Albert Kimmerling, (22 June 1882 Saint-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe – 9 June 1912, Mourmelon, France) was a pioneer

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

who made the first airplane flight in Africa, taking off at the Nahoon Racetrack at

East London, Eastern Cape East London ( xh, eMonti; af, Oos-Londen) is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River ...

. on 28 December 1909 in a Voisin biplane. He was also involved in the first airplane crash in South Africa on 1 January 1910 when the flight was repeated. The incident was fairly minor. Albert Kimmerling studied at

Collège-lycée Ampère The Collège-lycée Ampère is a famous school located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. History It was founded in 1519 by members of the Brotherhood of the Trinity. It was then known under the name of Collège de la Trinité. Under this name it ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

and had a special interest in mechanics. In October 1909 he was employed by Voisin Freres, the a French aircraft manufacturing company, and was sent to promote the company in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. He arrived at East London along with Voisin mechanic J. Moller and an

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...

on 18 December 1909 on board the RMS Kenilworth Castle. 1910 to 1920 – Early Flying in South Africa The first manned, heavier-than-air powered flight in South Africa (some reports state in Africa itself) was made by Albert Kimmerling by taking off from the Nahoon Racecourse in East London on 28 December 1909. He then moved the plane up to the Transvaal where he made three more flights at Sydenham Hill near Orange Grove. On 19 March 1910 he flew the first fare paying passenger in South Africa, when Thomas Thornton of the South African Aero Club paid £100 for a flight. Albert Kimmerling returned to France and settled in

Miramas Miramas (; oc, Miramàs) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, southern France. It is the second-largest commune in metropolitan Ouest-Provence and is located at the north end of the Éta ...

, Southern France. During an aviation festival on 16 June 1910, Albert was injured when he crashed his Voisin from a height of 20 metres. On 8 November 1910, Albert Kimmerling was awarded his Aviator's Certificate by the

Aéro-Club de France The Aéro-Club de France () was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898 as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, ...

. On the same day

Roger Sommer Roger Sommer (4 August 1877 in Pierrepont, France – 14 April 1965 at Sainte-Maxime) was a French aviator. Born to Alfred Sommer, a Belgian industrialist, Roger Sommer became involved with aviation from an early age. He broke the record for ...

asked Albert to create an aviation school in Lyon. He flew at many circuits for the aviation school throughout France and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

until 1912, when he left to head up the Steering School Sommer in Bouzy in the Marne. On 9 June 1912, while test flying a new 2 seat Sommer monoplane, he crashed and both himself and engineer Tonnet was killed. On 5 August 1912, in honour of Albert Kimmerling, Lyon named a street after him
Rue Kimmerling

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimmerling, Albert 1882 births 1912 deaths Aviators from Lyon French people of Swiss descent Aviation history of France Aviation pioneers Members of the Early Birds of Aviation Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in France