Odier and Vendôme
Antoine-Isidore Odier, a graduate of École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers, who appears to have been the primary designer as well as a builder, and Raoul Vendôme, who appears to have been the primary builder. Vendôme already had his own company, Raoul Vendôme et Cie. In 1908, Odier met engineer Léon Turcat of the Marseiile-based automobile firm Turcat-Méry who agreed to sponsor the study and construction of a prototype aircraft by Odier and Vendôme and Turcat would furnish the motor. This appears to have been the Odier-designed pusher biplane flown June 1909. Henri-Louis Rougier, a racer of bicycles, motor cars, and aircraft, and owner of the Paris agency for Turcat-Méry, became associated with Odier-Vendôme in 1910 and likely sponsored the Turcat-Méry-Rougier biplane flown in June 1910 and exhibited at the Paris Flight Salon, October 1910.
2dG345 indicates that Odier flew pusher biplane 1 Jun 1909 and tractor biplane June 1910, both with same Turcat auto engine, but G309 and 2dG467 say tractor flown with ENV engine. SD lists 1909 biplane, 1910 biplane, and 1911 monoplane, all designated Odier-Vendôme.
FM, 1 May 1909, describes housed at Issy a biplane of 10 meters with a 30hp Turcat-Mery motor belonging to Odier that was built by Regy Frères (we think. perhaps. it would have been better to have said "built at" Regy Frères). FM, 11 Sep 1909, pictures the latest Odier-Vendôme biplane, featuring curved-camber main planes and a four-bladed pusher propeller, in flight at Issy. (That this was called the latest Odier-Vendôme biplane suggests that this was not the first Odier-Vendôme biplane though we cannot establish another 1909 biplane.) FM, 30 July 1910, pictures the latest Odier-Vendôme, a curved-wing tractor monoplane fitted with a 60hp ENV engine, which was to be used by Rougier. Photo matches one in FM, 29 Oct 1910, of Turcat-Mery-Rougier biplane exhibited at the Paris Flight Salon. See also photo with Rougier at wheel at 2dG346-347. According to Aircraft, Dec 1910, this, Odier's latest product, was built for engineering firm Turcat-Mery (no mention of it being built by Turcat-Mery) and was to be flown by Rougier; it's 4-bladed propeller was placed in front of the planes and it was powered by an ENV engine (thus sounding like 1910 craft listed by the Gs except for the motor). AeronauticsUS, Aug 1910, advertised Odier-Vendôme monoplane, ready to fly, for $2500 F.O.B. New York (and was thus earlier than monoplane listed in SD). From FM, 6 Aug 1910, we learn of Odier-Vendôme flying school at Issy. According to http://patrimoine.gadz. org/gadz/odier.htm, after that Odier built flying machines with wings folded or dismantled for transport by road and easy storage for race pilots until, ca. 1912, he became chief engineer for the Société Anonyme des Établissements Borel. Vendôme continued Raoul Vendôme et Cie.
Sources
- 2dG345
- SD292
- http://patrimoine.gadz.org/gadz/odier.htm; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadzarts; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Rougier
- 1909FM248, 562, 1910FM603, 626, 882
- 1Aircraft364-365
- 7AeronauticsUS74
| Names | Odier, Antoine and Vendôme, Raoul (Odier-Vendôme) |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| City | workshop in hangar adjacent to factory of Regy Frères at Grenelle, Paris; flying school and shed at Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris |
| Affiliations | |
| Keywords | |
| Started aero | 1908 |
| Ended aero | 1911 |
| Key people | Antoine-Isidore Odier, Raoul Vendôme, Léon Turcat, Henri-Louis Rougier |
| Wikidata id |
