Joseph Le Brix
| Joseph Le Brix | |
|---|---|
Left to right: René Mesmin (1897-1931), Joseph Le Brix (1899-1931), and Marcel Doret (1896-1955) standing in front of the Dewoitine D.33 Trait d'Union II in 1931.
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| Born |
22 February 1899 Baden, Morbihan, France |
| Died | 12 September 1931 (aged 32) Ufa, Soviet Union |
| Buried at | Baden, Morbihan, France |
| Allegiance | France |
| Service/branch | French Navy |
| Years of service | ? - 1931 |
| Rank | Capitain de corvette |
| Battles/wars | Rif War |
| Awards |
Croix de Guerre (France) Legion of Honor (France) Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) |
Joseph Le Brix (22 February 1899 - 12 September 1931) was a French aviator and a capitaine de corvette (lieutenant commander) in the French Navy. He is best known for an around-the-world flight he made as copilot and navigator in 1927-1928 which included history's first flight across the South Atlantic Ocean, and for record-setting nonstop long-distance flights he made or attempted between 1929 and 1931.
Le Brix was born on 22 February 1899 in Baden, Morbihan, in the Brittany region of northwestern France.
Le Brix enrolled in the French naval academy, the École Navale, in Brest on 2 April 1918 and completed his basic seamanship training aboard the academy's training ship, the French Navy armored cruiser Jeanne d'Arc. After graduating from the academy, he served aboard the armored cruiser Jules Michelet. He then began training as a naval aviator in 1924, and qualified as an aerial observer and navigator in September 1924. Promoted to lieutenant de vaisseau ("ship-of-the-line lieutenant"), he received his pilot's license in March 1925.
By August 1925, Le Brix was serving in French Naval Aviation's Escadrille (Squadron) 5.B.2 and taking part in the Rif War, flying missions over Spanish Morocco in a Farman F.60 Goliath. He flew geographic survey missions over the Sahara Desert in southern French Morocco until 1927, pioneering the use of maritime navigation techniques not yet in wide use aboard aircraft. For his service, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor.
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