The Reims Military Aviation Competition (French: ''Concours militaire d'aviation'') was a military aviation competition held in

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

in October 1911 that was organized by the French Army, with the purpose of trialling the performance of new aircraft for potential use by the French military. Although a number of aeronautical records were beaten during the competition, there were also a number of crashes and fatalities. It began on Friday October 6, 1911.

Background

Aircraft manufacturers that exhibited at ''Le Grand Concours d'Aviation Militaire'' at

in October 1911 hoped to attract orders from the French military. Organized by the French Army, this competition required that the aircraft and engines be fully built in France, and be able to fly without stop on a closed circuit of 300 km with a 300 kg load (not including oil, water and fuel) at a speed of more than 60 km/h. Additionally, they were to be 3-seaters, and be able to take-off and land from unprepared surfaces. The first prize was 700,000 francs plus additional sums for increases in speed over 60 km/h, as well as a commitment by the military to purchase 10 aircraft. The competition attracted the major French aircraft manufacturers of the time, including Blériot, Breguet, Deperdussin, Farman, Hanriot,

R.E.P. Robert Albert Charles Esnault-Pelterie (8 November 1881 – 6 December 1957) was a French aircraft designer and spaceflight theorist. He is referred to as being one of the founders of modern rocketry and astronautics, along with the Russian Kons ...

and Nieuport.

Results

At the conclusion of the Reims military competition of November 1911, results were declared as follows: #

Charles 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 ...

with a

Nieuport IV The Nieuport IV was a French-built sporting, training and reconnaissance monoplane of the early 1910s. Design and development Societe Anonyme des Etablissements Nieuport was formed in 1909 by Édouard Nieuport. The Nieuport IV was a developm ...

G monoplane powered by a 14 cylinder Gnome engine of 100hp. It covered the 300 km course in 2h33min at a mean speed of 117 km/h. #

René Moineau René Moineau (August 11, 1887 - October 5, 1948) was one of the French pioneers of aviation and an inventor in various branches of aeronautics and fluid mechanics. A pilot and engineer at Bréguet, he designed his own plane, the Salmson-Moineau S ...

with a

Breguet G 3 Breguet or Bréguet may refer to: * Breguet (watch), watch manufacturer **Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823), Swiss watchmaker **Louis-François-Clement Breguet (1804–1883), French physicist, watchmaker, electrical and telegraph work * Bréguet ...

biplane powered by a 14 cylinder Gnome engine of 140 hp, 3h09, averaging 95 km/h. # Maurice Prévost with a Deperdussin Type B "Sport", powered by a Gnome 100hp engine. Prévost achieved an average speed of 89 km/h.

Background

Results

References

Further reading