The ''Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne'' was an 8-day aviation meeting held near

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 b ...

in France in 1909, so-named because it was sponsored by the major local champagne growers. It is celebrated as the first international public flying event, confirming the viability of heavier-than-air flight. It marked the first contest for the prestigious Gordon Bennett Trophy, sponsored by Gordon Bennett, publisher of the

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the '' New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. Hi ...

, won by American

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...

in competition with Louis Bleriot. The meeting saw the breaking of the world record for distance, a flight of 180 km (110 mi) by Henri Farman, as well as the debut of the lightweight

Gnome A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

engine, which would achieve much acclaim.

Grande Semaine de la Champagne

Tribunes from the sky . The ''Grand Semaine d'Aviation'', held between 22 August and 29 August 1909, was sponsored by many of the leading makers of champagne including Moët et Chandon and

Mumm G. H. Mumm & Cie is a Champagne house founded in 1827 and based in Reims, France. G.H. Mumm is one of the largest Champagne houses and is currently ranked 4th globally based on number of bottles sold. The company is owned by Pernod Ricard. G ...

and organised by a committee headed by the Marquis de Polignac. It was the first international public flying event and was seen both at the time and by later historians as marking the coming of age of heavier-than-air aviation. Almost all of the prominent aviators of the time took part, and the 500,000 visitors included Armand Fallières, the President of the French Republic and the British

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Ch ...

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...

. It was held on the

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

Bétheny Bétheny () is a commune in the Marne department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geograph ...

, about north of Reims, which later became the

Reims – Champagne Air Base Reims – Champagne Air Base (french: Base aérienne 112 Reims-Champagne) is a former Front-line French Air and Space Force (french: Armée de l'Air) air base. The base is located approximately north of Reims; about northeast of Paris. Squadr ...

. A large grandstand was constructed for the event, together with a row of sheds to accommodate the aircraft. Next to the grandstand was the "Popular enclosure", complete with an enormous scoreboard. Amenities for the spectators included a restaurant that could seat 600 people, an area of specially laid lawn with bandstands and flowerbeds, and a post office, from which 50,000 postcards were sent each day and nearly a million words dispatched by press correspondents. The spectator area was only a few hundred metres from the Laon-Reims railway line, and a temporary station was provided. A rectangular competition course of , marked by four pylons was set up for the various competitions, with the strip intended for taking off and landing in front of the grandstands, opposite which was the timekeepers hut, provided with a signalling system to indicate to the spectators which event was being competed for. Flying conditions were primitive: the area over which much of the flying was to take place was farmland: some of the crops under cultivation had not been harvested and where this had been done there were haystacks: more than one flyer was to fall foul of these obstacles.

Events

*Sunday, 22 August — Contest to decide the French team for the Gordon-Bennett Trophy; ''Prix de la Vitesse'', (day 1); ''Prix du Tour de Piste'', (day 1); ''Prix des Aeronauts'', (day 1). *Monday, 23 August — ''Grand Prix de la Champagne'' (day 1); ''Prix du Tour de Piste'' (day 2); ''Prix des Aeronauts'' (day 2) . *Tuesday, 24 August — ''Grand Prix de la Vitesse'' (day 2) ; ''Prix du Tour de Piste'', (day 3); ''Prix des Aeronauts'' (day 3). *Wednesday, 25 August — ''Grand Prix de la Champagne'' (day 2); ''Prix du Tour de Piste'', (day 4); ''Prix des Aeronauts'' (day 4). *Thursday, 26 August — ''Grand Prix de la Champagne'' (day 3) ; ''Prix du Tour de Piste'', (day 5); ''Prix des Aeronauts'' (day 5); Landing competition for spherical balloons. *Friday, 27 August — ''Grand Prix de la Champagne'' (day 4); ''Prix du Tour de Piste'' (day 6); ''Prix des Aeronauts'' (day 6). *Saturday, August 28 — ''Coupe Internationale d'Aviation Gordon-Bennett''; ''Prix des Passagers'' (day 1); ''Prix du Tour de Piste'' (day 7); ''Prix des Aeronauts'' (day 7). *Sunday 29 August — ''Prix de la Vitesse'' (day 3); ''Prix des Passagers'' (day 2); ''Prix de l'Altitude''; ''Prix du Tour de Piste'' (day 8); ''Prix des Aeronauts'' (day 8)

