The Circuit de l'Est was a six-stage air race organized by the newspaper
''Le Matin'',
which took place in August 1910.
General Foch
Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Art ...
, who had followed the race attentively, declared a few weeks later during the first aerial maneuvers in Picardy, to the ''Matin'' delegate, Robert de Beauplan: "All that, you see, is sport: but for the army, the air force, it's zero".
Competition
Circuit de l'Est - Champ d'Aviation d'Issy-les-Moulineaux - Départ de Leblanc sur "Blériot" (7843391968).jpg , Departure of Alfred Leblanc
Alfred Leblanc (13 April 1869 – 22 November 1921) was a pioneer French aviator.
Biography
He was born on 13 April 1869 in Paris. In 1888, he became the technical director of the Victor Bidault metal foundry. A keen sportsman, he was an ener ...
on a Blériot XI from Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called ''Isséens'' in French. It is one of Paris' entrances and is located from Notre-Dame Cath ...
aerodrome at Paris.
Circuit de l'Est - Champ d'Aviation d'Issy-les-Moulineaux - Départ d'Aubrun sur "Blériot" (7843392104).jpg , Departure of Émile Aubrun on a Blériot XI.
Weyman Charleville Mezières.JPG , Charles Terres Weymann
Charles Terres Weymann (2 August 1889 – 1976) was a Haitian-born early aeroplane racing pilot and businessman. During World War I he flew for Nieuport as a test pilot and was awarded the rank of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
Early years ...
at Charleville.
Troyes circuit de l'est.jpg , Troyes.
Circuit de l'Est, Leblanc arrive premier sur Monoplan BLériot.jpg , Alfred Leblanc
Alfred Leblanc (13 April 1869 – 22 November 1921) was a pioneer French aviator.
Biography
He was born on 13 April 1869 in Paris. In 1888, he became the technical director of the Victor Bidault metal foundry. A keen sportsman, he was an ener ...
arrives first on his Blériot.
Alfred LeBlanc congratulated.jpg, Alfred LeBlanc congratulated by Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, at Nancy.
The race took place over six stages linking the cities of Paris – Troyes - Nancy - Mézières – Douai Amiens – Paris. The French army aviation service committed three crews to this event.
Alfred Leblanc
Alfred Leblanc (13 April 1869 – 22 November 1921) was a pioneer French aviator.
Biography
He was born on 13 April 1869 in Paris. In 1888, he became the technical director of the Victor Bidault metal foundry. A keen sportsman, he was an ener ...
won the race, and won the prize of 100,000 francs reserved for the winner (i.e. approximately €366,000 in 2017),
Émile Aubrun finished second, each piloting a Blériot XI monoplane powered by a Gnome engine of 50hp. They were the only survivors of the 35 entered, of which only ten started from Issy-lès-Moulineaux. They traveled 805 km in 12 h 1 min 1 s, an average speed of 66.99km/h.
References
External links
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1910 in France
Air races
Aviation history of France
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