Growing institutional arrangements
1907-1909
References are to Le Matin, except where otherwise stated
14 January 1907.
p. 1
Editorial ‘Une glorieuse
Épreuve. Grand Prix de la Navigation aérienne’
This refers to the paper’s publication on
13 January of the rules for a Great Aircraft and Dirigible Race, Paris-London
1908 (‘Grande Course d’Aéroplanes et de Dirigeables Paris-Londres de 1908’)
All machines are to be made in France. Thus
the race, while being ‘the most prodigious international spectacle ever
mounted, will remain a purely national enterprise. The world will witness it,
but France will be the hero. Our aim will thus be met – why hide it? – it is
glory for France.’
‘In instituting this audacious trial, we
have wished to awaken national thought, provide our defence with a new arm
whose reach nobody can yet measure, provide our industry with a fortune, the
development of which nobody can yet measure..’
The present time is one of discoverers, as
in the ‘superb beginnings’ of the 16th century, when America and the
discovery of printing appeared. France now leads geographical and scientific
conquest. ‘What is finer than this admirable colonial effort that is developing
under the Third Republic, opening new horizons to the nation, comforting us
with empires won to offset provinces lost, and placing, in 30 years, under the
laws of France a whole part of humanity which, for centuries, civilization had
excluded?’
[There follows a paragraph extolling French
glories in science and French military technology, such as the invention of the
submarine by Zédé, the invention of the automobile by a French genius, and de
Lesseps’ alteration of the face of the earth with the Suez canal.]
All this is recalled here because ‘every
Frenchman stands straight and has the feeling of bearing within him the nation
and its history. Instead of being fearful before all enterprises, he dares to
be proud of his country, and tells himself that, when a race that has this past
behind it knows today how to manifest its energy by revealing at the same time
a Pascal and a Brazza [Italian-French explorer of Africa], his destiny cannot
be predicted.. No others know so well how to adapt themselves to all the needs
of civilization; no others have been as great in all orders of thought and
action.’
All nations have seen French armies pass
over them. All literatures draw on French genius. All sciences are marked with
the names of French savants.
‘And since there is today a new invention
to accomplish, since the air – where the Frenchmen Montgolfier and Charles rose
in the first balloons – must tomorrow belong to men, as the earth belongs to
them, it is necessary that this invention is accomplished on French ground,
because it is a ground that brings happiness to the human spirit.’
…………………………………………………….
Scientific
American, 16 February 1907
p.147
A 50,000 dollar prize is being offered in Paris for a flight from Paris
to London, in any sort of aircraft. Paris’s ‘leading daily journal’ Le Matin is offering $20,000. The rest
comes in equal $10,000 contributions from the Marquis de Dion, M. Clement and
M. Charley (all prominent in the ‘automobile world’). The event will take place
in 1908. Motors must be French made. The ‘aeronauts’ may be of any nationality.
The start will be on 14 July 1908. If the prize is not won then, other starts
will be on the second Sundays of August, September, and October. The distance
is 218 miles. The time to complete the journey is 24 hours. Stops will be
allowed for fuel, etc. Only already successful aviators may enter. [This was an
ambitious venture in February 1907, when only Santos-Dumont had flown in
France. But it illustrates the role played by prizes in French aviation
development. They provided a clear target to work to.]
………………………………
Revue
de l’Aviation, 2:4, 15 March 1907
From: M Armengaud, ‘Causerie faite le 31
janvier 1907 à l’Hôtel des Sociétés Savantes dans le groupe parisien de l’Ecole
Polytechnique’.
p. 3 [Armengaud clearly thinks the Wright
brothers flew 50 km in December 1903, and concludes:]
If we did not have to put ourselves on guard
against the exaggerations of Yankee journalists, it is to the Wright brothers
that would go, incontestably, the glory that we grant to M. Santos-Dumont; and
it is the date of 19 [sic] December 1903 and not that of 11 November 1906 that
would mark the memorable day when, for the first time, a man rose in a flying
machine…’
………………………………
14 April 1907
p. 1
An article on an airplane model show in London for one week, organized
by the Aero Club of Great Britain in the Agricultural Hall. There are
references in the introduction to Lilienthal, Chanute, Langlet [sic],
Santos-Dumont; but none to the Wright brothers. The show will close tomorrow
with a competition testing length of flight, stability, speed, and vertical and
horizontal controllability. Two broad types of models are in the London show:
those based on kites and those on birds. The first have two wings or more.
……………………………..
9 April 1907,
p. 4
Bagatelle. Delagrange tried
yesterday to win the Archdeacon cup now held by Santos-Dumont [in the 14bis,
presumably] for a 220 metre flight. Archdeacon was present. After he had marked
out a part of the lawn with bags of plaster, Charles Voisin flew about 50
metres, at a height of some 3 metres. At the point the aircraft came over a
group of spectators who did not get out of the way quickly enough. Voisin,
fearing an accident, cut the ignition. The aircraft, still very stable, landed.
Its wheels and frame were slightly bent, but there was no other damage. [The
difficulty with Bagatelle was its openness to the public and its quite small
size relative to the speed of the aircraft. It is interesting to see that
Voisin marked out an area for his flight; but it was not big enough, and he had
to stop.]
L’Aérophile, 15:11, November 1907, p. 315
From Joseph Rodet, ‘Note sur l’équilibre
automatique de l’aéroplane’:
The means of automatic horizontal stability
now used is Pénaud’s horizontal rear tail. ‘Chanute and all his pupils – that
is to say, almost all contemporary aviators – use a double surface which holds
longitudinal balance well in the case of a contrary wind that is constant in
force and direction, by regularizing displacements of the centre of pressure.’
[This is an important recognition. The fixed horizontal tail is becoming
accepted as the way to keep an aircraft level fore and aft. Now the question
becomes one of where to put the elevator. Some builders – for instance, the
Voisin brothers, place it at the front of the aircraft. Others – Blériot, for
example – add it to the fixed horizontal tail, or will soon do so.]
………………………..
2 November, p. 6.
The AéroClub de France will fête, next
Thursday, the recent successes of French aviation. Medals and ‘plaquettes’ will
be given to the winners of the prizes founded by the commission – i.e. to Henry
Farman and Louis Blériot. The Voisin
brothers should also receive some recognition.
………………………….
10 November, p.6.
Recent aviation experiences have shown that
success depends on having an apprenticeship as an aviator. Therefore the
Aéronautique Club de France has two aircraft of the Chanute type, without
motors, on which future aviators can train at the club’s special park at
Champlan-Paliseau [some 18 kilometres south-west of Paris]. This is an
effective way of learning to glide before trying [powered?] machines whose
handling is very delicate.
…………………………
11 November, p.5.
Captain Ferber will give a lecture this
evening at 9.30 at 11 Rue Servandoni, place de St. Sulpice, on aviation and its
current development. This is under the auspices of the Société des Elèves
Industrials de France.
…………………………
16 November
La
Vie au Grand Air, No. 478.
p.366
François Peyrey, ‘Les oiseaux artificiels’
‘The problem is solved. On all sides bold
inventors throw themselves into the conquest of the atmosphere. But already
their research is less empirical. The day is coming nearer when travelling
through the air will be just a game.’
Contrast between lighter- and
heavier-than-air flight: the empirical work of heavier-than-air experimenters
has prevailed over the theoretical objections and refutations of such flight.
He refers to his earlier, possibly 1903,
reports of the Wrights’ glider flights, which now seem ‘a vast bluff’. This
view is becoming widespread in ‘aeronautical milieux’. But it is intriguing
that a transatlantic hoax should have caused serious research on artificial
flight in France.
But there is no doubt that man has flown.
Santos-Dumont was the first on 12 November 1906. Santos-Dumont always thought that
lighter-than-air flight was only a stage on the way to ‘absolute manoeuvrability’
in the air [attainable only in heavier-than-air flight]. Santos-Dumont
preferred an aeroplane to a helicopter or ornithopter.
What is an aeroplane? Quite simply, it is
one or several surfaces, with planes making a very slight angle with the
horizon, and propelled forward by a propulsion unit with a horizontal axis. It
is like a kite, with a motor replacing the string.
The importance of light internal engines
replacing steam is emphasized.
Peyrey repeats the story of flights in 1907
by Santos-Dumont, Blériot, Henry Farman, etc.. On 5 November the Comte de La
Vaulx began work on a new machine. Every day brings new advances, and the energetic
group of aviators grows. [There is much purple froth here, but all in an
attempt to express the pace and vigour of advance in aviation.]
