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60-400: The S-35 was designed as a twin-engined transport with a 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometre) range. During 1926 René Fonck , a French First World War fighter ace, was looking for a multi-engine aircraft to enter a competition to be the first to fly non-stop from New York to Paris. Raymond Orteig offered a prize of $ 25,000 . Fonck had Sikorsky redesign the aircraft with three engines. The S-35 was

120-415: A sesquiplane with a fixed tail-skid landing gear. It was modified to take three 425 hp (317 kW) Gnome-Rhône Jupiter 9A radial engines and fitted with jettisonable auxiliary landing gear directly under the fuselage to support its weight at takeoff. Fuel was carried in tanks in the upper wing leading edge, the engine nacelles, and the fuselage. Fuel was pumped up to the wing tanks from which it fed

180-409: A sofa and refrigerator on the journey. Fonck and his co-pilot Lt Lawrence Curtin of the U.S. Navy were joined by a radio operator and a Sikorsky mechanic for the flight. Departure was scheduled for sunrise and the takeoff began at 6:36. In front of a large crowd at Roosevelt Field the aircraft gathered speed, the auxiliary landing gear broke away, the aircraft failed to get airborne and plunged down

240-720: A braggart and shameless self-promoter. Fonck may have resented the fact that Guynemer remained more popular in the French press even after he surpassed him in victories. Fonck also seemed to lack insight into the effect his personality had upon his image or career. However he and he alone carried the flag of the French Air Force at the victory parade on the Champs-Elysées. Fonck returned to civilian life after World War I, and published his war memoirs Mes Combats , prefaced by Marechal Foch , in 1920. The fame he got from

300-633: A celebrity, instantly resulting in many orders for copies of his aircraft. The aircraft, which never flew again, was hurriedly repaired and put on display at Selfridges department store in London. It was later displayed outside the offices of the French newspaper Le Matin and eventually bought by the Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris. After the successful crossing of the English Channel , there

360-708: A flight lasting 36 minutes 55 seconds, and on 13 July, Blériot won the Aero Club de France 's first Prix du Voyage with a 42 km (26 mi) flight between Etampes and Orléans . The Blériot XI gained lasting fame on 25 July 1909, when Blériot crossed the English Channel from Calais to Dover , winning a £1,000 (equivalent to £115,000 in 2018) prize awarded by the Daily Mail . For several days, high winds had grounded Blériot and his rivals: Hubert Latham , who flew an Antoinette monoplane, and Count de Lambert , who brought two Wright biplanes . On 25 July, when

420-473: A limited-production SPAD XII fighter, distinguished by the presence of a hand-loaded 37mm Puteaux cannon firing through the propeller boss. He is apparently credited with downing 11 German airplanes with this type of armament, called a moteur-canon . This was made possible by the gear-reduction version of the Hispano-Suiza V8 SOHC engine first used in that model of SPAD fighter. It offset

480-554: A reduced-wingspan "flightless" version of the famous Blériot XI aircraft that gave the sensation of flying while still on the ground. He completed his pilot training in May 1915 and then flew Caudron G III observation aircraft with Escadrille C 47. On 25 May 1916 Fonck's observer was killed by an anti-aircraft shell burst, a fate that almost befell Fonck a few weeks later. Fonck claimed his first enemy aircraft in July 1916, but his victory

540-494: A report for the French government which came to the conclusion that the problem was not the strength of the wing spars but a failure to take into account the amount of downward force to which aircraft wings could be subjected, and that the problem could be solved by increasing the strength of the upper bracing wires. This analysis was accepted, and Blériot's prompt and thorough response to the problem enhanced rather than damaged his reputation. The Type XI remained in production until

600-400: A second time, downing an Albatros in conjunction with his observer, Sergeant Huffer. By this time, Fonck had amassed over 500 hours flight time, an incredible amount in those early days of aviation. Aged 23, on 15 April 1917 (" Bloody April "), Fonck received a coveted invitation to join the famous Escadrille les Cigognes . Groupe de Combat 12 , with its four escadrilles (or squadrons),

