Léon Delagrange

Ferdinand Léon Delagrange (13 March 1872 – 4 January 1910) was a pioneering French aviator and sculptor. Léon was ranked as one of the top aviators in the world. On 30 December 1909 he had broken all speed records at Juvisy-sur-Orge in France in an attempt to win the Michelin Cup. He did not succeed in beating Henry Farman’s record for distance, but did establish a new distance record for monoplanes and a new world speed record. He covered 124 miles in 2 hours and 32 minutes, maintaining an advantage speed of approximately 45 miles an hour.

Léon Delagrange was born in Orléans in central France, the son of a textile factory owner. As a teenager he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Louis Barrias and Charles Vital-Cornu and was represented at several exhibitions in Paris. He was a member of the Salon des Artistes Français and received a commendation in 1901.

Delagrange was one of the first men in Europe to take up aviation. In 1907 he became interested in flying and became one of the true pioneers of powered flight. That same year he was one of the first people to order an aircraft from Gabriel Voisin of the Voisin brothers, enabling them to get established as manufacturers of airplanes. The aircraft was the first example of what was to become one of the most successful early French aircraft, the Voisin 1907 biplane. His first public flight was made on 16 March 1907 at Bagatelle in France where he flew a biplane. His feats soon attracted worldwide attention and he is said to have refused a guarantee of $10,000 if he would visit the United States to perform demonstrations. In 1907, Delagrange was elected president of the Aviation Club of France.

During 1908 Delagrange toured Italy where he made flight demonstrations. It was during one of these demonstrations on 8 July that he made the world's first flight with a lady passenger, his partner and fellow sculptor Thérèse Peltier. In September the same year Delagrange set distance and endurance records, establishing a record of 15.2 miles in 29 minutes, 53 seconds.

On 7 January 1909, he was awarded one of the first eight aviators certificates awarded by the Aéro-Club de France. In 1909 he also received the Lagatiner prize at Juvisy (3.6 miles in 10 minutes, 18 seconds). He participated in the world's first air race at Port-Aviation on 23 May 1909, and a further couple of race meetings during that same year. In addition to his original Voisins airplane he also bought three Blériot XIs, and formed a team by recruiting Hubert Le Blon, Léon Molon and Georges Prévoteau. He also flew in several non-competitive meetings. He was the first to equip a Blériot XI with a 50 hp Gnôme engine in place of the 25 hp Anzani, thereby doubling its power.

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