‘A turn by an aeroplane demands, to
overcome the centrifugal force that forces it to tilt itself, an excess of
driving force. If this is not present, the apparatus is not able to raise
itself, and descends “in the cone”.’ The answer to this problem could be do
undertake only wide turns, reducing the centrifugal force. Last Saturday, Henry
Farman made a ‘grandiose turn’ at Issy. [The general drift here is that
practice is overcoming theoretical speculation.]
Balloons, which are old and simple, will
continue to exist, and will fly higher than heavier-than-air machines. The
gentle charm of ballooning contrasts with the noise and complication of
heavier-than-air flight.
……………………………
22 November, p.5.
After observing Santos-Dumont at Bagatelle,
the officials of the AéroClub de France hurried to Buc, where Robert
Esnault-Pelterie was to try for the 150 metre award. ‘The task of official is
becoming terrible. Every day the commissaries are called to Bagatelle, or to
Issy, or to Buc. Yesterday they had to be everywhere. I assure you that M.
Archdeacon is becoming worn out.’ But Esnault-Pelterie’s motor produced little
power and his attempt is postponed till tomorrow.
………………………..
1908
8 January, p.6.
A prominent figure in the Automobile Club
de France has told Le Matin that a
group of directors [‘dirigeants’] of the Club will propose the creation of a
‘commission d’aviation’ to encourage the efforts of aviators (who have made
such progress recently).
The AéroClub de France has expressed strong
reservations on this to Le Matin.
Delagrange, president of the AéroClub, thinks
that the proposed commission will advance aerial navigation. There can never be
too much encouragement, he says.
[The Aéroclub is perhaps nervous about the
intervention of the older and bigger Automobile Club in its activities.]
………………………………
8 January, p.6.
The question arises of how heavier than air
aircraft should be classified in future flying competitions. Should biplanes
[‘cellulaires’] and monoplanes be separated? Blériot (‘l’aimable aviateur’)
says that the monoplane is much faster than the biplane. The current Farman
type would be at an absolute disadvantage in a speed race; though both types
would be equal in duration flights or over distance.
……………………………..
9 January, p.4.
[hard to read for lack of contrast on the
film] The Automobile Club’s plan for an aviation commission had its origins with
M. Archdeacon [‘revient tout entier à M.
Archdeacon’] who had it presented to the Committee [of the Automobile Club?] by
a group of friends. Archdeacon has told Le
Matin that the [Deutsch-?] Archdeacon prize will soon be won. What then? A
‘great movement’ is needed for the advance of aviation, including much money
through subventions, a lottery – ‘what do I know?’ [‘que sais-je?’]. The
Automobile Club has great influence, and is alone (according to Archdeacon)
able to give an impulse to aviation, and the encouragement needed by aviators.
There should be no question of club [rivalries?]; all should unite to reach the
same ends.
Some in the Automobile Club, including
Henri Deutsch, have reserves. They say that a power ruling aviation already
exists – the AéroClub – and has contributed powerfully to the rise of flying.
This view has prevailed. An agreement [‘accord’] should exist between the two
clubs. A delegation [of the Automobile Club] will approach the AéroClub.
However (says Le Matin) it can be affirmed that the Automobile Club will be
concerned with aviation. It will do so through the intermediary of the trade
association [‘chambre syndicale’], which will be considered as an official
power, while the two clubs organize trials and competitions. This is how
aviation will enter the group, which will then have the name of ‘trade
association of automobiles, cycles, aviation, and of the industries related to
these.’ The AéroClub will not lose prestige because its authority, rules, and
commissaries will be recognized everywhere.
[It is interesting the Archdeacon and
Deutsch de la Meurthe are opposed on all this. Archdeacon attends all aviation
trials and flights at Issy; Deutsch none (according the Le Matin’s reporting of attendees.]
……………………………….
10
January, p.4.
A new prize of 10,000 francs is offered by
M. Armengaud, jeune. It will be contested this year, under the supervision of
the AéroClub de France, for the first flight lasting 15 minutes. A control commission
is appointed from the AéroClub, including the donor, four members from the
AéroClub, and four from the Société Française de la Navigation Aérienne
(affiliated to the AéroClub).
………………………………..
10 January, p.4.
The Automobile Club de France, ‘wishing to
give an impulse to aerial navigation, while taking into account the rights
already acquired by the AéroClub de France’ is disposed to make an agreement
with the AéroClub (of which the committee met yesterday on this question –
Archdeacon, Tatin, Georges Besançon, de Contades, d’Oultremont, Delattre,
Blanchet, Rousseau, Nicolleau, etc…). No decision was taken on the question.
The committee awaits a delegation from the Automobile Club.
[Le
Matin’s comment: there is no doubt that a mixed aviation commission will be
formed with members from both clubs].
………………………………
11 January, p.5.
Most aviators and builders of aircraft
welcome the entry of the Automobile Club de France into aviation. Henry Farman
says that aviation needs encouragement. Through its influence and means the
Automobile Club will be useful to aviation. Delagrange and Blériot are both
very much in favour. Gabriel Voisin exclaimed ‘All is for the best’.
………………………………
12 January, p.6.
Another prize, of 500 francs, is offered by
M. Triaca to the flyer who in 1908 makes the longest flight (in distance)
officially witnessed. It is open to members of the AéroClub de France and the
Aero Club of America.
………………………………..
14 January, p.5.
After an intimate lunch at the Automobile
Club de France in honour of Henry Farman, a meeting took place between
delegates of the AéroClub of Belgium (MM Jacobs and Crawhez), and various
members of the AéroClub de France (Archdeacon, Georges Besançon, several
aviators, and Farman, Blériot and the Voisin brothers). The fundamentals were
discussed for an airplane competition organized by the Belgian society at Spa
[?] in the second half of July 1908. The decision was to accept only aircraft
that have flown at least 150 metres. The competition would include a speed race
on a closed circuit, a speed trial over a figure 8 shaped course, and a
distance race over 10 laps of a 2.2 kilometre course. [It is not clear if this
meeting took place.]
………………………………..
15 January, p.5.
‘Chambre syndicale de
la navigation aérienne’
(Le Matin
was the first to predict the creation of this)
The question is now settled. Notices are
going out today, signed by M. de Dion, president of the Chambre Syndicale de
l’Automobile, and G. Besançon, secretary-general of the AéroClub de France,
inviting interested person to a meeting tomorrow afternoon about the formation
of this new group. Several have already indicated they will join: de Dion,
Tatin, the Voisin brothers, Blériot, Mallet, Hue [?], Ferber, Chauvière.
…………………………………
15 January, p. 5.
At an intimate lunch for Henry Farman on 14
January, G. Besançon announced the AéroClub de France’s acquisition, very soon,
of a ‘parc’ reserved for aviators. Present were Besançon, Henry Farman, the
Voisin brothers, Blériot, Deutsch, Archdeacon.
A banquet will be offered by the AéroClub
de France for Farman, the Voisin brothers, and Levavasseur. [This is the first
mention of him; he is not mentioned in reports of the 13th January
flight]. It will be at the Automobile Club de France, tomorrow night (16
January 1908).
………………………………..
15 January, p.5.
The 10,000 francs Armengaud prize is for a
15 minute flight in 1908. It was discussed by the aviation commission of the
AéroClub de France [or possibly the Automobile Club de France] of 15 January.
The commissaires for this prize from the AéroClub are Archdeacon, Ferber, G.
Besançon, Tatin (these are the commission de contrôle), with also from the
Société Française de la Navigation Aerienne, Fonvielle, Delaporte, Chauvière,
and Regnard. The pilot must fly for at least 15 minutes within a radius of 2
kilometres, and within 50 kilometres of Paris. The site is to be chosen by the
pilot. Tatin thinks that the conditions of the flight should include return to
the point of departure, as Henry Farman has shown is possible. There is the
possibility that a helicopter, for example, could fly for 15 minutes without a
pilot.
……………………………….
18 January, p.6.
The Automobile Club de France and the
AéroClub de France have reached perfect agreement. A delegation of the
administrative council of the Automobile Club went yesterday to the AéroClub,
and were received by de La Vaulx, de Castillon, de Saint-Victor (vice
presidents) and by G. Besançon (general secretary). The aim was to explore the
bases on which the Automobile Club could take an interest in aerial navigation.
The result: de La Vaulx told Le Matin
that it is certain that the Automobile Club recognizes the AéroClub as the
power that controls aeronautical sports; that in the case of great events
[‘grandes manifestations’] there will be recourse to the rules of the AéroClub;
and that the idea of the Automobile Club was to form a commission that would
concentrate on aviation motors. De La Vaulx says that discussions will continue
in some months, when the president of the Automobile Club returns from foreign
travel.
