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The Clément-Bayard No.1, Bayard-Clément was a French military

semi-rigid airship A semi-rigid airship is an airship which has a stiff keel or truss supporting the main envelope along its length. The keel may be partially flexible or articulated and may be located inside or outside the main envelope. The outer shape of the ai ...

of 1908 developed by Astra Clément-Bayard, which was founded by industrial entrepreneur Adolphe Clément-Bayard, in response to a French Army decision to experiment with airship operations.

Société Astra ''Société Astra des Constructions Aéronautiques'' was a major French manufacturer of balloons, airships, and aeroplanes in the early 20th century. It was founded in 1908 in aviation, 1908 when Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe purchased Édouard Surco ...

was contracted to build the envelope, while Clément-Bayard built the gondola and engines itself. The envelope's distinctive design featured four large lobes at the aft end, intended to provide directional stability. Testing commenced on 29 October with

Henry Kapferer Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

at the controls. By the end of the year, the airship had made nearly thirty flights, including long-range cross-country sorties of up to , breaking the national aerial endurance and speed records. In 1909 the airship was offered for sale to the French government, with an asking price of FF 500,000. However, this was considered too expensive, and the offer was declined. Later that year, Tsar

Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

decided to buy it for the Russian army. On 23 August, it was demonstrated to a Russian military delegation in Paris where it was piloted by

Louis Capazza Louis Henri Capazza (1862–1928) was a French semi-professional balloonist. He was born in Bastia, Corsica on January 17, 1862. , ''...which a Corsican named Capazza, coming from the town of Bastia, has invented...'' He lived in Belgium from 18 ...

firstly to a record altitude of 1,200 m (4,000 ft) and then hours later to a new record of 1,550 m (5,080 ft). Upon landing, however, Capazza cut power to the engines before the ground handlers had full control of the craft. A gust of wind carried it into a grove of trees, lacerating the envelope and resulting in it sinking into the

River Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

, but it was salvaged and repaired, and went on to serve with the Russian Army under the name ''Berkut'' ("Eagle").

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hydroretro.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement-Bayard No.1 1900s French military reconnaissance aircraft Airships of France Aircraft first flown in 1908

Specifications

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References