High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Bird of Paradise was a military airplane used by the United States Army Air Corps in 1927 to experiment with the use of radio beacon aids in air navigation. On June 28–29, 1927, the Bird of Paradise, crewed by 1st Lt. Lester J. Maitland and 1st Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger, completed the first transpacific flight, from California to Hawaii, a feat for which the crew received the Mackay Trophy.