…………………………….
18 January, p.6.
Re the Trade Association [‘chambre
syndicale’] of the aeronautical industries:
Some forty builders interested in
aeronautics met yesterday afternoon at the Automobile Club de France to examine
the foundation of a trade association. Le
Matin recognized de Dion, Max Richard, Blériot, Charles Voisin, Tatin,
Ferber, Chauvière, Juchmes, Surcouf, Gastambide, Mengin, Mallet, Echatié and
others. The AéroClub was represented by de La Vaulx and G. Besançon. The
meeting appointed a commission of eighteen to examine statutes. Another meeting
is to be held on the afternoon of 20 January.
…………………………….
29 January, p.5.
Re the Armengaud prize [10,000 francs for a
fifteen minute flight]: Tatin has said that an important consideration is the
steerability of the aircraft (which Armengaud was not concerned with – only
with the duration). After Henry Farman’s feat [of 13 January?] there is no doubt that aircraft will fly for
fifteen minutes. (Some figures for fuel use follow: 15-20 litres will suffice,
with a 50 hp motor burning about ½ litre of gasoline per hp per hour. The
weight of fuel for a fifteen minute flight will be minimal on an aircraft of
300-500 kilos.)
…………………………..
30 January, p.4.
‘Chambre Syndicale de l’industrie
aéronautique’
Yesterday the constituent assembly
[‘assemblée constituive’] of this organization took place. Statues were
adopted, and a committee has been formed – consisting of Armengaud jeune,
Besançon, Carton, Chauyière, A. de Dion, Echallier, Robert Esnault-Pelterie, Farcot,
Ferber, Godard, Guittot, Vuchmès, de la Vallette, de La Vaulx, Levavasseur,
Maller, Richard, Surcouf, Tatin, Charles Voisin [it is noticeable that Charles
Voisin does this sort of committee work, not Gabriel]. The committee met to elect a bureau (of officers). De Dion was elected president.
Vice-presidents elected are Mallet, Louis, Godard, and Blériot. The secretary
general is G. Besançon; the archivist, M. Chauvière; the treasurer, Robert
Esnault-Pelterie.
……………………………
Scientific
American, 15 February 1908
p.111 ‘Aeronautical notes’: The Deutsch-Archdeacon prize having been won
[by Henry Farman], Archdeacon now thinks to stimulate aviation with another
prize of at least $20,000 for a long distance flight of 25 km (15 ½ miles). He
has made a suggestion to the Chevalier Vincenzo Florio, an Italian nobleman who
has wagered with his countryman Vonwiller that he will fly around the racetrack
at Palermo before the end of the year in an aeroplane. The winner [presumably
the fastest of the two around the track]
will donate money to create an aeronautical prize [the prize being considered
by Archdeacon?]
…………………………..
Scientific
American, 15 February 1908
p. 111
‘Aeronautical notes’: The Belgian
Committee of Aviation has organized a competition for aeroplanes for the 9, 16,
and 23 July 1908, at the Sauvenière racecourse at Spa, which is 2,300 metres in
circumference. On 9 and 16 July a circular kilometer and a kilometer in the
form of a figure 8 will be required. On the 23rd there will be a
long distance race over 10 circuits of the course (or 23 kilometres [14.3
miles]). The total of prizes is 75,000 francs ($14,475). Entries have already
been received from Farman, Esnault-Pelterie, Blériot, Delagrange, Voisin, nad
Captain Ferber. M. Miesse, ‘a Belgian experimenter’, is also expected to
compete.
…………………………….
25 February, p.5.
The AéroClub de France has just obtained
from General Picquart, minister of war, a vast space on the edge of (but
inside) the Issy-les-Moulineaux exercise field on which the club intends to
build a pavilion. It will give, at no charge, pieces of land to aviators who
wish to build hangars. The area will be closed, and aircraft will be watched by
a guard.
…………………………..
7 March, p.4.
M. Michelin offers a prize for heavier than
air flight aircraft development. This offer has been sent to the AéroClub. This
is essentially a distance prize, to be awarded each year, for a flight over a
closed course – either in France or in a country whose Aero Club is affiliated
with the French AéroClub. The distance covered must be at least twice the
distance flown for the previous year’s prize. In 1908 the winner must cover at
least twice the distance flown by Henry Farman for his Deutsch-Archdeacon prize
flight [therefore, presumably, at least two kilometres]. The award is 15,000 francs.
……………………………..
20 March, p.5.
A group of sportsmen are to offer a prize
for the first flight to 25 metres above ground.
…………………………….
4 April, p.?
The AéroClub de France will organize this
summer a competition for model aeroplanes. (This is a good intention, says Le Matin, but now that aviation ‘has
entered the practical domain’, is it useful to encourage small mechanical
objects?)
………………………………
11 April, p.5.
The AéroClub de France had its general
assembly recently. It was recorded that 307 ‘sphériques’ [balloons presumably]
rose from the park of St. Cloud (the AéroClub’s field) in 1907.
………………………………
Scientific
American, 11 April 1908
p.256
‘List of Aviation prizes offered abroad’
$100 by A.C. Triaca, of the Correspondence
School of Aeronautics, for the longest flight in 1908.
$100 prize from the AéroClub de France for
the ‘best indicating level’.
$200 by M. Pepin for the first machine to
cross the Garonne river.
$1,000 from the AéroClub de France for a
flight of 5,000 metres (or three miles).
$2,000 from M. Armengaud Jr. for the first
aircraft to stay in the air for 15 minutes.
$2,500 from Dr. Gans for the first aircraft
to fly 15 minutes at a competition at the Munich Exposition in summer 1908.
$2,500 from Ruinart Fils for the first 18
kilometre flight across the English channel.
$2,500 from Lord Montague, editor and owner
of The Car, to the aircraft making
the longest flight in England in any year (with a bonus of $25 per mile for up
to 25 kilometres in the flight).
$3,000 offered annually by M. Michelin for
10 years for the longest flight in a closed circuit, in any country that has an
aeroclub in the International Federation (with a $2,000 trophy).
$4,000 in cash prizes for aircraft races at
Vichy in September 1908.
$5,000 from the Daily Graphic, in the UK, for a one mile flight at Brooklands
Automobile Race Track.
$12,500 from Brooklands Automobile Racing
Association for a three mile fight over the race track.
$14,000 in cash prizes for aircraft races
at Spa (Belgium) on 29 July and 2 and 9 August 1908 ($10,000, $2,000 and $1,000
for the first three places).
$20,000 from MM. Michelin for a 220 mile flight
from Paris to the Puy de Dôme, in 6 hours (i.e. at about 36 mph) before 1
January 1919 – by an aircraft carrying two people. (On p. 255 is more detail
about this, with some variation: Michelin offers a $2,000 trophy and $50,000 in
prizes -- $3,000 per year in ten installments to trophy winners each year and
$20,000 to the aviator who in the next decade, carrying one passenger, flies
from Paris to the top of the Puy de Dôme [4.775 feet high and about 220 miles
from Paris]. The flight is to include a circle around the Arc de Triomphe and
the cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand, and shall be completed in less than six
hours). For the annual prizes, and the
trophy, Michelin ‘has provided for an annual international competition for
these in any countries where there is an aero club belonging to the
international federation’. The rules for the flights will be issued this year
by the AéroClub de France, and will require a flight of 2 kilometers or more in
a closed circuit with several turns. The prize and cup will go to whoever makes
the longest flight. Each year the minimum length of the flight will double. Awards may be competed for in the USA under
the supervision of the AeroClub of America.
$50,000 from the London Daily Mail for a 160 mile flight from
London to Manchester (+ $10,000 from the Adams Manufacturing Co. if the
aircraft is built in the UK, and $2,500 from Autocar if the motor is English).
The total of these prizes is $132,425.
………………………………
17 April, p.5.
Aviators are unhappy, because the AéroClub
de France’s aviation commission proposes a 50 franc fee for the right to
compete for the Armengaud prize (for a 15 minute flight). The charge will be
reimbursed if the prize is won. Delagrange comments: ‘I am not God the Father …
I do not command the winds or the rain’. He understands that the charge should
not be paid back if there is a failure [‘échec’] [to fly for 15 minutes,
presumably]. But if rain or wind prevent flying he does not think that the
AéroClub can oblige payment, especially because the ‘fees for stewards
[‘service d’ordre’] fall on me alone.’
…………………………….
21 April, p.6.
To Issy-les-Moulineaux as a flying site
will be added, this summer, Buc, near Versailles. It is much less accessible
‘to the common crowd’ [‘au commun des mortels’]. R. Esnault-Pelterie flew there
last year. He has now made two new aircraft, to be tried soon.
