Ernest Archdeacon
Encyclopedia
Ernest Archdeacon was a prominent French lawyer of Irish descent who was associated with pioneering aviation in France before the First World War. He made his first balloon flight at the age of 20. He commissioned a copy of the 1902 Wright No. 3 glider but had only limited success. He was regarded as France's foremost promoter and sponsor of aviation, offering prizes (Coupe d'Aviation Ernest Archdeacon and the Deutsch de la Meurthe-Archdeacon prize), commissioning designs, plus organising tests and events.
His lasting contribution to aviation is the Aéro-Club de France
, the oldest aero-club in the world, which he co-founded in 1898.
On 29 May 1908, Archdeacon became the first aeroplane passenger in Europe when he was piloted by Henry Farman
at Issy-les-Moulineaux
.
. His passionate interest in science led him to also study ballooning and aviation, and in 1884, aged 20, he made his first balloon flight.
. Archdeacon founded the Aéro-Club de France
, which is still the official authority of the organization of sport aviation in France. Other founding members include the engineer Gustave Eiffel
, the Marquis de Fonvielle, Count Henri de la Vaulx and Count Henri de la Valette to make bail. The first president of the Aero Club in 1900, was the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion.
to the Eiffel Tower
and back in less than thirty minutes. In September 1901, Alberto Santos-Dumont
did the trip with his airship in 30 minutes and 42 seconds.
After hearing about the Wright brothers
from Octave Chanute
, Archdeacon decided to further encourage the development of powered flight in France. Thus the January 1904 edition of La Vie au Grand Air magazine carried an article entitled "A new sport - Soaring" (Un nouveau sport – Le vol plané) by François Peyrey. It reported that in 1903 the aviator Captain Ferber, of the 17th Alpine Battery, had written to Archdeacon demanding "Do not let 'the aeroplane' be achieved in America first." Archdeacon responded by donating 3000 francs to the Archdeacon committee of the Aéro-Club de France, to sponsor aviation competitions.
It was a biplane using an ash frame hung with silk and guyed with piano wire. It was described in La Vie au Grand Air:
The first experiments with this glider were conducted in April 1904 on the dunes at Merlimont
near Berck-sur-Mer. The experimenters were young and daring Gabriel Voisin
, and Captain L. F. (Ferdinand) Ferber
(1862–1909, aka Monsieur de Rue).
In March 1905, he commissioned a second glider from Voisin. In its first test, it broke apart in the air.
After little success at Berck-sur-Mer, they fitted floats and successfully tested the glider on the River Seine
at Boulogne-Billancourt
using a boat to tow it between the bridges of Saint-Cloud
and Sèvres
. It rose to about 18 m (59.1 ft) above the Seine and flew about 610 m (2,001.3 ft). It was damaged in its next test and never flew again.
In October 1904, Ernest Archdeacon joined Deutsch de la Meurthe to set a prize of 50,000 francs, offered for the first heavier-than-air flight around a one kilometre closed circuit. The sum represented about 20 times the annual earnings of a Parisian professional worker. Both Archdeacon and de la Meurthe understood that up to this date, discounting the Wrights' accomplishments (see below), all flying had been in a straight line and it was for this reason that the prize was intended to provide the incentive for the development of an airplane that was able to turn. Therefore the winner of the prize had to fly a closed circuit.
The 25 meter prize was won by Alberto Santos-Dumont
on October 23, 1906, at Bagatelle
. He proceeded to win the 100 meter prize on November 12, 1906. The 1 kilometer prize was won by Henri Farman on January 13, 1908, at Issy-les-Moulineaux
.
