Léon Letort, (18 September 1889 – 10 December 1913) was a pioneer French aviator. He gained his pilot's license on 9 August 1910, flew his Blériot in exhibitions across France, and flew on military service in the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
. In 1913 he set the world record for the greatest distance travelled non-stop, flying in 8 hours. He died during an attempt to win a prize for long-distance flight when he crash-landed at Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire outside Bordeaux.
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
, the youngest of four brothers and four sisters from a wealthy family in the textile business. He was educated in
Rennes
Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...
Louis Blériot
Louis Charles Joseph Blériot ( , also , ; 1 July 1872 – 1 August 1936) was a French aviator, inventor, and engineer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars and established a profitable business manufacturing them, using much of th ...
and was awarded pilots licence No. 170 on 9 August 1910. He then completed his military service as an aviator/engineer (''fr: sapeur'').
On 15 April 1912, he participated in the Easter airshow at Parc des Gayeulles, Rennes, in the Blériot of Louis Kuhling.
After completing his military service, Letort participated in the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
in 1912. It being one of the earliest conflicts where air power was used, Letort concentrated on developing his aircraft towards becoming a decisive weapon. After the war he returned to Blériot and was considered one of the safest pilots.
Flying exploits
On 13 July 1913 Letort flew from Paris to Berlin non-stop, covering in 9 hours, 47 minutes, breaking the world distance record for a non-stop flight. The Morane-Saulnier monoplane was powered by a Le Rhône 80 hp 7-cylinder rotary engine. On the return journey, started on 23 July, he carried a passenger, the
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
n aviator Ljuba Galantschikoff.
In an attempt to win the ''Coupe Pommery'' prize for long-distance flight, he flew from Paris to Danzig, stopping at Berlin, on 23 August 1913. However, he failed to win the prize, which was won by Guilleaux with a flight of made the same day.
Death and commemoration
On 10 December 1913 Letort made an attempt to win the
Aero Club of France
Aero is a Greek prefix relating to flight and air. In British English, it is used as an adjective related to flight (e.g., as a shortened substitute for aeroplane).
Aero, Ærø, or Aeros may refer to:
Aeronautics Airlines and companies
* Aero ( ...
Criterium prize for the longest return flight made during the year, flying a
Maurice Farman
Maurice Alain Farman (21 March 1877 – 25 February 1964) was a British-French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer.
Biography
Born in Paris to English parents, he and his brothers Richard and ...
biplane.
After departing from Buc with the intention of flying to
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
and back, he flew until he had to make a forced landing at
Barbezieux
Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire () is a commune in the Charente department, Southwestern France. The commune was formed in 1973 by the merger of the former communes Barbezieux and Saint-Hilaire.Pire-sur-Seiche on 14 December 1913, attended by a large crowd of mourners.Léon Letort : pionnier rennais de l’aviation », Le Gall, Erwan, ''En Envor'' (accessed 5 Sept 2014).
See also
*
List of fatalities from aviation accidents
Many notable human fatalities have resulted from aviation accidents and incidents.
Those killed as part of a sporting, political or musical group who flew together when the accident took place are usually only listed under the group sections; ho ...