660-445: A series of test flights but as none were at the maximum takeoff weight of 24,200 lb (11,000 kg), Sikorsky wanted to delay the transatlantic crossing until early 1927, but the promoters of the flight would not accept a delay and the aircraft was prepared for the crossing. Speaking after the accident to the French press, Fonck said that he had completed 27 hours test flying the S.35 at various weights including 280 passengers over

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720-567: A short time, one of the best French combat pilots. On 19, 20 and 21 August 1917, he shot down his 8th, 9th and 10th enemy aircraft. He has already been cited seven times in orders, and has received the Médaille militaire for feats of war. Légion d'honneur chevaliership in 1917. He was raised to the grade of Commander in 1921, and to the dignity of Grand Officer in 1936. One of the most decorated French war heroes: Remarkable officer from every point of view; of admirable fighting ardor. Pilot of

780-463: A single burst of less than five rounds from his Vickers machine gun was sufficient. His preferred method of aerial combat was not to engage into dogfights, but to carry out surgically merciless executions. He was also reputed to be able to spot enemy observation aircraft from very far away, where most other pilots would have perceived nothing. Fonck, like France's leading ace, Captain Guynemer, flew

840-431: A spectacular performance on 9 May. It was sparked by a disagreement between Fonck and two of his squadronmates, Edwin C. Parsons and Frank Baylies . Perturbed by Fonck's lectures on aerial success, the two Americans bet Fonck a bottle of champagne that one of them would shoot down an enemy plane before Fonck. Baylies took off despite hazy weather and shot down a Halberstadt CL.II . Back at the airfield, rather than pay off

900-462: A steep slope at the end of the runway and burst into flames. The two pilots escaped injury but the radio operator Charles Clavier and mechanic Jacob Islamoff were killed in the fire. The aircraft, which had cost $ 80,000, was not insured. Data from Best General characteristics Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Ren%C3%A9 Fonck Colonel René Paul Fonck (27 March 1894 – 18 June 1953)

960-595: A tie with Guynemer. The following day, he shot down three more enemy aircraft and surpassed the score of the legendary Guynemer, who had remained the leading French ace despite his death on 11 September 1917. He added four more victories in August, raising his total to 60. Then, on 26 September, he repeated his feat of knocking down six enemy airplanes in a day, although this time three of his six victories were over Fokker D.VII fighters. Another success two days later and two on 5 October put his score at 69, very close to

1020-541: A war) and in Mexico. The British Royal Flying Corps received its first Blériots in 1912. During the early stages of World War I eight French, six British and six Italian squadrons operated various military versions of the aircraft, mainly for observation duties but also as trainers, and in the case of single-seaters as light bombers with a bomb load of up to 25 kg. In addition to the aircraft used by Louis Blériot to make his cross-channel flight in 1909, on display in

1080-424: The 72 of Major William Avery Bishop , then the leading Allied ace. On 30 October, he matched Bishop with three more victories. He shot down two more the following day, and another the day after that, finishing with 75 confirmed victories. To summarize, he claimed 56 victories during the whole of 1918, attaining a total of 36 kills before May 1918. His 1918 list by itself would have made him France's leading ace. By

1140-473: The 805 km (500 mi) Circuit de l'Est race, and another Blériot flown by Émile Aubrun was the only other aircraft to finish the course. In October 1910, Claude Grahame-White won the second competition for the Gordon Bennett Trophy flying a Type XI fitted with a 75 kW (100 hp) Gnome, beating a similar aircraft flown by Leblanc, which force-landed on the last lap. During

1200-535: The Blériot schools, around half the total number of licences issued. Flight training was offered free to those who had bought a Blériot aircraft: for others, it initially cost 2,000 francs, this being reduced to 800 francs in 1912. A gifted pupil favoured by good weather could gain his license in as little as eight days, although for some it took as long as six weeks. There were no dual-control aircraft in these early days, training simply consisting of basic instruction on