. This aéromotocyclette, based on a 'Buchet
' motorcycle, was equipped with a 6 horsepower Anzani
engine driving a propeller mounted on a 1.5 m (4.9 ft) steel tube. There is no evidence that he applied for a patent.
sceptics in the European aviation community had converted the press. European newspapers, especially in France, were openly derisive, calling them bluffeurs (bluffers). Archdeacon was publicly sceptical of the brothers' claims in spite of published reports; to wit he wrote several articles and stated in 1906 that:
The Paris edition of the New York Herald summed up Europe's opinion of the Wright brothers in an editorial on February 10, 1906:
In August 1908, after Wilbur Wright's demonstrations at Les Hunaudières race course near Le Mans, Archdeacon publicly admitted that he had done them an injustice.
at Issy-les-Moulineaux
on 29 May 1908. The total flight was 1241 m (4,071.5 ft). Charles E. Vivian says he was preceded on 29 March by Leon Delagrange
, who was also flown by Farman.
His lasting contribution to aviation is the Aéro-Club de France
Aéro-Club de France
The Aéro-Club de France was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898 as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, and Henry de...
, the oldest aero-club in the world, which he co-founded in 1898.
On 29 May 1908, Archdeacon became the first aeroplane passenger in Europe when he was piloted by Henry Farman
Henry Farman
Henri Farman Henri Farman Henri Farman (26 May 1874 – 17 July 1958 was a French pilot, aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer with his brother Maurice Farman. His family was British and he took French nationality in 1937.-Biography:...
at Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
.
Early life
Archdeacon was born and raised in Paris, and studied law for a career at the BarBar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
. His passionate interest in science led him to also study ballooning and aviation, and in 1884, aged 20, he made his first balloon flight.
The Aero Club of France
On October 20, 1898, in partnership with the oil magnate Henri Deutsch de la MeurtheHenri Deutsch de la Meurthe
Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe was a successful French petroleum businessman and an avid supporter of early aviation...
. Archdeacon founded the Aéro-Club de France
Aéro-Club de France
The Aéro-Club de France was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898 as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, and Henry de...
, which is still the official authority of the organization of sport aviation in France. Other founding members include the engineer Gustave Eiffel
Gustave Eiffel
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structural engineer from the École Centrale Paris, an architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures...
, the Marquis de Fonvielle, Count Henri de la Vaulx and Count Henri de la Valette to make bail. The first president of the Aero Club in 1900, was the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion.
Sponsor of aviation
In April 1900, the Aéro-Club de France announced the 'Deutsch de la Meurthe' prize of one hundred thousand francs for 'the first flying machine' to complete the round trip from St. CloudSt. Cloud
St. Cloud may refer to:*Saint Cloud, also known as Clodoald, a son of the Frankish king Chlodomer*Saint-Cloud, a town in France*Château de Saint-Cloud, a royal château in FranceIn the United States:*St. Cloud, Florida...
to the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
and back in less than thirty minutes. In September 1901, Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont , was a Brazilian early pioneer of aviation. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to science studies in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life....
did the trip with his airship in 30 minutes and 42 seconds.
After hearing about the Wright brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
from Octave Chanute
Octave Chanute
Octave Chanute was a French-born American railway engineer and aviation pioneer. He provided the Wright brothers with help and advice, and helped to publicize their flying experiments. At his death he was hailed as the father of aviation and the heavier-than-air flying machine...
, Archdeacon decided to further encourage the development of powered flight in France. Thus the January 1904 edition of La Vie au Grand Air magazine carried an article entitled "A new sport - Soaring" (Un nouveau sport – Le vol plané) by François Peyrey. It reported that in 1903 the aviator Captain Ferber, of the 17th Alpine Battery, had written to Archdeacon demanding "Do not let 'the aeroplane' be achieved in America first." Archdeacon responded by donating 3000 francs to the Archdeacon committee of the Aéro-Club de France, to sponsor aviation competitions.
Gliders
In 1903 Archdeacon commissioned an 'imperfect' copy of the outdated 1902 Wright glider from Monsieur Dargent at the military aircraft workshop (balloons and airships) at Chalais-MeudonMeudon
Meudon is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris.-Geography:...
