L.Opdyke French Aeroplanes Before the Great War (Schiffer)
Deleted by request of (c)Schiffer Publishing
Montgolfier
Between 1910 and 1913 Raymond de Montgolfier followed, though less successfully, in the footsteps of his aeronautical ancestors. Photographs suggest he built at least 4 different aeroplanes.
1. A Demoiselle copy, with 3 tiny trailing wheels, the wings almost flat and with a high angle of attack, and 2 small rudders above and below a rounded tailplane and elevator. It is reported to have been built at the shops of Louis and Laurent Seguin, inventors of the Gnome rotary engines, and de Montgolfiefs cousins. It had a non-Santos feature of a fabric fairing on each side from the wing trailing edge root up to the upper fuselage beam. But the machine was fitted with a 3-cylinder Anzani or Viale - why not a 50 hp Gnome instead, if the Seguins built it? The aeroplane was taken to Issy in May 1910 and damaged there on 1 June by Lt Bier; it was flown again early in September by one of the Bonnet-Labranche brothers.
Журнал Flight
Flight, May 21, 1910
Practice at Issy.
M. BLERIOT has once more commenced flying at Issy, and was out as well as Leblanc on Saturday last, trying some new machines. On the 12th inst. Lieut. Bier made some satisfactory trials with the new Montgolfier monoplane.
Flight, May 28, 1910
Flying at Issy.
ONCE more the flying ground is resuming an animated appearance. On the 19th, Leblanc had the new Bleriot out, and covered three circuits of the ground at a height of 20 metres. The same day, Duclos, Thorms and Molleuf were practising on Bleriots, Maurice Clement and Audemar were trying their Demoiselles, Anzani was testing his biplane, Lieut. Bier was testing the Montgolfier monoplane preparatory to sending it to Budapest, and Andre Frey was flying on his Sommer biplane. These same flyers were out on the next day, and were added to by Temain who was flying at Wembley Park some time ago on a Bleriot, and Bunau-Varilla on a racing Voisin. On Saturday, Anzani was trying a Saulnier monoplane, which is fitted with a 50-h.p. Anzani engine; Vitzig was testing a monoplane with two propellers, Contenet was out on the Vendome monoplane, while Sasles was instructing two pupils in the use of the Zenith aeroplane.