The Gordon Bennett Trophy

This was the most prestigious event of the meeting, and was a competition between national teams, sponsored by Gordon Bennett, the publisher of the

and was being held for the first time. It consisted of a time trial over two laps of the circuit rather than a direct race, and each nation was allowed three entrants. The qualification trials for the French team on the Sunday morning were hampered by the weather conditions, with the most successful competitor, Eugène Lefebvre flying a French-built

Wright biplane The ''Wright Flyer'' (also known as the ''Kitty Hawk'', ''Flyer'' I or the 1903 ''Flyer'') made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft—an airplane—on December 17, 1903. Invented and flown ...

, narrowly failing to complete two laps of the course: the only other pilot to make a convincing flight was

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 the third place was later given to

Hubert Latham Arthur Charles Hubert Latham (10 January 1883 – 25 June 1912) was a French aviation pioneer. He was the first person to attempt to cross the English Channel in an aeroplane. Due to engine failure during his first of two attempts to cross ...

flying an Antoinette monoplane, on account of his performance in trials for the Prix de la Vitesse held later that day, during which "the wonderful and unprecedented spectacle was witnessed of seven machines in the air at one time". Other nations were represented by the

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

n aviator

and George Cockburn flying a French

Farman III The Farman III, also known as the Henry Farman 1909 biplane, was an early French aircraft designed and built by Henry Farman Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

: promised Italian and Austrian entries did not materialise. On the Saturday of the race Curtiss made the first flights, first making an attempt for the Circuit Prize and lowering the record to 7 m 55.4 s. Encouraged by this, he then made his attempt for the Trophy, completing the two laps in 15 m 50.4 s. Cockburn made the next attempt, but was unable to complete one lap. Lefebvre then made the first attempt by the French team, only managing a time of 20 m 47.6 s. Latham's time was 16 m 32 s. Blériot, flying last, managed a first lap time in the same time as Curtiss' second (faster) lap, but during the second round he was impeded by a squall, and his total time was 15 min 56.1 sec. Under the rules of the Trophy, Curtiss' victory meant that the next race would be held in America. Later in the day Blériot did secure one prize, that for the fastest circuit, with a time of 7 m 47.4 s."Tabulated Performances &c of the Rheims Meeting"
''Flight'' 4 September 1909 p.53

Grand Prix de Champagne et la Ville de Reims

This was a distance prize offering six prizes of 50,000, 25,000, 10,000, 5,000, 5,000, and 5,000 francs. The competition for this award resulted in the world record for distance being broken three times in three days, the prize eventually being won by Henri Farman with a flight of , flying a

Farman III The Farman III, also known as the Henry Farman 1909 biplane, was an early French aircraft designed and built by Henry FarmanTimes'' he was "seized upon by the enthusiastic crowd and carried in triumph to the buffet, where a scene of almost delirious excitement was witnessed" Although French by upbringing, Farman's father was British and he was therefore also technically British, this mixed nationality being celebrated by a military band playing both the French and the British national anthems to celebrate his victory. Farman had replaced the Vivinus engine of his aircraft, which was proving unreliable, with a Gnome Omega rotary engine just before the flight. Since the published rules of competition forbade any changes to the aircraft, his victory was contested by Latham and

Léon Levavasseur Léon Levavasseur (8 January 1863 – 26 February 1922) was a French powerplant engineer, aircraft designer and inventor. His innovations included the V8 engine, direct fuel injection, and liquid engine cooling. Primarily associated with ...