It was a biplane using an ash frame hung with silk and guyed with piano wire. It was described in La Vie au Grand Air:
- "The two wings, slightly convex from front to back, have a wingspan of 7.5 m (24.6 ft), a width of 1.4 m (4.6 ft) and are separated vertically by 0.4 m (1.3 ft). Total area: 22 square meters. .... It has two rudders: the horizontal rudder at the front for the vertical direction and preparing landing by gradually decreasing the speed; and the vertical rudder at the back for getting the direction in the horizontal plane (steering). The aéroplane is very robust despite weighing only 34 kilograms.
The first experiments with this glider were conducted in April 1904 on the dunes at Merlimont
Merlimont
Merlimont is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Merlimont lies on the coast of France, facing northwards to the English Channel. Long, wide sandy beaches and huge sand-dunes are the most obvious features.-Population:-References:*...
near Berck-sur-Mer. The experimenters were young and daring Gabriel Voisin
Gabriel Voisin
Gabriel Voisin was an aviation pioneer and the creator of Europe's first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft capable of a sustained , circular, controlled flight, including take-off and landing. It was flown by Henry Farman on January 13, 1908 near Paris, France...
, and Captain L. F. (Ferdinand) Ferber
Ferber
Ferber or Faerber are spelling variants of Färber, a German surname and profession :Persons* Albert Ferber , Swiss pianist* Albert Ferber , German wrestler...
(1862–1909, aka Monsieur de Rue).
In March 1905, he commissioned a second glider from Voisin. In its first test, it broke apart in the air.
After little success at Berck-sur-Mer, they fitted floats and successfully tested the glider on the River Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
at Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Boulogne-Billancourt is a sub-prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Boulogne-Billancourt....
using a boat to tow it between the bridges of Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.Like other communes of the Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine or Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of the wealthiest cities in France, ranked 22nd out of the 36500 in...
and Sèvres
Sèvres
Sèvres is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.The town is known for its porcelain manufacture, the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, making the famous Sèvres porcelain, as well as being the location of the International Bureau of Weights...
. It rose to about 18 m (59.1 ft) above the Seine and flew about 610 m (2,001.3 ft). It was damaged in its next test and never flew again.
Heavier-than-air powered flight
In 1903 Ernest Archdeacon and the Aéro-Club de France launched the Coupe d'Aviation Ernest Archdeacon, a silver trophy for the first flight of more than twenty-five yards by a 'heavier-than-air' craft. Later, the Aéro-Club de France offered a prize of 1500 francs to the first person to fly 100 m (328.1 ft).In October 1904, Ernest Archdeacon joined Deutsch de la Meurthe to set a prize of 50,000 francs, offered for the first heavier-than-air flight around a one kilometre closed circuit. The sum represented about 20 times the annual earnings of a Parisian professional worker. Both Archdeacon and de la Meurthe understood that up to this date, discounting the Wrights' accomplishments (see below), all flying had been in a straight line and it was for this reason that the prize was intended to provide the incentive for the development of an airplane that was able to turn. Therefore the winner of the prize had to fly a closed circuit.
The 25 meter prize was won by Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont , was a Brazilian early pioneer of aviation. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to science studies in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life....
on October 23, 1906, at Bagatelle
Château de Bagatelle
The Château de Bagatelle is a small neoclassical château with a French landscape garden in the Bois de Boulogne in the XVIe arrondissement of Paris...
. He proceeded to win the 100 meter prize on November 12, 1906. The 1 kilometer prize was won by Henri Farman on January 13, 1908, at Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
.
Archdeacon Aéromotocyclette Anzani
In 1906 Archdeacon commissioned a 'propeller on a motorcycle', the Aéromotocyclette Anzani, which achieved a timed speed of 79.5 kilometres per hour at Achères-la-ForêtAchères-la-Forêt
Achères-la-Forêt is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * *...
. This aéromotocyclette, based on a 'Buchet
Buchet
The Buchet was a French motorcycle and automobile manufacturer from circa 1900 until 1930.-Motorcars:Buchet manufactured motorcars from 1910 until 1930...
