Circuit de l'Est
The Circuit de l'Est was a long-distance aero competition held by the newspaper Le Matin on 15–17 August, 1910.
The race started in Paris. Thirty-five pilots were to travel a circuit of 805 kilometers around the borders of France. The prize was 100,000 francs. Because it was not certain that anyone would complete the route, a half prize was offered for the pilot who completed the most legs. Local events were planned in different cities on the route.[1]
On the day of the race, 10 pilots showed up instead of 35. Eight took off successfully, according to Flight. These were Emile Aubrun, Alfred Leblanc, Georges Legagneux, Otto Lindpaintner, Julien Mamet, Hubert Latham, Juan Bielovucic Cavalié, and Charles Terres Weymann. Most of the planes used Gnome motors.[1] (The program lists competitors Latham, Leblanc, and Édouard Chateau.)[2]
Latham dropped out early as did three others. Leblanc, Aubrun and Legagneux were the only ones in the race after the first leg. At Douai the pilots raced against 47 carrier pigeons. (They beat most but not all of them.) On the final leg they were each to have a military escort, but none of the escort planes were able to take off. Leblanc finished first, followed by Aubrun. [3]
Observing the race, French General Ferdinand Foch reportedly said "L'aviation pour l'armée, c'est zéro."[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thomas Van Hare, "The Circuit de l'Est: Part 1 of 2", Historic Wings, 8 August 2013.
- ↑ "Programme officiel du circuit de l'Est" (Gallica/BNF)
- ↑ Thomas Van Hare, "The Circuit de l'Est: Part 2 of 2", Historic Wings, 9 August 2013.
- ↑ Hallion, 2003, p. 310.
| Event names | Circuit de l'Est |
|---|---|
| Event type | competition |
| Country | FR |
| Locations | Paris |
| Start date | 1910-08-15 |
| Number of days | 3 |
| Tech focus | Airplane |
| Participants | Emile Aubrun, Alfred Leblanc, Georges Legagneux, Otto Lindpaintner, Julien Mamet, Hubert Latham, Juan Bielovucic Cavalié, Charles Terres Weymann, Édouard Chateau |
