Asset Overview
An accurate reproduction of a long forgotten biplane.
The phrase “”More lost than Lieutenant Bello” (“Más perdido que el Teniente Bello”) is a part of Chile’s linguistic heritage and refers to someone who loses their way quite badly. Yet where did the phrase come from? Well, it turns out the “Lieutenant Bello” saying pays homage to an early aviator whose full name was Alejandro Bello Silva and who was one of the Chilean military’s very first military pilots. As you might imagine, Lt. Bello did indeed get lost while flying — so lost, in fact, that his airplane and his body have never been found, even to this day.
This is the story of the mystery of Lt. Alejandro Bello Silva’s disappearance. 99 years ago today in aviation history. On March 9, 1914, Lt. Bello took off into the fog and clouds on his final flight to qualify for his military aviator wings — and simply disappeared.