1260-635: The Nazi side. However, the truth was more complicated. Marshal Philippe Pétain wished to exploit Fonck's relationship with Göring in order to meet Adolf Hitler . He ordered Colonel Fonck to talk to Göring. A meeting was planned at Montoire , but after discovering evidence about the pro-Nazi politics of Pierre Laval , Fonck tried to convince Pétain not to attend. Initially Pétain appeared to heed Fonck's advice, but for some reason he eventually decided to disregard Fonck's warnings and met Hitler at Montoire on 24 October 1940. Fonck's loyalties were thus questioned by

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1320-567: The United States – of original Blériot XI aircraft are thought to be the two oldest flyable aircraft in the world. The Blériot XI , largely designed by Raymond Saulnier , was a development of the Blériot VIII , which Blériot had flown successfully in 1908. Like its predecessor, it was a tractor-configuration monoplane with a partially covered box-girder fuselage built from ash with wire cross bracing. The principal difference

1380-564: The Vichy regime, and he returned home to Paris, where he was eventually arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in the Drancy internment camp . After the war, a French police inquiry about his supposed collaboration with the Vichy regime completely cleared Fonck. The conclusion was that his loyalty was proved by his close contacts with recognised resistance leaders such as Alfred Heurtaux during

1440-710: The age of 59 and is buried in the cemetery of his native village of Saulcy-sur-Meurthe . Médaille militaire A pilot of remarkable bravery and skill, having already engaged in a great number of aerial combats. On 6 August 1916, he resolutely attacked two strongly armed enemy planes, took on one in pursuit, and by a series of bold and skillful maneuvers, forced it to land uninjured within our lines. He has been cited in orders twice. Médaille militaire citation, 1916 Légion d'honneur A fighting pilot of great value, combining outstanding bravery and exceptional qualities of skill and sang-froid. He came to pursuit aviation after 500 hours of flight on army corps aircraft and became, in

1500-467: The air service when conscripted on 22 August 1914. Instead, he underwent five months basic training for the role of combat engineer ; his training duties included first digging trenches near Épinal , and later bridge repairs on the Moselle River . On 15 February 1915 he was finally accepted into basic training to learn how to fly. He trained at St. Cyr and then at Le Crotoy on a Blériot Penguin,

1560-464: The bet, a sulky Fonck badgered the Americans to change the terms of the bet so that whoever shot down the most Germans that day would win. Lingering fog kept Fonck grounded most of the day. It was well into the afternoon before it cleared enough for him to take off at 1500 hours. Between 1600 and 1605 hours, he shot down three enemy two-seater reconnaissance planes. A couple of hours later, he repeated

1620-506: The cabane, which was later removed. Like its predecessor, it had the engine mounted directly in front of the leading edge of the wing and the main undercarriage was also like that of the Type VIII, with the wheels mounted in castering trailing arms which could slide up and down steel tubes, the movement being sprung by bungee cords . This simple and ingenious design allowed crosswind landings with less risk of damage. A sprung tailwheel

1680-451: The end of the war, he had accounted for all but 36 of Escadrille SPA.103 's 111 claimed victories. Unlike many leading French aces, Fonck's score contained only three shared victories. Also unlike most aces, he remained unwounded; indeed, only a single enemy bullet had ever hit his aircraft. He had also forgone the most hazardous air-to-air combat: he shot down no observation balloons . Yet for all his skill and success, Fonck never captured

1740-474: The engines under gravity. The wing tanks alone gave four hours flight time. As it was designed for passenger and transport use, the cabin behind the cockpit (described as "exceptionally large and roomy") was 4 ft (1.2 m) wide by 6 ft (1.8 m) high and 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) long accessed by a door at the rear. These modifications took time to complete and the aircraft first flew on 23 August 1926 from Roosevelt Field . Sikorsky started