' motorcycle, was equipped with a 6 horsepower Anzani
Anzani
Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani , which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy.-Overview:...
engine driving a propeller mounted on a 1.5 m (4.9 ft) steel tube. There is no evidence that he applied for a patent.
Scepticism toward the Wright brothers
In 1906, the anti-Wright brothersWright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
sceptics in the European aviation community had converted the press. European newspapers, especially in France, were openly derisive, calling them bluffeurs (bluffers). Archdeacon was publicly sceptical of the brothers' claims in spite of published reports; to wit he wrote several articles and stated in 1906 that:
The Paris edition of the New York Herald summed up Europe's opinion of the Wright brothers in an editorial on February 10, 1906:
- "The Wrights have flown or they have not flown. They possess a machine or they do not possess one. They are in fact either fliers or liars. It is difficult to fly. It's easy to say, 'We have flown.'"
In August 1908, after Wilbur Wright's demonstrations at Les Hunaudières race course near Le Mans, Archdeacon publicly admitted that he had done them an injustice.
Aeroplane passenger
Ernest Archdeacon is widely cited as the first aeroplane passenger in Europe when he was piloted by Henry FarmanHenry Farman
Henri Farman Henri Farman Henri Farman (26 May 1874 – 17 July 1958 was a French pilot, aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer with his brother Maurice Farman. His family was British and he took French nationality in 1937.-Biography:...
at Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
on 29 May 1908. The total flight was 1241 m (4,071.5 ft). Charles E. Vivian says he was preceded on 29 March by Leon Delagrange
Léon Delagrange
Léon Delagrange Léon Delagrange Léon Delagrange (Ferdinand Léon Delagrange; March 13, 1873 was a pioneer French aviator and also a sculptor .He was born at Orléans and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris...
, who was also flown by Farman.
Complete gallery
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, in the factory, c.1904
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, outside the factory at Chalais-Meudon, c.1904
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, Berck Beach, 1904. La sortie de l'appareil
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, Berck Beach, April 1904. Berceau (Cradle) de l'Aviation, Premier essays de vol plane, avec un appareil sans moteur.
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, Issy les Moulineaux, March 1905
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, Issy les Moulineaux, March 1905, Towed by car with sand bag load
- Henry Farman and Ernest Archdeacon, Issy-les-Moulineaux, 1908. On 29 May Farman took Ernest Archdeacon as 'the first air passenger in Europe'.
Individual images
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, c.1904
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, c.1904. L'aéroplane Archdeacon, construit a Chalais-Meudon
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, Issy les Moulineaux, March 1905
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, Issy les Moulineaux, March 1905
- Archdeacon-Voisin Glider, Issy les Moulineaux, March 1905, Towed by car with sand bag load
- Henry Farman and Ernest Archdeacon, Issy-les-Moulineaux, 1908. On 29 May Farman took Archdeacon as 'the first air passenger in Europe'.
See also
- Aviation historyAviation historyThe history of aviation has extended over more than two thousand years from the earliest attempts in kites and gliders to powered heavier-than-air, supersonic and hypersonic flight.The first form of man-made flying objects were kites...
- List of firsts in aviation
- Timeline of aviation - 19th centuryTimeline of aviation - 19th centuryThis is a list of aviation-related events during the 19th century :- 1800s :* 1803** British Rear Admiral Charles Henry Knowles proposes to the Admiralty that the Royal Navy loft an observation balloon from a ship in order to reconnoitre French preparations in Brest to invade Great Britain...
- Timeline of aviation - 20th centuryTimeline of aviation - 20th century-August:*August 14 - in Fairfield, Connecticut, Gustave Whitehead reportedly flew his engine-powered Whitehead No. 21 800 meters at a height of 15 meters, according to articles in the Bridgeport Herald, the New York Herald and the Boston Transcript...