At Buc now is a monoplane that H. Kapferer
and Paulhan had built during the winter. The date for trials has not been set
(‘M. Kapferer never knows …’). Another aircraft that has just arrived at Buc is
a monoplane belonging to M. Auffin-Ordt. It has ‘automatic balance’.
……………………………
21 April, p.6.
The main aeronautical tests in 1908:
16 May distance
competition of AéroClub de France
11 June distance
competition on the ‘fêtes’ of the 10th anniversary of the AéroClub
de France
30 June closing
of entries for the 2,500 franc prize for flying machines [‘appareils volants’]
12, 19, 26 July Aeroplane competition at Spa, Belgium
30 September closing of entries for the 5,000 franc prize for flying machines
4 October Grand
Prix of AéroClub de France
11 October Coupe
Internationale, Berlin
31 December closing
of entries for the 20,000 franc prize for aeroplanes
…………………………..
24 April, p.6.
Kapferer’s aircraft has been tried. But the
frame was weak and is bent [‘disloqué’]. The wings of this monoplane are in the
hangar at Buc.
…………………………..
27 May, p.5.
List of aeroplanes now flying, or soon to
fly, belonging to sixteen Parisians:
1.
Delagrange -- now in Rome
2.
Farman -- at Ghent
3.
Blériot – under repair (of the
crankshaft); trials to resume in one week
4.
Triplan Voisin – to be tried in
early June
5.
Pischof – assembly started at
Grenelle
6.
Koechlin – awaiting good
weather
7.
Bousson – awaiting good weather
(both these aircraft are
kept at the Porte de Sèvres, Grenelle)
8.
Zens – at Gopesse
9.
Kapferer – finished at
Sartrouville, but a mechanical part remains to be fitted
10.
Auffin-Ordt – under
modification
11.
Esnault-Pelterie – taken to
Buc, for trials there
12.
Helicopter Bertin – now
awaiting sun for trials at Bagatelle
13.
Gastambide-Mangin – no comment
……………………………..
27 July, p.4.
‘Les essais d’aviation
interdits sur le terrain de manoeuvres d’Issy’
The ban on flying at Issy is given in a
brief order from the military governor of the ‘place de Paris’.
Captain Ferber had requested four agents to
act as stewards on the Issy field. But he was told by the secretary of the
police commissioner of Vanves [a commune next
to Issy] that that was impossible because no further aviation trials were to
take place at Issy.
Aviators are displeased. They told (Le Matin’s reporter) that Ernest
Archdeacon had obtained from the war minister two horsemen who were on the
field daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., ready to help the flyers. But the aviators
were told [by?] no official experiment or private trial could take place there
unless expensive stewards were present to guard spectators from danger as they
walked over the area.
One aviator (Farman) had to pay a double
tax as a result of a misunderstanding between the Paris police and the local
police.
For a month past trials have been allowed
to continue, without danger to anyone because most of them took place in the
early morning. But – they think—some ‘high representative of the public
authority’ must have visited Issy the day before yesterday, and, exaggerating
the dangers, gave the order completely banning trials.
This is an unwelcome decision to aviators,
because the Issy field is well suited for the initial study of their
aeroplanes. Small trials are not dangerous, although official trials to which
the public is invited would be. They do not see this decision as final. It
would bring them a notable loss, since they have invested in expensive hangars
– the building of which was approved by the war ministry after the AéroClub de
France obtained a concession for them.
Leaving Issy would be hard for them and for
their workmen, since it is so practical, being close to Boulogne-Billancourt
and to Neuilly. Considering the large fees that they pay, could not the
administration help them, considering that they work for France – which will
gain from their studies and discoveries?
Some grounds for understanding could
certainly be reached for aviation. The best arrangement would be specific hours
of the day – 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., for example, from sunrise to the arrival of
horsemen and infantrymen, who come to exercise. There is nobody on the field
then. In fact, at the recent trials by various aviators, only some fifty
spectators were present, who wisely kept to the edges of the field.
Blériot is very surprised by the decision
of the military authority. He thinks there must be some misunderstanding. He
repeats the point about the hangars: the military authority approved the
building of these; how can it now stop trials? Blériot’s hangar, made of iron
and cement, was expensive.
Aviators work for themselves, but also seek
a little to ensure for France a means of national defence.
Studies by Deutsch’s and Lebaudy’s
engineers have profited France, which has obtained dirigibles [as a result?].
The army may well come to value aviators’ studies. In Italy Delagrange’s
flights were watched not only by the kind and queen, and queen mother, but by a
cordon of troops. In Germany the emperor protects the inventors of dirigible
balloons.
The public has taken a great interest in
French airplane trials in the past few months. There is an alleged danger to
the public. But, to unite the public and the fliers in the ‘great glory of our
country’, could not four horsemen be sent for a few hours every day? Four would
be enough. For several months past two municipal guards have been able to keep
the public (now ‘very sensible and well behaved’ [‘très sage et très bon
enfant’]) calmly gathered close to the horsemen’s track. With four mounted men
all danger would disappear.
Blériot says he has today received a letter
from Archdeacon saying that the minister of war will surely deal with the
problem. The president of the AéroClub de France, M. Cailletet, and a
delegation will ask for a meeting with General Picquart – who presided some
time ago the banquet of the Chambre Syndicale des industries aéronautiques.
Blériot is confident that the minister of
war will not deprive aviators – some of whom have small budgets – of the means
of experimenting. Experiment should not be limited to the rich. ‘Great and
small should be encouraged.’
Committee members of the AéroClub de France
consulted by the reporter all say that the ban must not be final.
……………………………….
28 July, p.2
There is general distress in the sporting
community over the flight ban at Issy. Le
Matin interviewed a high ranking official at the police prefecture who has
authority over the police of the Parisian suburbs [‘banlieue’]. He said that it
was the police who had imposed the flying ban, because of the impossibility of
protecting the public from danger – especially in view of the recent trials by
Gastambide and Mangin. Stewards cannot be sent to Issy because of a lack of
men. If they were sent, the cost to the interested parties would be too high.
Flyers would do better to fly trials at the race course at Longchamps, which is
complete surrounded by railings [‘grilles’].
……………………………….
12 August, p.5.
The ban on flying at Issy has been lifted
for 4-6 a.m.
(Some continue flying there – Blériot and
Gastambide, for example; but M Koechlin,
finding it impossible to do serious trials at Issy, will take his aircraft and
materials to Meudon.)
………………………………
23 August, p.2.
Two republican guards are at Issy daily
from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the result of a request some months ago from Archdeacon
to the Ministry of War for stewards [‘service d’ordre’] to facilitate aviation
trials. General Picquart guaranteed two horsemen per day. Despite the current
flight ban, they still come. They hitch their horses, take off their boots, and
sit at a table, perhaps with a guardian from one of the hangars. ‘The three
companions, whose palettes the sun had dried, had had a few good bottles
brought for which they played manille’ [a card game].
………………………………
23 August, p.2.
On the future of aviation, Archdeacon
states: future aircraft will be biplanes, but they will be designed to have
minimum drag [‘encombrement’].
Two or three things are lacking for a
definite solution to the problem of flight:
1.
Means of stopping the aircraft
on landing
2.
The possible need for a second
motor, for emergency use.
3.
Finding a means of enabling
take off reliably [‘presque de pied ferme’], on all terrains. This should be
possible.
Once these questions are answered, as they
will be very soon, [the problems of] aviation will be definitively resolved.
……………………………...
27 August, p.1.
‘The field at Issy is returned to
aviation.’ ‘Le champs d’Issy est rendu à l’aviation’
The minister of War and the Prefect of
Police have made a patriotic gesture – having understood that it is necessary
to favour, as far as possible, the efforts of the ‘brave people who work for industrial
supremacy and the glory of France’. M. Lépine (the Prefect) met with General
Picquart (the mInister of War); agreement between them on the subject is
essential.
General Picquart recalls that like all
ministers he has the right to make regulations, and that the policing of the
military terrain fully belongs to him. He has therefore ruled that access to
[the field at] Issy is banned to the public, except for the small area to the
right of the pathway along which there is circulation [of people]. French
aviators (but no others) may use the field at any time, except when troops are
on it.
Stewards (mostly soldiers, but also
policemen in case any statements need to be taken) will assure the safety of
flyers and the public.
This seems the most elegant solution to the
problem, given the danger of accidents to people inherent in the previous
‘laissez-faire’ arrangement.
……………………………….
