Antoinette was a French manufacturer of light petrol engines. Antoinette also became a pioneer-era builder of aeroplanes before World War I, most notably the record-breaking monoplanes flown by Hubert Latham and René Labouchère. Based in Puteaux, the Antoinette concern was in operation between 1903 and 1912. The company operated a flying school at Chalons for which it built one of the earliest flight simulators.
The Blériot XI is a French aircraft from the pioneer era of aviation. The first example was used by Louis Blériot to make the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, on 25 July 1909. This is one of the most famous accomplishments of the pioneer era of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in history but also assured the future of his aircraft manufacturing business. The event caused a major reappraisal of the importance of aviation; the English newspaper The Daily Express led its story of the flight with the headline "Britain is no longer an Island".
Fabre Hydravion is the name used in English-language sources for an originally unnamed experimental floatplane designed by Henri Fabre. The aircraft is notable as the first to take off from water under its own power.
The Voisin Canard was an aircraft developed by Voisin brothers during 1910 and first flown early in 1911. It was named the Canard because of the resemblance of its forward fuselage to that of a duck's long neck while in flight. It was originally flown as a landplane: with the addition of floats it became one of the first seaplanes used by the French Navy.
The Antoinette IV was an early French monoplane.
The Maurice Farman MF.7 Longhorn is a French biplane developed before World War I which was used for reconnaissance by both the French and British air services in the early stages of the war before being relegated to service as a trainer.
The Astra C was a 1912 French single engine biplane, manufactured by Société Astra at Villacoublay. In 1913, the Astra CM Hydro-avion three-seat floatplane version was used to make the world's first scheduled passenger-carrying flights.
The Morane-Borel monoplane was an early French single-engine, single-seat aircraft. It was flown in several European air races.
Aéroplanes Hanriot et Cie. or simply 'Hanriot' was a French aircraft manufacturer with roots going back to the beginning of aviation. Founded by René Hanriot in 1910 as The Monoplans Hanriot Company Ltd. the company survived in different forms until 1916 when it established itself with the Hanriot-Dupont (HD.) fighters and observation aircraft. The company lasted through several takeovers and structural changes until in 1936 it merged with Farman to become the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Centre (SNCAC). 'Central Air Works' consortium.
Léon Levavasseur 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 Antoinette company, he continued to experiment with aircraft design after the company went bankrupt.
The Nieuport IV was a French-built sporting, training and reconnaissance monoplane of the early 1910s.
The 1910 Deperdussin monoplane was the first aircraft to be built in significant quantities by Aéroplanes Deperdussin. The type was produced in a number of variants which were flown successfully in air races and gained several records during 1911, and was used by the Australian Central Flying School at Point Cook, Victoria. Several have survived, including an airworthy example in the Shuttleworth Collection in England.
The pioneer era of aviation was the period of aviation history between the first successful powered flight, generally accepted to have been made by the Wright Brothers on 17 December 1903, and the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.
The Lioré et Olivier LeO 8, Lioré et Olivier LeO 8-Cau 2 or Lioré et Olivier LeO 8 CAN 2 was a French two seat, parasol wing monoplane night fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, built in 1923.
The Potez 28 was a French aircraft designed in the 1920s to set distance records, built in both sesquiplane and monoplane versions. Only two were completed but both set several long distance records.
The Caudron Type C was a single seat French biplane, intended for military evaluation. Two were built in 1911.
The SABCA Demonty-Poncelet monoplane, Demonty-Poncelet limousine or SABCA-DP was a Belgian light aircraft first flown in 1924. It had two comfortable side-by side seats in a glazed cabin. Though it had competition successes in 1924 and 1925, it did not go into production.
The Farman HF.10 was a reconnaissance aircraft built in France shortly before the First World War.
The Reims Military Aviation Competition was a military aviation competition held in Reims 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.
The Morane-Borel military monoplane was an unsuccessful French single-engine, multi-seat prototype aircraft built in 1911 for the Reims Military Aviation Competition hosted by the French Army. The aircraft only met one of the requirements and was eliminated from the competition.
