Couzinet 70 “Arc en Ciel III”: Way Up High.

The 70 was the ultimate expression of René Couzinet’s incredibly beautiful Arc-en-Ciel (Rainbow) family. Powered by a trio of Hispano-Suiza 12 Nb engines, the third Arc-en-Ciel made its first flight on February 1932. Next year, piloted by Jean Mermoz and accompanied by Couzinet himself, this aircraft crossed the South Atlantic (Saint-Louis,Senegal to Natal, Brazil) in less than twelve hours. In the process 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.

Magnificent artwork of an Atsushi model kit. By the way, according to some latest studies the colour of both wings registration and fuselage letters was red and not black.