2 September, p.2.
‘La Ligue Française de
la Navigation Aérienne. Une grande oeuvre nationale’
M. René Quinton, the distinguished
biologist, has taken the generous and patriotic initiative of creating in
France (‘which is the fatherland of aviation’) a league for the development of
aerial navigation. This is conceived on the same lines as the German Naval
League (’Ligue Navale’) – to which the Empire owes half its fleet and which now
has more than a million adherents.
Quinton has gathered round him the
outstanding personalities of aviation [not named]. The first aim he proposes is
an annual prize of 250,000 francs to be given to aviators who have made
progress. The prize money will increase with time in accordance with the funds
of the League. All these prizes will be competed for in France, which will thus
retain its advantages in aviation over other nations, and remain the centre of
aerial navigation.
Quinton points out recent events: the
subscription of four million [marks? francs?] by the German people after the
crash of the Zeppelin – of which one million is now held in a fund for the
encouragement of aviation. [This is possibly a reference to the loss of the
Zeppelin LZ4, by fire at Echterdingen on 5 August 1908.]
The king of Italy has offered a flying
prize of 50,000 [francs?], to be competed for in Rome
Another prize is Russian – 50,000 roubles
(163,000 francs) from the Russian empire at St. Petersburg.
[Quinton’s words]: ‘The league I am
founding therefore comes at its proper moment. It is, in France, a necessity
and a national duty. It fixes, for history, a date. It is important that our
children, our little children, know that our country, in the domain of the air
as in so many others, was the first to indicate the road to follow. Aerial
navigation was a French dream. We owe it to our country that it become a French
victory.’
A Frenchman, Jouffroy [d’Abbans], in 1783
discovered steam navigation; but Fulton got the credit and the benefit.
[Jouffroy’s efforts were interrupted by the French Revolution and then by Napoleon.]
Ader, eighteen years ago, flew, and is the
father of all current aviation effort; though he is not recognized now.
[Whether Ader was part of the main line of aviation development, or followed a
side track, is debatable.]
This sort of thing must not continue. The
League will surely draw all those concerned with the interests and glory of
France. The basic membership costs five francs; life membership, a hundred.
Other levels of membership exist. There are prizes for members who bring in new
members.
…………………………….
4 September, p.2.
Flying hours at Issy are (from 3 September)
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. The public is not allowed onto the field. Posts showing
this ban are to be put up by the military authorities. The public may continue
to cross the land from the Porte de Sèvres to the Rue Camille Desmoulins. All
parking on the champ de manoeuvre is banned.
……………………………
7 September, p.1.
Delagrange’s new record of 29 minutes 53.8
seconds was set yesterday at Issy, in 15 ½ laps.
Times flown by aviators are:
Delagrange
-- 6 September 1908 -- 29 minutes
53.8 seconds
Henry Farman – 6 July – 20 m 20 secs
Wilbur Wright – 5 September – 19 m 48.4
secs
Louis Blériot – 6 July – 8 m 40 secs.
………………………….
11 September, p.4.
At the request of Henry Farman, General
Picquart has authorized flying trials at the Camp de Châlons. Hangars are to be
built only on private land near the field. Flying must not interfere with troop
exercises.
……………………………
12 September, p.1.
[A large front page piece on Clément Ader,
by Jean d’Orsay]
It accepts the 300 metres flight by Ader’s Avion in 1897 at Satory. The argument is
that if this flight had been generally accepted, it would have set France on
the road to domination of aviation. France would now have a ‘true aerial army’.
……………………………
3 October, p.1.
‘Let us protect our flyers’ ‘Protégeons nos aviateurs’ (two column
editorial article by Louis Dausset)
This argues for state support of aviation,
raising the great French aviation tradition, and lamenting restrictions on
flying at Issy (the few hours allowed daily and the cost to flyers of the
stewards). Issy is in any case too small now. (American rivals, the Wrights,
are frequently invoked as a spur to government action.) France has the first
aviation factories (in Paris). Aviators should have a nearby flying site to
take advantage of this manufacturing capacity. Aviation may become very big,
and valuable to Paris. The duty of the state is therefore to protect and
support it, so that modest people – not just millionaire amateurs and
industrialists – can contribute and participate. Therefore official patronage,
cash prizes, land, subventions, and a little liberty [is he thinking of the
restrictions at Issy?] are all due from the State. The Ligue Nationale
Aérienne, organized by René Quinton, is already performing marvels for
aviation[how?].
…………………………..
29 October, p.1.
[A column by] Pau Painlevé, of the Academy
of Sciences. ‘Les deux écoles de l’Aviation’
Yesterday Paul Painlevé flew 2 kilometres
with Henry Farman near Mourmelon.
Aviation will soon be an industry; in a few
years it will start to transform the world.
For an aircraft to stay in the air, it must
go fast, so that the resistance of the air, increasing with speed, stops it
from falling [Drag and lift are still not properly separated. Drag is seen as
having an upward component.] Hence there is the need of a light, powerful, and
constant motor. An ideal motor will appear in a question of months. [Is this
just a hopeful guess? Or does he know something about the Gnôme engine, which
appears in 1909?]
The greatest difficulty is to ensure that
the aircraft does not tilt [‘pencher’] in any direction. It must also fly
straight. The pilot must be able to correct any deviation from course and
balance. Wright does this through his controls – particularly through warping
of the wings, controlling roll.
By contrast, the Voisin aircraft obtains
stability by partitioning [‘cloisonner’] the two wings, ‘as we partition kites
in the form of a cigar box’. The aircraft, of its own accord, adopts a suitable
bank angle while turning.
Only two controls are needed to pilot the
aircraft: the rudder and the forward [horizontal] surface. Climbing and diving
are made easier by the presence of a long tail, which opposes pitching.
Wright uses a large, slower-turning
propeller; Voisin one that is smaller and faster rotating. The Voisin aircraft
is notably heavier than Wright’s: 675 kilos vs. about 500. This is because of
the weight of its tail and the undercarriage [‘châssis roulant’].
Results obtained by the two aircraft:
Wright has the distance record (with one or two people aboard). The aircraft
cannot take off under its own power. It could do so if Wright wanted, though
weight would have to be added.
The Voisin aircraft (piloted by Henry
Farman) has the speed record of at least 70 kph. It has flown 40 kilometres
without a passenger (vs. 66 kilometres flown by Wright).
Farman today flew at Châlons in a violent
wind (witnessed by Paul Painlevé), at a height of 40 metres. He flew out of
sight of watchers. He flew, with Painlevé aboard, for 1,600 metres, including a
perfectly stable turn.
[This is a fascinating comparison of the
Voisin and Wright machines, made by a presumably intelligent man. Like all
other Frenchmen, with the possible exception of Blériot, he stresses the
absolute necessity that an aircraft fly straight and level. Turns and banking
are exceptional. The Wright machine goes straight and level because wing
warping corrects tilting of the wings. In the Voisin machine, straight and
level are built into the design. There is no sense at all here that turning an
aircraft is the result of banking it. Rather, banking is the inevitable, but
undesirable, result of turning.]
……………………………
1 November, p.5.
The Ligue Nationale Aérienne offers some 20
prizes for various aviation feats, mostly of 1,000 francs, but two of 19,000
and a few worth more than 1,000.
…………………………..
6 November, p.2.
The Senate yesterday debated French
aviation. [Here there is repetition of the standard account of the glory of
French aviation from the time of the early balloonists.] The debate topics
included the value of aviation for defence, and for communications.
In the Chambre,
several deputies have requested the
inclusion of 100,000 francs in the budget for aviation. The Ministry of Finance
seems to be in favour. The funds would go to the Ministry of Public Works.
The pro-aviation side is led by Senator
d’Estournelles de Constant, of la Sarthe [the area in which Wilbur Wright is flying].
Aviators attended the Senate session
yesterday. Among them were Wilbur Wright, Blériot, Archdeacon, René Quinton,
Farman père, Kapferer, the Commandant
Boutticeux, Armingaud [sic], Dussaud, Hart O. Berg, Goupy, Levavasseur,
Gastambide, Juchmès.
…………………………..
6 November, p.3.
On 5 November the Automobile Club de France
held a banquet. Three hundred people attended. It was to celebrate the exploits
of Wilbur Wright. The event was organized by the AéroClub de France. M.
Cailletet, president of the AéroClub, spoke of the successes of French
aviators, saying ‘Aeronautics were born in France’. Then M. Barthou, Minister
of Public Works , congratulated the AéroClub on its various initiatives,
‘glorifying French and American aviation’.
M. de La Vaulx announced that the AéroClub
was giving medals to Henry Farman and Blériot. MM. de Zuylen and de Dion spoke
for the Automobile Club de France.