1800-555: The feat. Understanding the importance of reconnaissance planes, with their potential to direct intensive artillery fire onto French troops, Fonck concentrated his attention upon them; six shot down within a three-hour span proved it. He added a double victory on 19 May and five more in June. By now, he was shooting doubles frequently, and with 49 on his score sheet, he was rapidly closing in on Guynemer's record. On 18 July 1918, he achieved another double, to bring his total to 53 and into

1860-501: The first production Type XI, going on to become one of the chief instructors at the flying schools established by Blériot. In February 1912 the future of the Type XI was threatened by the French army placing a ban on the use of all monoplanes. This was the result of a series of accidents in which Blériot aircraft had suffered wing failure in flight. The first of these incidents had occurred on 4 January 1910, killing Léon Delagrange , and

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1920-474: The flight with the headline "Britain is no longer an Island." The aircraft was produced in both single- and two-seat versions, powered by several different engines, and was widely used for competition and training purposes. Military versions were bought by many countries, continuing in service until after the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Two restored examples – one in the United Kingdom and one in

1980-496: The hearts of the French public as Guynemer had. Fonck was ascetic and withdrawn. Instead of drinking or socializing with the other pilots, he planned his flying missions and tactics, ironed his uniforms, and stayed physically fit through calisthenics . He seemed to overcompensate for his shyness by constantly mentioning his exploits. As a result, he seemed distant, arrogant, even abrasive. His comrades respected his skills, but even one of his few friends, Marcel Haegelen , considered him

2040-550: The highest order, for reconnaissance missions and artillery range intelligence, as well as for surveillance service that he completed many times despite very unfavorable atmospheric conditions. He demonstrated, during the course of an uninterrupted series of aerial combats, an exceptional strength and will to win, which sets an example for the French chasse pilots of today. Has downed thirty six enemy planes. Twenty eight army citations ("palmes"), and one bronze regimental citation ("étoile de bronze") attached to his War Cross. Recipient of

2100-402: The inner section. The bracing and warping wires were attached to a dorsal, five-component "house-roof" shaped cabane consisting of a pair of inverted V struts with their apices connected by a longitudinal tube, and an inverted four-sided pyramidal ventral cabane, also of steel tubing, below. When first built it had a wingspan of 7 m (23 ft) and a small teardrop-shaped fin mounted on

2160-512: The killed pilot to be Leutnant Kurt Wissemann , who had allegedly shot down Guynemer, and that Fonck had boasted of avenging the death of his "good friend". This story is put into question by German records, indicating that Wissemann of Jasta 3 had been killed two days before in a different fight, in which he was flying a single-seater, probably against No. 56 Squadron. September and October added four victories apiece to Fonck's score. Thus, by year's end, he had raised his tally to nineteen,

2220-650: The likes of former World War I foe Hermann Göring and Ernst Udet cast a shadow upon Fonck's reputation during the German occupation of France , as did allegations of collaboration with the Nazis and the Vichy regime . In January 1941, Fonck was made a member of the National Council of Vichy France. On 10 August 1940, Vichy Foreign Minister Pierre Laval announced that Fonck had recruited 200 French pilots to fight on

2280-548: The now-hollow propeller shaft above the crankshaft axis, and the 37mm cannon was mounted in the V space between the two rows of cylinders. Fonck would later fly the highly successful SPAD XIII , the first SPAD fighter model to use twin Vickers machine guns. He did not add to his tally sheet until 19 January 1918, when he scored a double victory. February added another five, March seven more, and another three in April. Then came

2340-551: The outbreak of the First World War, and a number of variations were produced. Various types of engine were fitted, including the 120° Y-configuration, "full radial" three-cylinder Anzani (the restored example at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome still flies with this) and the 37 kW (50 hp) and 52 kW (70 hp), seven-cylinder Gnome rotary engines . Both single and two-seat versions were built, and there were variations in wingspan and fuselage length. In later aircraft

2400-465: The period. The first transatlantic attempt was scheduled for the September 16 but was abandoned after the aircraft developed a fuel leak. The next available break in the weather was to be the 21 September and the aircraft was fueled during the previous night from 50 barrels of gasoline. When the aircraft was weighed it was found to be 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) overweight. Fonck insisted on carrying

