René Grandjean
| René Grandjean | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
12 November 1884 Bellerive, Switzerland |
| Died | 14 April 1963 (aged 78) Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Occupation | Pilot, inventor and engineer |
| Known for | Designed the first aircraft built and flown by Swiss citizen, probably worldwide first glacier pilot, aviation pioneer on seaplanes |
René Grandjean (November 12, 1884 – April 14, 1963) was a Swiss aviation pioneer. He designed and built the aircraft that was flown by Ernest Failloubaz for the first flight in Switzerland of an aircraft built and flown by Swiss citizen, was probably the first glacier pilot and was pioneering on seaplanes.
Grandjean was born in Bellerive, Switzerland. In 1890 the family moved to Paris where René did his first studies before returning to Bellerive where his father built a mill and a big saw-mill supported by the young René who was fascinated by the technics. At the age of 18 he moved again to Paris to find a job as a mechanics. Two months later, he was the driver for the marquis de Montebello and later in Egypt for the sultan Omar Bey who became his friend.
In summer 1909, Grandjean started to realize his longtime dream to build a flying machine; the news of Blériot’s flight across the channel convinced him to leave Egypt and to return to Switzerland. There he met Ernest Failloubaz, 17 years old, and thanks to his inventiveness and craftsman qualities, using only a picture of Blériot’s aircraft, he completed this first aircraft in October 1909. The ground tests started in February 1910 at l’Estivage field in Avenches. What is recognized as of today as being the starting point of the Swiss aviation, happened on 10 May 1910: Failloubaz piloted the machine, resulting in the first flight in Switzerland of an aircraft built and flown by Swiss citizen. René Grandjean succeeded five days after his friend’s first flight but crashed the plane. Immediately repaired, his aircraft was in August 1910 damaged again by Georges Cailler during a flight meeting in Viry, Haute-Savoie.
On October 2, Failloubaz and Grandjean participated at the first Swiss flight meeting in Avenches, from October 8 to 10 in Bern. On 12 October 1910, Grandjean was prohibited from using l’Estivage airfield; the end of the collaboration between Failloubaz and Grandjean who moved to Dübendorf. In November he made major transformations on his aircraft and during that winter he learned to fly, by himself. In early 1911, Grandjean was hired by Oerlikon Contraves to promote their new engine by the manufacturer Farman, Blériot and Voisin.
...
Wikipedia