Société française de navigation aérienne

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The Société française de navigation aérienne (SFNA) (French Society of Aerial Navigation) was formed 12 Aug. 1872 by officers who had resigned 25 July 1872 from la Société Aéronautique et Météorologique de France.[1] This schism arose from conflicting viewpoints on the future of aircraft, with SFNA wanting to restore some emphasis to lighter-than-air vessels.[2]

(Note that the Sociétés Savantes de France puts the founding as 12 Sept. 1873.)[3]

Abel Hureau de Villeneuve transferred the allegiance of the periodical L'Aéronaute to the new society, which adopted L'Aéronaute as its official journal. The Société Française was recognized as a public utility on 14 March 1902. In 1902, its quarters were noted as having a library of specialized volumes, an electric photographic projection device, a museum of built devices, and it apparently had indoor plumbing. On 1 March 1911, L'Aéronaute was absorbed by La Technique Aéronautique and the latter became the society's official journal.

J. Crocé-Spinelli, who had been vice president of Société Aérostatique et Météorologique de France before his resignation, became the first president. (We have not yet established the roles of the other officers who resigned that society and presumably helped form the Société française de navigation aérienne: i.e., Motard, A. Saco, F. Michel, O. Frion, and Félix Caron; none, including Crocé-Spinelli, appeared to be in the latter in 1910.

In 1906, membership totaled 103 and by then the Society had an excellent library and museum. In 1910, membership was 166; the French Minister of Public Instruction was honorary president and Général Bonnal was president. There were three committees: aerostation, aviation, and motors. On the aviation committee were J. Armengaud, Louis Blériot, Émile Borel, Gustave Eiffel, Robert Esnault-Pelterie, L. Marchis, H. Passerat, Auguste Rateau, and Soreau, while on the motors committee were Marcel Armengaud, Alfred Boyer-Giullon, Clerget, Joseph-Michel-Ambroise Farcot, Étienne Haufeurt, Léon Lecornu, Victor Lorenc, and one of the Regnards, possibly Paul-Louis-Antoine Regnard.

Founded the École française de navigation aérienne.[4]

Affiliated with AeCF, 1908 or earlier

Berget may have been president ca. 1909-1910.

Auguste Camille Edmond Rateau was president, likely sometime later.[5]

  • Address: Office at 10 Rue de la Pépinière (1902; information placing it there in 1909 appears incorrect) and Hôtel de la Société des Ingénieurs Civils de France, 19 Rue Blanche, Paris (at least 1906-1907, perhaps to 1910). Sécretariat Général at 5 Rue Ballu, Paris (1910)

Relations with foreign societies

This group was in communication with aeronautical societies in Great Britain, New York, and Havana, as well as the Société d'aviation de Lyon. Heureau de Villeneuve notes in L'Aéronaute frontmatter that he will forward communications to these groups.[6]

Officers

Presidents:[7]

Sources

Pocket-Book of Aeronautics 442 (English ed., Jan. 1907); 1:5 Aeronautics (NYC) 44 (1907); 1:6 Aeronautics (NYC) 37 (1907); 2:3 Aeronautics (NYC) 37 (1908); 1909 Jane's All the World's Aircraft 92; 1909 Motor Cyclopaedia YB 110 Misc.; 1910-1911 Jane's All the World's Aircraft 124, 125 (Nov. 1910); Aéro-Manuel 1911 225, 496-498 (1 Oct. 1910); Dir 1920

References

  1. 28 Journal of the RAeS 644-646 (1924
  2. De Oliveira, 2019.
  3. Sociétés Savantes de France 286-287 (1902)
  4. L'Aéronaute, June 1895, p. 122.
  5. Auguste Camille Edmond Rateau on French Wikipedia
  6. September 1878, p. 282.
  7. L'Aéronaute, 35(12), December 1902, p. 318.


Organization names French Society of Aerial Navigation : Société française de navigation aérienne (SFNA)
Entity type
Country France
City Paris
Affiliated with AeCF, École française de navigation aérienne
Scope National
Started aero 1872
Ended aero at least 1924
Keywords
Key people Abel Hureau de Villeneuve
Wikidata id


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