Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe
| Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Fastest time over a measured distance (time trial) |
| Country | International |
| Presented by | Aéro-Club de France |
| First awarded | 1909 |
| Last awarded | 1936 |
The Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe was an international aeronautical speed competition instituted on 25 August 1909 by the French oil magnate Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe. The race was reinstated three times through the years at the initiative of the Aéro-Club de France, and later by Deutsch de la Meurthe's widow Suzanne.
Announced in 1906, the first Deutsch de la Meurthe competition was a speed trial intended for all powered aircraft over a distance of 200 kilometres, to be flown as an outward leg of 100 km followed by a return to the starting point. The flight had to be made between 1 March and 31 October, and the performance was recognized only if the previous best performance was surpassed by at least 10%. A bonus of 20,000 francs was awarded each year for the best performance that had remained unsurpassed for eight months. The Coupe (cup), an objet d'art valued at 10,000 francs, was to be given to the first aircraft builder who won three consecutive competitions.
Despite the substantial prize being offered, it took six years to attract participants. On 12 April 1912, Maurice Tabuteau piloting a 50 hp Gnome-powered Morane-Saulnier monoplane flew the circuit in 1 h 47 min 48 s, despite persistent navigation problems caused by fog. On 1 May 1912 Parisian Emmanuel Hélen completed the course at 119.532 km/h (74.274 mph) flying a 70 hp Gnome-powered Nieuport monoplane. Since no other pilot bettered this performance by more than 10% before 31 October 1912, Hélen became the first holder of the Coupe.
On 27 October 1913 Eugène Gilbert gained first place in the second competition for the Coupe, covering the course at an average speed of 154.38 km/h (95.93 mph) in a 160 h.p. Gnome-powered Deperdussin Monocoque.
The competition was interrupted by the First World War, but on 13 October 1919 it resumed using the same course, but the competition was now open for the entire year, and the trophy would be definitely kept by the first participant whose time remained unbeaten for eight consecutive months. Four aeroplanes participated in this trial: a 180 hp Hispano-Suiza-powered Gourdou-Leseurre monoplane piloted by Rost, a 300 hp Hispano-Suiza-powered SPAD-Herbemont piloted by Joseph Sadi-Lecointe, a 300 hp Hispano-Suiza-powered Nieuport biplane piloted by Bernard Barny de Romanet, and a 180 hp Le Rhöne-powered Nieuport monoplane designed by engineer Mary, and flown by the Danish pilot Leth Jensen. Taking off on 13 October 1919, Jensen flew the circuit at an average speed of 200.001 km/h (57 minutes). The next day, Rost reached an average speed of 210 km/h while de Romanet had an aircraft failure. On 15 October, Sadi-Lecointe flew a first circuit at 223 km/h, and then a second lap at 246.9 km/h and thus became the title holder. On 21 October 1919, de Romanet reached an average speed of 268.631 km/h which was insufficient to be homologated, because this performance was less than 110% of Sadi-Lecointe's performance. He followed it the next day with an average speed of 285.600 km/h which did count. Bad weather then stopped the competition, which was resumed just three months later. On 3 January 1920, Sadi-Lecointe, who had in the meanwhile had left Blériot-SPAD for Nieuport, reached 266.314 km/h (165.480 mph) with a Hispano-engined Nieuport-Delage NiD 29V. On 3 August 1920, he became the holder of the Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe, his performance having remained unbeaten.
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