, the designer of the Antoinette aircraft and engine, but the change had been officially approved before the flight, and their complaint was not successful. The Reims meeting was the public debut of the Gnome engine, and although probably unappreciated by the majority of the spectators, this was one of the most significant events to take place at the Rheims meeting. The Gnome, designed and manufactured by the Seguin brothers, was both light in weight and relatively reliable, and was a major advance in aviation technology: Louis Blériot later saying "it enabled the industry to advance by leaps and bounds" Three other aircraft were flown using this engine at Reims, the others being the Farman biplanes belonging to Cockburn and

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 ...

and the Voisin belonging to Louis Paulhan

Grand Prix de la Vitesse

Offering four prizes of 10,000, 5,000, 3,000 and 2,000 francs, for the fastest time over three laps of the circuit. The final attempts for this were held on the last day, and after Curtiss' narrow victory over Blériot spectators were expecting an exciting duel. However, Blériot had a spectacular accident: his aircraft crashed and caught fire, and was destroyed: the prize went to Curtiss.

Prix des Passagers

A single prize of 10,000 francs, given to the aviator who carried the greatest number of passengers over one lap of the course: in the event of two contestant carrying the same number of passengers the prize going to the fastest. Won by Farman, the only pilot to carry two passengers.

Prix de l'Altitude

(Height Prize) of 10,000 francs. Won by

flying an

Antoinette VII The Antoinette VII was an early French aircraft, flown in 1909. History The VII was a further development of the Antoinette IV, with increased engine power and using a wing warping system implemented by Levavasseur for the Antoinette V in plac ...

with an altitude of

Prix du Tour de Piste

(Circuit Prize), of 7,000 and 3,000 francs. for the fastest single lap. Won by Louis Blériot, flying his Type XII monoplane, with a speed of 76.95 km/h (47.8 mph).

Prix des Aéronats

A speed trial over five laps for

dirigible An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

s. No attempts were made until the last day, when the French Army dirigible ''Colonel Renard'' won with a time of 1 hr. 19 m. The only other competitor was a

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pa ...

dirigible.

Flyers and aircraft

38 aircraft were entered for the event, but in the end only 23 actually flew, representing nine different types. 87 flights of more than were made The type which was best represented was the Voisin biplane, of which there were seven examples flown. This reflects Gabriel Voisin's position as the first manufacturer to achieve widespread sales of an aircraft, but by this time his design was obsolescent, the only notable achievement being Louis Paulhan's third place in the distance competition. Significantly, Paulhan's aircraft was fitted with a Gnome engine. The meeting effectively demonstrated the practicality of heavier than air aviation: it was evident that the major problem was the unreliability of the engines being used. Many previous notable aviation feats, such as Louis Blériot's recent crossing of the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

, had been made near the times of sunrise or sunset, when the air is often very still. In contrast, competition flying at Reims did not start until ten in the morning and ended at half past seven, and although high winds did cause the black flags signalling 'no flying' to be hoisted on occasion, all days saw some flying. The destruction by fire of Louis Blériot's aircraft on the last day was the most spectacular accident to occur during the meeting, and Blériot had been involved in another accident earlier in the week while practising for the passenger carrying event, when he had to make an emergency landing due to engine trouble, Unfortunately there was a troop of

dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

in the way: in swerving to avoid them, he collided with the railings separating the spectator area from the flying track. The damage was repaired overnight. At the time only one aviator had been killed in an aircraft crash, and ''Flight'' magazine could write of the "customary good luck of the aviator" Wednesday' Racing
''Flight'' 28 August 1909 when referring to aviators walking away from accidents which wrecked the aircraft: aircraft of the time were slow, generally flown at low altitudes and their wooden construction often meant that the force of impact was absorbed by the disintegration of the airframe, but within a month of the event two of the participating flyers, Lefebvre and Ferdinand Ferber, were to be killed in aircraft accidents.

References

{{reflist Aviation in France Air shows 1909 in aviation August 1909 sports events 1909 in French sport