2460-435: The pilot of a German observation plane and watched as the plane inverted and dropped the thrashing observer almost through the wing of Fonck's Spad. He even went to the extreme of tearing the barograph out of the cockpit of that day's victim, his twelfth, so its readout would confirm his combat report. On 30 September, he and Adjutant Dupre jointly shot down a German two-seater Rumpler C.IV 6787/16 of FA 18. The news reported

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2520-626: The race Leblanc had established a new world speed record. In 1911, Andre Beaumont won the Circuit of Europe in a Type XI and another, flown by Roland Garros , came second. Louis Blériot established his first flying school at Etampes near Rouen in 1909. Another was started at Pau , where the climate made year-round flying more practical, in early 1910 and in September 1910 a third was established at Hendon Aerodrome near London. A considerable number of pilots were trained: by 1914 nearly 1,000 pilots had gained their Aero Club de France license at

2580-648: The rarer Médaille militaire, and Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur for gallantry on the battle field ("faits de guerre") (to be distinguished from the Légion d'Honneur widely attributed to civilians). Rene Fonck was also awarded the British Military Cross and the British Distinguished Conduct Medal . Bl%C3%A9riot XI The Blériot XI is a French aircraft from the pioneer era of aviation. The first example

2640-510: The suggestion of his mechanic Ferdinand Collin, Blériot made contact with Alessandro Anzani , a famous motorcycle racer whose successes were due to the engines that he made, and who had recently entered the field of aero-engine manufacture. On 27 May 1909, a 19 kW (25 hp) Anzani 3-cylinder fan-configuration (semi-radial) engine was fitted. The propeller was also replaced with a Chauvière Intégrale two-bladed scimitar propeller made from laminated walnut wood . This propeller design

2700-529: The tip elevators were replaced by a more conventional trailing edge elevator, the tailwheel was replaced by a skid, and the former "house-roof" five-member dorsal cabane was replaced by a simpler, four-sided pyramidally framed unit similar to the ventral arrangement for the later rotary-powered versions. Blériot marketed the aircraft in four categories: trainers, sport or touring models, military aircraft, and racing or exhibition aircraft. The Type XI took part in many competitions and races. In August 1910 Leblanc won

2760-582: The use of the controls followed by solo taxying exercises, progressing to short straight-line flights and then to circuits. To gain a license, a pilot had to make three circular flights of more than 5 km (3 mi), landing within 150 m (490 ft) of a designated point. The first Blériot XIs entered military service in Italy and France in 1910, and a year later some were used by Italy in North Africa (the first use of heavier-than-air aircraft in

2820-678: The war allowed him to be elected Member of Parliament representing the Vosges from 1919 to 1924. During the 1920s, Fonck persuaded Igor Sikorsky to redesign the Sikorsky S-35 for the transatlantic race or Orteig Prize . On 21 September 1926, the aircraft crashed on takeoff when the landing gear collapsed, killing two of his three crew members. Charles Lindbergh won the prize seven months later in 1927. Fonck eventually returned to military aviation and rose to Inspector of French fighter forces from 1937 to 1939. His inter-war contact with

2880-493: The war. He was awarded the Certificate of Resistance in 1948. The citation reads: "Mr. Fonck, René, a member of the fighting French forces without uniform, took part, in territory occupied by the enemy, to glorious fights for the liberation of the nation" . Fonck remained in Paris, but also frequently visited his native Lorraine, where he had business interests. He died of a stroke in his Paris apartment, Rue du Cirque, at

2940-513: The wind had dropped in the morning and the skies had cleared, Blériot took off at sunrise. Flying without the aid of a compass, he deviated to the east of his intended course, but, nonetheless, spotted the English coast to his left. Battling turbulent wind conditions, Blériot made a heavy "pancake" landing, nearly collapsing the undercarriage and shattering one blade of the propeller, but he was unhurt. The flight had taken 36.5 minutes and made Blériot