Finally Wilbur Wright, in a simple but
moving speech, thanked France for welcoming him as if he had been one of its
children.
………………………….
8 November, p1.
‘A Frenchman created aviation’ ‘C’est un français qui a créé l’aviation’
[The reference is to Octave Chanute.] Chanute is generally thought to be an
American. But he was born in Paris on 18 February 1832, the son of Joseph
Chanute and Elisa de Bonaire, both French. Chanute and his family went to the
USA when he was very young. Chanute’s biplane gliders are in essence the origin
of the Wrights’ and the Voisins’ aircraft.
…………………………
11 November, p.5.
Yesterday there was a meeting of the Groupe
de la Locomotion Aérienne to hear M. Quinton, Commandant Renard and other
members of the bureau of the Ligue Nationale Aérienne. A very interesting
discussion took place of what could be expected of aeroplanes and dirigibles.
Henry Farman spoke: all that would be needed for aviation to become an industry
is lighter motors. Aircraft themselves are ready [‘au point’]. With suitable
motors they could well serve national defence.
The group then decided that the 100,000
franc credit recently requested [by the Chamber of Deputies] was far too small
for an industry with such a future. It would soon require a subvention from the
Chambre of 2 million, to be renewed for two years [for a total, apparently, of
6 million].
Finally the group decided to go to Châlons
on Saturday 21 November to watch Farman fly; and also to go to the Camp
d’Auvours and to the aérodrome [sic] de Juvisy at some later date.
…………………………….
13 November, p.5.
The total of prizes and subventions for
aviation is now close to 1 million francs. Aviators cannot complain about lack
of encouragement. 1909 will be a year of trials and competitions of all sorts.
……………………………..
21 November, p.1.
Yesterday [it became known that] 100,000
francs are now in the budget of Travaux Publics for aviation (in a new Chapitre
18bis). [No details or spending targets given.]
At the invitation of René Quinton,
president of the Ligue Aérienne, a group of 60 senators and deputies will go to
the Camp de Châlons to watch Henry Farman fly – today. They are curious about this new marvel of
aviation about which they have been told. [There is no further mention of this
expedition.] The Parlement shall also recognize the work of the Voisin brothers.
…………………………
5 December, p.5.
The Committee of
the AéroClub de France has decided to create a ‘brevet de pilote aviateur’ (pilot’s licence). The criteria will be set
by the aviation commission of the AéroClub.
………………………..
9 December, p.5.
Le
Matin reports a long meeting on 8 December at the
AéroClub de France of a Mixed Commission, consisting of members of the AéroClub,
the Automobile Club de France, the Ligue Aérienne, and the Chambre Syndicale [thus
a concentation of aviation interest groups].
………………………..
11 December, p.6.
In response to requests from the AéroClub
de France, the military governor of Paris has just allowed aviators to use Issy
during the week (Saturdays excepted), from 3 p.m. onwards – but only after the
complete evacuation of troops from the field. This permit is good until 28
February 1909.
………………………..
21 December, p.5.
The Commission of Student Pilots
[‘commission des élèves pilotes’] of the Ligue Nationale has 135 members. Their
first aeroplane order has been decided on [though it is not specified here]. Training will be at
Savigny-sur-Orge. [There is no reference to instructors.]
………………………..
24 December, p.4.
The Commission Mixte Aérienne will be
recognized by the Féderation Internationale Aéronautique.
………………………..
25 December, p.2.
The first Salon d’Aéronautique opened on 24
December at the Grand Palais.
[Fluffy reporting: the general tenor is
that aviation is for practical purposes still to come. But aeronautics enters
daily life more and more.]
The report points out the great difference
between the structure of Ader’s exhibited aircraft [1890 or 1897?] and current
aircraft such as the Voisins’ biplane.
The aircraft on display (in addition to
those already mentioned) are: Delagrange’s Voisin biplane, Robert
Esnault-Pelterie’s monoplane, the Wright biplane [dubious], Santos-Dumont’s Demoiselle, the Antoinette monoplane,
the Clément Tatin monoplane, the Breguet gyroplane, two Pischof-Koechlin
machines, (one monoplane, one biplane),
the Astra machine, Raoul Vendôme’s aircraft [unclear if one or two], a Chanute
glider built by the Voisins; and models.
Together with the aircraft and lighter than
air devices are shown vehicles used to move aircraft, machine tools (drills,
saws, lathes, milling machines), and industrial motors.
The ‘magician’ of this exhibition is M.
Gustave Rives, the General Commissary of Automobile Exhibitions. The show was
opened yesterday by the President of the Republic, Clemenceau [prime minister],
Cruppi, Picquart, Brisson, Lépine, General Dalstein, Doumer, etc.
[This was the first major show of aircraft
in Paris, or France. Its importance is indicated by the site – the Grand Palais
in central Paris – and by the fact the President of the country opened the
exhibition, while the prime minister and other ministers also attended.]
…………………………..
26 December, p.6.
Enormous crowds attended the aviation
exhibit yesterday – more than on the opening day [24 December].
………………………….
27 December, p.6.
Yesterday the groupe parlementaire de
l’aviation (senators and deputies) visited the Grand Palais exposition [of
aircraft]. Some of them had seen Farman and Wright fly. [So some might have gone
to Châlons. If not, they had seen Farman flying before September 1908.]
This is definite peacemaking. It can be
said that the conflict that threatened to persist between the AéroClub de
France, the Automobile Club, the Ligue Aérienne, and the Chambre Syndicale des
Industries Aéronautiques has ended. [It is not clear who was against whom, or
why.] At its last meeting the Commission Mixte decided to have itself
recognized by the FAI, of which the AéroClub is the French representative.
………………………..
29 December, p.5.
At Juvisy the Ligue Aérienne has a
practical course for student pilots. The commission yesterday began trials
under the direction of Captain Ferber. He, in collaboration with Legagneux,
flew several 100 metre distances (with Ferber and Legagneux on one aircraft).
Legagneux also flew with Debailly; then Debailly continued instruction alone.
………………………..
29 December, p.1.
‘Will French aviation migrate to
Germany?’ ‘L’Aviation française va-t-elle émigrer en
Allemagne?’
(Berlin, 28 December): A ‘sportsman’ from
Frankfurt (am Mein), M. Euler, has become the buyer [‘acquéreur’] for Germany
of all the ‘brevets’ and ‘modèles’ of French aircraft. He has exclusive rights to build the aircraft
in Germany (this apparently means all Voisin aircraft). The machines of Farman,
Blériot, and Delagrange are the principal objects. M. Euler will soon build a
factory in Frankfurt to make aeroplanes. Two of the Voisins’ latest machines
are already ordered by Euler.
………………………
30 December, p.3.
Le
Matin asked the Voisin brothers to comment on the
report of 29 December. They [probably Gustave} replied by telegram from
Mourmelon-le-Grand, on 29 December: The
report is distorted. Voisin brothers have engaged a representative in Germany,
as in other countries. They cannot sell ‘brevets’ because they have none. They
are preparing to sell aircraft, ‘once we have assurance of licencing rights for
reproduction – rather than to see aircraft copied without being able to prevent
it.’
………………………..
31 December, p. 2.
The Salon [at the Grand Palais] closed last
night. Most of the aircraft will now be tried at aerodromes [a newish word].
[Comment]
Late 1908 and early 1909
Le
Matin has occasional brief reports of flight in
England. Most of the references are to military aircraft (presumably to Cody,
who is mentioned at least once). There is awareness of flying in the UK; also
of the fact that it is behind the French effort.
After the big
splash in August and September of Wright’s flights, reported on p.1. of Le Matin, aviation is no longer reported
on that page. Most reports are in the sports section at the back of the paper.
It is very clear that by the end of 1908 a
general awareness of aviation is penetrating politics (the national senate and
chamber of deputies, for example). It is also clear that aviation is seen by
these people as a matter of wings. Dirigibles are flying, and are frequently
reported in Le Matin. But they do not
seem to have the same importance as heavier than air machines.
……………………………….
1909
1 January, p.6.
Wilbur Wright is the unquestioned winner of
the Coupe Michelin. Donors have given money for future Michelin prizes
[apparently still at 20,00 francs per prize] until December 1915.
The rapid progress of aviation – recall
Farman’s one kilometer circuit of January 1908 – requires a modification of the
terms of the prize. An AéroClub member [not identified] yesterday said that the
terms have not yet been decided; but it is likely that a minimum of 100
kilometres will be required of contenders for the prize. It is also likely that
180 degree turns will not be required because it is now clear that aircraft can
turn very sharply. ‘Sharp turns no longer signify anything’ [‘les virages
intensifs ne signifient plus rien’].
