christened " Jesús del Gran Poder " , and flew from Sevilla to Bahia ( Brazil ) . The last and most advanced long - distance variant , built in 1929 , and designed for transatlantic flight . The French Super Bidon was the third Br . 19 TR Hispano , named " Point d ' Interrogation " , with a modified fuselage , a wingspan of 18 . 3 m ( 60 ft ) , and 5 , 370 L total fuel capacity . It was powered by a 447 kW ( 600 hp ) Hispano - Suiza 12Lb engine ( later replaced by a 485 kW / 650 hp 12Nb ) . Another aircraft , with a closed canopy , was built in Spain in 1933 . Christened " Cuatro Vientos " , it flew from Sevilla to Cuba , and disappeared while attempting to reach Mexico . Utilizing the experience with long - distance variants , this improved reconnaissance variant was developed in 1928 , maybe for export purposes . It remained a prototype only ( with civilian register F - AIXP ) . The most popular of the late variants developed in 1930 with a 447 kW ( 600 hp ) Hispano - Suiza 12Nb engine , giving a maximum speed of 242 km / h ( 150 mph ) . The first five machines were converted in France for Yugoslavia , then a number were built in Yugoslavia , and a further 50 built in France for export to Turkey . With a 582 kW ( 780 hp ) Wright Cyclone GR - 1820 - F - 56 radial engine , 48 Br . 19 . 7 airframes were eventually completed as Br . 19 . 8 ' s in Yugoslavia . Their maximum speed was 279 km / h ( 173 mph ) . A single prototype developed in Yugoslavia with a 641 kW ( 860 hp ) Hispano - Suiza 12Ybrs engine . A single prototype developed in Yugoslavia with a 536 kW ( 720 hp ) Lorraine - Dietrich 12Hfrs Petrel engine . Fitted with twin floats as a seaplane , a single prototype ( no . 1132 ) was produced for France . Another aircraft sold Japan was fitted with floats built there by Nakajima . Some modified civilian variants of the Breguet 19 were developed , such as the Br . 19T , the Br . 19T bis and the Br . 19 Limousine ( for six passengers , with a thicker fuselage ) , but these were never built . Further passenger variants with a totally rebuilt fuselage were designated : These were used in limited numbers in France and Spain . In total , more than 2 , 000 Breguet 19s were manufactured in France , and about 700 license - built by Spanish CASA , Belgian SABCA and the Yugoslavian factory in Kraljevo . Record variants . Both standard and modified Breguet 19s were used for numerous record - breaking flights . The first was the Br . 19 prototype , which won a military aircraft speed contest in Madrid on 17 February 1923 . On 12 March 1923 , it also set an international altitude record of 5 , 992 m ( 19 , 660 ft ) carrying a 500 kg ( 1 , 100 lb ) load . It was later bought by Spanish government . Many crews made long - distance flights in Br . 19s . In February 1925 , Thieffry flew from Brussels to Leopoldville in central Africa , a distance of 8 , 900 km ( 5 , 500 mi ) . Two Br . 19 A2s were bought by the Japanese Asahi Shimbun newspaper and fitted with additional fuel tanks . They were flown by H . Abe and K . Kawachi on the Tokyo - Paris - London route in July 1925 , covering 13 , 800 km ( 8 , 600 mi ) . Between 27 August and 25 September 1926 , the Polish crew of Boleslaw Orlinski flew the Warsaw - Tokyo route ( 10 , 300 km / 6 , 400 mi ) and back , in a modified Br . 19 A2 , despite the fact that one of its lower wings was broken on the way . Between 1927 and 1930 , Romanian , Yugoslavian and Polish Br . 19s were often used in Little Entente air races . Breguet 19 GRs and TRs set several world records , mostly of long - distance non - stop flights , starting with Arrachart and Lemaitre ' s 3 , 166 km ( 1 , 967 mi ) flight from Paris to Villa Cisneros in 24½ hours on 2 – 3 February 1925 . On 14 – 15 July 1926 , Girier and Dordilly set a new record of 4 , 716 km ( 2 , 930 mi ) between Paris and Omsk , beaten on 31 August - 1 September by Challe and Weiser ' s 5 , 174 km ( 3 , 215 mi ) , and on 28 October by Dieudonne Costes and Rignot ' s 5 , 450 km ( 3 , 390 mi ) . From 10 October 1927 – 14 April 1928 , Costes and Le Brix flew a Br . 19 GR ( named " Nungesser - Coli " ) around the world , covering 57 , 000 km ( 35 , 418 mi ) - though the journey between San Francisco and Tokyo was taken by ship . The Super Bidon was created especially for the purpose of a transatlantic flight . It was named " Point d ' Interrogation " ( " The Question Mark " ) . Dieudonne Costes and Maurice Bellonte set a non - stop distance record of 7 , 905 km ( 4 , 911 mi ) from Paris to Moullart on 27 – 29 September 1929 on this plane . Then on 1 – 2 September 1930 , they flew from Paris to New York City , a distance of 6 , 200 km ( 3 , 900 mi ) making the first non - stop east - west crossing by a fixed - wing aircraft of the North Atlantic . The second Super Bidon , the Spanish Cuatro Vientos , vanished over Mexico with M . Barberan and J . Collar Serra , after a transatlantic flight from Seville to Cuba on 10 – 11 June 1933 . See also . The Breguet XIX played a central role in Nevil Shute ' s second published work " So Disdained " .