Aero Club, Society for Encouragement of Aerial Locomotion
Aero Club, Societe d'Encouragement a la Locomotion Aerienne was the original name of the Aéro-Club de France. It started as an offshoot of the Automobile Club of Paris on 21 Dec. 1898 and met at its rooms. In January 1899 it established provisional headquarters in the Automobile Club's offices. Its purpose was to contribute to the development of sciences related to ballooning; organize aerial excursions available to all members; organize aerial conferences, exhibitions, congresses, competitions, experiments, and scientific ascensions; plus it would equally promote the progress of the pigeon by extending encouragement to kennels and training of pigeons. The club's Bulletin Officiel was published in the journal L'Aerophile from 1900-1947, inclusive. It also published an annual beginning in 1899. Ca. March 1902, its own headquarters were established. While occasionally referred to as "Aero Club de France" in the Bulletin, it was by Declaration of 18 Dec.1903 that the name became "Aero Club de France, Societe d'Encourage-ment a la Locomotion Aerienne." In 1905 or 1906 the name "Bulletin Officiel de l'Aero Club" was changed to "Bulletin Officiel de l'Aero Club de France." In 1908, statutes were published under the title "Aero Club de France, Societe d'Encouragement a la Locomotion Aerienne." On 20 Apr 1909 it was recognized as a public utility by decree and the name was shortened to Aéro-Club de France.
The work to form an aero club was begun at the Automobile Club in October 1898 by a committee of Count Albert de Dion, the Count Henri de La Valette, and Ernest Archdeacon. The first officers included the de Dion as president, Archdeacon and the Counts of La Valette and La Vaulx as vice presidents, Emanuel Aime as secretary, and Jacques Faure, as treasurer. Other founders included Louis Blériot, Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, and Henri Ducasse. In February 1899, it was reported to have 200 members and it possessed an 850 cubic-meter hydrogen balloon.
- In 1900, the club offered the Deutsch prize of 100,000 francs to the first aeronaut to start from the Park St Cloud, go round the Eiffel Tower, and return to the starting-point within 30 minutes; the prize was won by Alberto Santos-Dumont on 19 Oct. 1902.
- Paul Tissandier was awarded his balloon pilot's license by the club on 7 Jan. 1904.
- By April 1905, the club headed a federation of French aero clubs. The club hosted and was one of the eight national organizations that met in Paris 12-14 Oct. 1905 to co-found the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI). Membership in April 1906 was about 700, including some 60 aeronauts, and thus exceeded the combined membership of both the Société Français de Navigation Aérienne, founded 1872, and the Aéronautique-Club de France, founded 1897.
By 1906, its clubhouse in Paris held a library, a reading and correspondence room, a bureau of information, and a telephone. At the Park of Coteaux de Saint Cloud, there was material for the inflation of balloons, a special gas intake, a vast shed capable of housing inflated balloons, grounds for the starting of ten balloons, an automobile garage, a lounging room for club members, tennis courts, croquet grounds, and a park open the entire year. For more, see entry for Aéro-Club de France. The club has a website, http://www.aeroclub.com.
- Address: Automobile Club de Paris, 6 Place de la Concorde (1899-1902); 84 Rue de Faubourg, Saint Honore, Paris 8e (1902-1908); 63 Avenue des Champs-Elysees, Paris (1908-1909)
- Cable address: Aeroclub, Paris (1906)
- Phone: 27620 (1906)
Sources
- 7/4 L'Aerophile 1-6 (Jan. 1899)
- 7/2 L'Aerophile 19-20 (Feb. 1899)
- 3 Chamber's Journal 413 (1900)
- Bulletin Officiel de l'Aero Club in l'Aerophile (a sampling from 1900-1909, excluding 1905)
- Conference Internationale d'Aeronautique Proces-Verbaux, 12-14 Oct 1905
- FAI Conference Statutaire Proces-Verbaux (1906-1909)
- Pocket-Book of Aeronautics 443 (English ed., Jan. 1907)
- 1:5 Aeronautics (NYC) 44 (1907)
- 1:6 Aeronautics (NYC) 37 (1907)
- Aéro-Manuel 1911 232 (1 Oct. 1910)
- Dir1920
- www.aviation-francaise.com/100%20ans%20ACF.htm
- www.fai.org/about/history
- www.aeroclub.com
- w:Aéro-Club de France
- LOC OPAC
- National Union Catalog Pre-1956 Imprints
- WorldCat.org and WorldCat-OCLC
- U. Michigan OPAC
- 2004 Cailliez 198
| Organization names | Aero Club, Society for Encouragement of Aerial Locomotion ; Aero Club, Societe d'Encouragement a la Locomotion Aerienne (1898-1903, 18 Dec.); then Aéro-Club de France, Societe d'Encouragement a la Locomotion Aerienne (1903, 18 Dec.-1909, 20 Apr.) |
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| Entity type | |
| Country | France |
| City | Paris |
| Affiliated with | FAI |
| Scope | National |
| Started aero | 1898 |
| Ended aero | 1909, redesignated Aéro-Club de France (Aero Club of France), which see |
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