[Comment from an AéroClub member]: Members
of the AéroClub are of two views: either distance or speed should be required
for the prize. [But the minimum distance would be 100 kilometres. Presumably
the prize would go the fastest flier over 100 ilometres.]
………………………….
8 January, p.6.
The committee of the AéroClub yesterday
voted to give pilot ‘brevets’ to Henry Farman, Delagrange, Blériot, Robert
Esnault-Pelterie, Wilbur and Orville Wright, Captain Ferber, and Santos-Dumont.
[There, then, are the most prominent fliers in
France at the beginning of 1909. The inclusion of the Wrights reflects the
enormous impression that Wilbur Wright had made in France from August 1908
onwards. Farman, Delagrange, and Blériot are clearly the really active current
French fliers. Ferber is included probably because of his long history as a
promotor of French aviation, more than (or at least as much as) for his
abilities and achievements as a pilot. And Santos-Dumont had been indisputably
the first to fly a heavier than air machine in France, if only briefly.]
…………………………..
8 January, p.6.
The AéroClub has decided to continue with
the same requirements for the Coupe Michelin as in 1908 – flying around three
posts, at a maximum of 2 kilometres apart (i.e. a triangle of six kilometres),
with a minimum distance of 100 kilometres.
………………………….
26 January, p.5.
Robert Esnault-Pelterie (‘the young
aviator’) will lecture in English to the Automobile Club of Great Britain on aviation.
…………………………
26 January, p.5.
The Grand Prix de l’Aviation organized by
the Commission Mixte Aérienne will take place between Reims and Châlons,
probably beginning 20 August 1909. Departure will probably be from the Bétheny
plain, north west of Reims. [This is the first mention found of the August 1909
Reims competition.]
………………………..
29 January, p.5.
‘They grow like mushrooms’ [‘Ils poussent
comme des champignons’]
In one month the AéroClub de France has
received the affiliations of a dozen clubs or societies. The Automobile Club of
the Vosges has just decided to create an aviation section, which the AéroClub
will recognize
.………………………….
30 January, p.5.
A delegation of the Commission Mixte
Aérienne will today go to Reims to examine the plaine de Bétheny as a possible
point of departure for aircraft races and as a part of the land over which
aircraft will fly. A meeting will take place in the afternoon between the
delegation and the local Committee. There will be discussion of subsidies.
………………………….
1 February, p.5.
The delegation arrived yesterday in Reims –
Henri de La Vaulx, Edouard Surcouf, and Robert Esnault-Pelterie. The president
of the local committee was the Marquis de Polignac. The joint commission – i.e.
the two groups – chose the great plain of Bétheny, ‘where the [past?] review by
Nicholas II took place in 1901.’ [In 1901 the French President, Emile Loubet,
and the Czar Nicholas II, reviewed a large number of French troops exercising
at Bétheny. This was an outcome of a French-Russian alliance.]
The first week of September 1909 was chosen
as the time of the competition.
…………………………
4 February, p.2.
‘How the Grand Prix of aviation will be
contested for’. (‘Comment sera disputé le Grand Prix d’aviation’)
The secretary general of the Commission
Mixte has told Le Matin that the
proposal for the Grand Prix will be considered by the Commission on 12
February. He is confident that the Commission will approve it. The sole
organizer will be the Commission Mixte.
The local committee in Reims will contribute
important benefits [‘allocations’].
The Commission Mixte will organize a series
of competitions with prizes [from local contributors], to reward winners for
their research, work, and audacity. The Commission has decided to use the
Bétheny plain, with a perimeter of 10 kilometres. The terrain is a little
hilly. Tests will probably be in four parts, to favour both aircraft of large
surface and medium speed (biplanes), and those with small surfaces and high
speed (monoplanes). There will be competitions for distance and speed, over 10
kilometers and 1 kilometer; for height; and a special prize for aircraft
carrying one or more passengers. Total prize money will be 150,000 francs (of
which the first prize will be 50,000). Large stands will be built. Each
competitor will have a hangar. Enrollment will probably open on 13 February and
close one month before the event.
……………………..
15 February
L’Aérophile, p. 87
Refers to Port Aviation as the ‘superb
aerodrome’ installed at Juvisy by the Société d’Encouragement [de l’Aviation].
[This is possibly the first use of the name Port Aviation by Le Matin.]
Also here: a reference to the Voisin
biplane [such as was used by Farman and Delagrange] as the ‘classic biplane’ of
the ‘great builder-aviators of Billancourt’. Henri Fournier, a champion in
cars, now has one of these biplanes.
……………………..
18 February, p.1.
Paul Painlevé, ‘Une gloire à garder’
He argues for the need in France of a
central laboratory focusing on the advance of aviation. In Germany every large
university now has an aviation class [‘classe d’aviation’]; in France, none.
The major point should be to train pilots:
‘No aviators, no aviation.’ But there must also be theoretical preparation and
a central laboratory. This three-part institution should be created as soon as
possible by a collaboration of the state, industrialists, and pioneers of
aerial locomotion.
[This is accompanied by a standard appeal
to French aviation history: balloons, dirigibles, Meusnier, Renard, Pénaud,
Ader – and even Wilbur Wright came to full fruition in France. There is a fear
of France losing its lead in aviation to Germany.]
[Painlevé, a membre de l’Institut, an
eminent mathematician and later national politician, seems to have taken on the
role of scientific advocate of aviation. He has by now flown several times with
various pilots.]
………………………..
2 April, p.1.
The archbishop of Paris yesterday blessed
the new aerodrome at Juvisy [Port Aviation], belonging to the Compagnie
d’Aviation. There was much mud and water. The archbishop, Monseigneur [Léon
Adolphe] Amette, was received by the Baron de la Gâtinerie and the Marquis de
Puybaudel. Several hundred people attended, clerical and secular. The
archbishop gave an address, saying that man, created in the image of God, is
free to launch himself into the air to be closer to the One who governs the
world. Matter and soul should rise to the heights in which reside Christian
virtues. The archbishop also blessed two airplanes, one without a motor. [That
was Delagrange’s, as a note in Le Matin
of 4 April makes clear.]
……………………….
4 April, p.1.
The especially wet winter has interrupted
aviation activities. Only Wilbur Wright, in the pays béarnais, has been able to
continue flying. He has trained two pilots, Tissandier and Lambert, who are now
themselves instructors, after the departure of Wright. Tissandier will instruct
Gasnier and Alfred Leblanc, a well known aeronaut.
Wilbur Wright is in Rome, flying displays
for three weeks.
French aviators are at work. The ‘grand
champion’, Henry Farman, has just returned to Châlons to assemble his new
biplane, built to his own design [presumably the Henry Farman 3].
Delagrange, suffering a cruel bereavement,
has not flown, but his motorless aircraft was recently blessed at Juvisy by the
Archbishop of Paris. Santos-Dumont is working at St.-Cyr-l’École, where his Demoiselle awaits good weather. The
monoplanes flyers Blériot and Esnault-Pelterie are at Buc, near Versailles,
with aircraft ready [?-‘au pied’]. Blériot is looking for a robust motor, and
has hopes of finding one [the three cylinder Anzani?].
In addition to the above, ‘numerous and
ardent’ young people are to be found daily in the workshops, pressing forward
with construction [of aircraft] and testing motors. First among them is
Moore-Brabazon, who continues in England the trials he began at Châlons [and
Issy]. De Caters’ biplane will go today to Issy, where Rougier (the well-known
driver) also has a biplane machine. Both are due to fly next week. There are
more aircraft waiting [not specified].
……………………….
11 April, p.3.
An aviation chair has been created at the
University of Goettingen, and occupied by Professor Prandtl. Many students are
enrolled for the first course, on the scientific principles of aerial
navigation.
……………………….
16 April, p.2.
‘La première fabrique
d’ailes’
[a column on the Voisin brothers’ factory,
mostly froth]
Twenty aircraft from the factory have
flown. Thirty-eight more will appear soon, destined for Russia, Germany,
England, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, and France.
………………………
27 April, p.5.
Aircraft now at Issy:
2 Voisin biplanes (Rougier and Hanriot)
1 biplane of Charles Piquerez
1 Witzig [?] aircraft – not yet flown
1 Demoiselle, of Santos-Dumont
1 Guyon biplane [probably] not yet flown
…………………………
2 May, p.5.
Re. the 100,000 francs voted by the Chamber
of Deputies for aviation – the Minister of Public Works, Louis Barthou, has
given 43,000 to the AéroClub de France, 35,000 to the Ligue Nationale Aérienne,
5,000 to the Société de Navigation Aérienne. The rest, apart from a reserve
sum, will go to the Aéronautique Club de France, the Ville de Pau, the Ville de
Douai, etc. The AéroClub allocation, except for a reserve of 10,000 francs, will go to prizes.
