Léon Lemartin
| Léon Lemartin | |
|---|---|
Léon Lemartin
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| Born |
20 October 1883 Dunes, Tarn-et-Garonne |
| Died | 18 June 1911 (aged 27) Vincennes, Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Aircraft engineer and pilot |
| Known for | The world's first Test pilot, by contract with Louis Blériot in the year 1910, record breaking pioneer aviator who carried seven, eight, eleven passengers |
Théodore Clovis Edmond Lemartin, known as Léon Lemartin (20 October 1883 Dunes, Tarn-et-Garonne – 18 June 1911, Vincennes) was a pioneer aviator who set a world record on 3 February 1911 at Pau, France when he carried seven passengers in a Blériot XIII Aerobus. He then took eight, eleven and thirteen passengers aloft the following month.
The son of a blacksmith, in 1902 he became a graduate Gadz'Art, an engineer of 'Arts and Crafts' of the École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers (ENSAM) – a prestigious university (grande ecole) specialising in engineering. His aeronautic career included working with Gabriel Voisin, the Seguin brothers, Henri Farman, Ernest Archdeacon and Louis Blériot. He was present when Blériot made the historic first crossing of the English channel in 1909. On 4 October 1910 he was awarded Aviator's Certificate number 249 by the Aéro-Club de France.
On 24 May 1911, three weeks before his death, he reportedly surpassed the world speed record although it was never officially recognized. He achieved 128.418 km/h (79.795 mph) over the 33 kilometres (21 mi) flight between Etampes and Toury in a Blériot using his own enhancements to the Gnome Omega 50 hp (37 kW) motor.
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