3000-438: Was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top Entente fighter ace and, when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, Fonck still holds the title of "all-time Allied Ace of Aces". He received confirmation for 75 victories (72 solo and three shared) out of 142 claims. Taking into account his probable claims, Fonck's final tally could conceivably be nearer 100 or above. He

3060-511: Was a great demand for Blériot XIs. By the end of September 1909, orders had been received for 103 aircraft. After an accident at an aviation meeting in Istanbul in December 1909, Blériot gave up competition flying, and the company's entries for competitions were flown by other pilots, including Alfred Leblanc , who had managed the logistics of the cross-channel flight, and subsequently bought

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3120-499: Was a major advance in French aircraft technology and was the first European propeller to rival the efficiency of the propellers used by the Wright Brothers . During early July, Blériot was occupied with flight trials of a new aircraft, the two-seater Type XII , but resumed flying the Type XI on 18 July. By then, the small cabane fin had been removed and the wingspan increased by 79 cm (31 in). On 26 June, he managed

3180-608: Was commissioned an officer, and had received the Légion d'honneur . Fonck got only better. Known for his clinical professionalism, he applied mathematical principles to combat flying, and his engineering knowledge regarding the capabilities of the aircraft he flew was unsurpassed by his fellow pilots. Fonck took few chances, patiently stalking his intended victims from higher altitudes. He then used deflection shooting with deadly accuracy at close range, resulting in an astonishing economy of ammunition expended per kill. More often than not,

3240-502: Was fitted to the rear fuselage in front of the tailplane, with a similar castering arrangement. When shown at the Paris Aero Salon in December 1908, the aircraft was powered by a 26 kW (35 hp) 7-cylinder R.E.P. engine driving a four-bladed paddle-type propeller. The aircraft was first flown at Issy-les-Moulineaux on 23 January 1909. Although the aircraft handled well, the engine proved extremely unreliable and, at

3300-452: Was generally attributed to the fact that Delagrange had fitted an over-powerful engine, so overstressing the airframe. A similar accident had killed Peruvian pilot Jorge Chavez at the end of 1910 at the end of the first flight over the Alps, and in response to this the wing spars of the Blériot had been strengthened. A later accident prompted further strengthening of the spars. Blériot produced

3360-504: Was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1918 and later a Commander of the Legion of Honor after the war, and raised again to the dignity of Grand Officer. Fonck was born on 27 March 1894 in the village of Saulcy-sur-Meurthe in the Vosges region of north eastern France. Fonck left school when he was 13. Although he had been interested in aviation from his youth, he was rejected for

3420-402: Was the use of wing warping for lateral control. The tail surfaces consisted of a small balanced all-moving rudder mounted on the rearmost vertical member of the fuselage and a horizontal tailplane mounted under the lower longerons . This had elevator surfaces making up the outermost part of the fixed horizontal surface; these "tip elevators" were linked by a torque tube running through

3480-560: Was the world's first fighter wing. The then leading French ace, Georges Guynemer , was serving at the time in one of its escadrilles, N3, and had just scored his 36th victory. Fonck was assigned to another escadrille in the group, Spa 103. Flying the SPAD VII , he quickly made a name for himself, attaining flying ace status by 13 May. He picked off another target on 12 June, then went on hiatus until 9 August. He scored twice more that month, on 21 and 22 August. On 14 September, he killed

3540-533: Was unconfirmed. On 6 August, he attacked a German Rumpler C.III , and by maneuvering over and around the reconnaissance plane, staying out of its fields of fire, forced it lower and lower until the German crew landed behind French lines. It was his first verified victory, though shared with his observer, Lieutenant Thiberge. It brought him the Médaille militaire in late August 1916. On 17 March 1917, Fonck scored

3600-458: Was used by Louis Blériot to make the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, on 25 July 1909. This is one of the most famous accomplishments of the pioneer era of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in history but also assured the future of his aircraft manufacturing business. The event caused a major reappraisal of the importance of aviation; the English newspaper The Daily Express led its story of

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