………………………
9 May, p.6.
Aircraft currently at aerodrome of Savigny-sur-Orge,
where on 23 May a 20 kilometre prize competition will take place:
3 Voisin biplanes
(Delagrange, Desvallères, de Puybaudot)
1 monoplane of Pischof-Koechlin
1 monoplane Blériot
1 biplane Defier [Deffers? Defters?]
1 Wright biplane
………………………
21 May, p.6.
The Société d’Encouragement à l’Aviation
has decided that the inauguration of the aerodrome of Juvisy will take place on
23 May. A meeting at Juvisy (of aircraft),
long delayed, should happen next Sunday. The Lagatinerie prize will be competed
for, over twelve kilometres. There will also be a kite flying competition. But
it seems that only two aircraft, both Voisin biplanes, will be present. One is
Delagrange’s. He recently flew for ten minutes. The other is Rougier’s. He is
possibly not yet sufficiently trained to attempt twelve kilometres. There will
be stands and pavilions. Ticket prices: 20 francs (women 10 francs); pavilion 5
francs; small stand, 2 francs; grass, 1 franc.
……………………..
23 May, p.1.
‘Aviation is reborn’ [‘L’aviation renaît’]
After a dull period [‘période morose’]
caused by bad weather and wind everywhere, aviation (‘the sport of the
aeroplane’) seems to have a new vigour.
In three days, three pilots have revealed
themselves:
1.
Paul Tissandier – with Wilbur
Wright’s old aircraft, though a new motor, last Thursday took the French record
for one hour [distance flown? Speed?]
2.
Hubert Latham – yesterday revealed talent and
knowledge at Châlons. After some early setbacks in his training on the
Antoinette monoplane he flew for about 13 minutes over wood and trees [still
seen as risky – Wilbur Wright had flown in France only over fields]. Yesterday morning
Latham flew over another field after crossing a road, doing an ‘aerial
steeplechase’. He stayed in the air 37 minutes 36 seconds, at heights reaching
40 metres. This is a new record for a monoplane. [It is not clear if these are
two different days.]
3.
Henri Rougier, at the same time
(Saturday morning) flew at Juvisy to gain his licence as a ‘perfect pilot’ on a
Voisin biplane. He flew three circuits of the field. Today he flew for 15
minutes, covering around 20 kilometres.
In three days aviation has progressed more
than in five months.
………………………..
24 May, p.2.
‘An aerodrome is inaugurated’ [‘Un
aerodrome est inauguré’]
This is Port Aviation, or Juvisy.
Twenty thousand people attended. After a
two hour wait with no aircraft appearing, the public grew impatient and invaded
the field. Only twelve policemen were present to control the crowd. Despite the
people on the ground and a problematic engine, Delagrange flew several times
around the field, in quite a strong wind. [It is unclear if Rougier flew. He
may have brought his aircraft out, since there is reference to damage to his
elevator by the public.]
………………………..
17 June, p.1.
‘A happy gesture. The five Academies vote
100,000 francs to French aviators.’ (‘Un
geste heureux. Les cinq Académies vôtent 100,000 francs aux aviateurs
français.’)
The five academies that make up the
Institut [de France], at a meeting yesterday presided over by Professor
Bouchard, decided on the allocation of awards from the Osiris foundation. There
is to be a triennial prize of 100,000 francs, for discovery or the most notable
work in the sciences, letters, arts, or anything of public interest. After a
very detailed report from Emile Picard, the prize this year is equally divided
between the Voisin brothers and Louis Blériot for their work and experiments
contributing to the advance of aviation.
The Institut is modernizing. It is giving
prizes now not only to the austere work of savants,
but to active creators and preparers of the future.
Gabriel Voisin
was in the factory when a phone call came from Le Matin with the news. ‘I have to admit that an almost infantile
joy invaded me’, he said. Charles Voisin remembered that Blériot was due to fly
in a balloon at St. Cloud that afternoon, and went to tell him. When he
arrived, Blériot already had ‘on leg in the basket’. ‘I was out of breath, but
I shouted that we had got the Osiris prize, Blériot and the Voisins.’ Blériot
stopped, turned pale, and shook Charles Voisin’s hand. He was able later to
express his joy.
Gustave Voisin
wrote to the editor of Le Matin that
evening, thanking the paper for its support of French aviation, and saying that
without Le Matin the Voisins would
not have had the prize.
………………………..
29 June, p.1.
‘Twelve hundred thousand francs to
aviation, in two gifts and on one day.’
[‘Douze cents mille francs à l’aviation, en deux dons et une seule
journée.’]
Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe has given
500,000 francs capital, and an income [‘rente’] of 15,000 francs [annually?] to
found an aerotechnical institute at the University of Paris. Basil Zaharoff is
giving 700,000 francs to create a chair of aviation at the Faculté des
Sciences. The council [‘conseil’] of the university voted to add 10,000 francs
to Deutsch’s gift of income.
Zaharoff is inspired by the idea of
aviation for defence. Together with the technical professor, Zaharoff proposes the
appointment of an ‘operator assistant’ [‘aide-opérateur’] with experience of
ascents [‘ascensions’]. Zaharoff thinks aviation is the finest discovery of our
time. He is London born, with a Russian
father and Greek mother, but naturalized as a Frenchman ten years ago. His
large fortune is based on holdings in the British firms Vickers and Maxim
(making guns, and steel for armour plating.) Zaharoff is no sportsman, He lives
in a ‘bel hôtel’ on the Avenue Hoch.
Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe has a passion
for sports. After reading an article in Le
Monde by Paul Painlevé on the need to organize and centralize aviation
efforts, Deutsch immediately decided to create the aviation institute. Such an
institute already exists in Russia, at Koutchino.
The chair and laboratory will be at the
Sorbonne, in the Zaharoff foundation, for the study and focusing, in a
practical way, of aviation.
The Fondation Henry Deutsch, the aviation
institute, will be in the environs of Paris. It will be for experimental work.
The building cost will be 200,000 to 300,000 francs. Secure income now is
35,000 francs. Other donations will follow.
………………………..
………………………..
General observations on Le Matin’s report to the end of May
1909:
Very many new prizes are constantly being
announced, for speed, distance flown, height, and endurance. The funding of
these is private.
Much ballooning continues under the aegis
of the AéroClub de France, with long distance races and spot landing
competitions.
The number of airfields grows.
………………………..
The journal L’Aérophile has been checked to 15
October 1909, especially for references to warping, ailerons, turning, and the
horizontal component of lift obtained from a banked wing. Very little is found
on those topics. There is much theoretical and mathematical discussion, most
having to do with lift, airfoils, and soaring flight (especially of birds, and
by extension of aircraft).
Ailerons – to go
by descriptions of aircraft fitted with them in L’Aérophile -- are mostly still seen as levelling devices, though
pilots are obviously using them (or warping) to turn. There are scattered references
to this from mid 1908 onwards.
…………………………
Early 1909 sees the beginning of a
developing aviation boom. More pilots are being trained, more airplanes are
flying, more engines are available, more builders are coming onto the scene,
airfields are popping up here and there, money is being poured into aviation in
growing sums. The contrast with 1907 and 1908, when heavier than air flight was
the undertaking of a few isolated pioneers, is striking. Those pioneers are
still flying, but they are being surrounded now by organizational and business
activity. The bureaucrats are stepping in.
More striking still is the rising interest
of the state in flight. Aeroplanes are coming to be seen by men in the
government and the military as part of France’s identity. They are no longer
just the province of ‘sportsmen’, but may be useful in war. The advancing of
French aviation is increasingly seen in a nationalist light. There is a rising
sense of the continuity of the French effort in flight, going back to the first
balloons in the late 18th century. The Wrights, to be sure, went into
the lead in heavier than air flight after 1900; and Wilbur demonstrated in the
summer and fall of 1908 that the French still had much to learn. But under the
stimulus of his presence in France, they learned fast. And by the summer of
1909 they were once more in the lead. But others were close behind; the Germans
were taking up aviation academically in their universities; the British were
experimenting with planes, though were further behind still. The sense rises
therefore in France that, though the country is in the lead in flight,
increasing efforts must be made to ensure that it remains so. Money comes from private
people, such as Zaharoff, to fund growth of the study of flight in
universities. The money for prizes grows, and more people compete for them. The
state must now add its weight and support to the aviation effort. France plans
to show its eminence in aviation at the Reims competition in August 1909.
France is ahead, but other countries are not far behind.
