The first Michelin prize was announced in March 1908. The principal prize, to be awarded annually for an initial period of eight years, was a prize for long distance flight, and consisted of a bronze statue as a trophy (valued at 10,000 FF-French francs) and a money prize of 20,000 FF. The flying club of the winner also received a replica of the trophy if they did not already own one. Administration and determination of the exact conditions for each year were delegated to the Aéro-Club de France (AeCF). Attempts to win the prize could be made anywhere in the world where there was a flying club associated with the AeCF.
At the same time, Prix d'Aviation Michelin was a special prize of 100,000 francs offered for a flight by an aircraft carrying a passenger, taking off from either the department of Seine or Seine-et-Oise, flying over the Arc de Triomphe and the cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand, and landing on the summit of the 1,456m (4,777ft)Puy de Dôme inside six hours starting from the Arc de Triomphe.[1] This was won by Eugène Renaux on 7 March 1911, flying a Maurice Farman biplane.[2]
In 1909, a second award, the British Empire Michelin Cup, was announced, for flights made by aviators who were citizens of the British Empire, flying aircraft of all-British manufacture. The original award therefore became known as the International Michelin Cup.
Won by Wilbur Wright with a flight made on 31 December 1908 at Le Mans officially reckoned as 124.7km (77.5mi). The course over which the flight was made was an isosceles triangle with two sides of 1km and a third of 200m, totalling 2.2km. The flight had to be made before sunset and only complete circuits counted. Wright took off at 2pm and completed 56 circuits before sunset. He then landed, flying a further 1.5km to set a new world distance record of 124.7km.[4]
1909
For the greatest distance exceeding 123.2km. in a closed circuit made before the end of the year: 20,000 francs, and a bronze replica of the Michelin trophy.[5]
Won by Henry Farman with a flight of 234.212km (145.533mi) lasting 4h 6m 25s made on 3 November 1909 at Chalons.[6]
In 1911, the closing date for the competition was brought forward to 31 October.
Won by E. Helen flying a Nieuport II monoplane on 8 September 1911, when he covered 1,252.8km (778.5mi) in 14hr 7min.[8]
1912
For the 1912 competition, the rules were considerably more elaborate. The flight had to be made over a course made up of three different circuits, each starting from the same point. The first and third, each of about 500km (310mi), had to have three or four compulsory landing-places, and the second, of 255km (158mi), one or two landing places. Refuelling was only allowed at the starting point of each circuit. The circuits had to be covered in order, and if a competitor landed somewhere other than a nominated airfield, they had to start that circuit again. For every 75kg of useful load carried apart from the pilot and necessary fuel, a bonus of 25% was allowed on the time, up to a maximum of 100 per cent. The extra load could be made up of passengers or ballast. Competing aircraft had to carry a sealed barograph, and an average speed of at least 40km/h (25mph) had to be maintained.[9]
The 1912 prize was not won by any competitor, and the prize money was added to the prize for the following year.[10]
1913
The 1913 competition was very different. It was awarded for the greatest distance flown on a series of consecutive days, flying over a 100km (62mi) course, with a compulsory landing after each circuit.
The Cup was won by Emmanuel Helen flying a Nieuport monoplane, with a total distance of 16,096.6km (10,002.0mi) flown between 22 October and 29 November 1913.[11]
1914
The nature of the competition was changed again for the 1914 competition, the prize being awarded for the fastest time over a circuit of about 3,000km (1,900mi). Won by Eugène Gilbert flying a Morane-Saulnier monoplane. Starting from Villacoublay at 03:04 on 8 June 1914, he flew via Peronne, Rheims, Saint-Dizier, Gray, Joigny, Beaune, Vienne and Nimes, landing at Mirande before reaching Pau, owing to running out of fuel. On the next day he flew via Pau, St. André de Cubzac, Romorantin, Angers, Evreux and Calais back to Villacoublay, landing at 18:37 p.m, having covered a distance of 2,970km (1,850mi) in 39h 35m.[12][13]
The result was the cause of considerable controversy. The best French time was achieved by Alphonse Poiré flying a Caudron C.60, who completed the circuit in 37h 23m.[14] A faster time of 35h 45m over an Italian circuit was achieved by Capt Raffaele Martinetti-Bianchi,[15][16] but he had not landed at the same aerodrome as he had departed from, since this had become waterlogged and he was not allowed to land there. The dispute between the Italian authorities, who had ratified his performance, and the Aéro-Club de France was taken to a specially appointed Fédération Aéronautique Internationale committee, which found in Martinetti's favour, but the AeCF disputed their judgement: eventually the prize was held to have been won by neither man, although in recognition of his performance the AeCF awarded the Gold Medal of the AeCF and a sum of money equal to the Michelin Prize to Poiré.[17]
1922-3
A five-year extension, with annual prizes of 20,000 francs, was announced in 1922. The time period of the annual competition was altered to run from the beginning of July in one year to the end of the following June.
At the request of the military aviation authorities, the 1925-6 competition was limited to competitors flying the principal French bombing aircraft, the Breguet 19.[20] The best time was achieved by Capt. Coslin, with Lieut Gérard as observer, with a time of 18h 0m 24s, a speed of 163.6km/h (101.7mph).[21]
However, since this time did not better the previous best, the cup did not change hands.[22]
In 1928, the prize was offered for a further four years. The winning flight had to be made in France, although the competition was open to all nationalities, and the competition was restricted to single-seater aircraft with an engine of 230hp or less. A minimum average speed of 185km/h (115mph) had to be maintained over the circuit, including time spent on the ground at the fifteen cities making up the circuit.[28] Won by Michel Détroyat, flying a Morane-Saulnier MS.230.[29]
Won by Marcel Haegelen flying the Lorraine-Hanriot LH.41, with a time of 11h 37m 21s, an average speed of 226.45km/h (140.71mph).[31]
1931-2
Won by Marcel Haegelen flying the Lorraine-Hanriot LH 41, completing the 2,631km (1,635mi) course at an average speed of 254km/h (158mph) on 23 June 1932.[32]
1932–3
Won by Michel Détroyat flying a Moraine Saulnier MS.234, completing the 2,902km (1,803mi) course at an average speed of 222.537km/h (138.278mph).[33]
1934
1935
Won by Maurice Arnoux flying a Caudron C.430/1, completing the 2,902km (1,803mi) course in 10h 7m, a speed of 286.85km/h (178.24mph).[34]
British Michelin cup
In 1909, Michelin instituted a United Kingdom award, offering an annual award for five years of a trophy and £500. The competition was limited to British subjects flying aircraft of British construction. Administration of the competition was entrusted to the Aero Club of Great Britain. [35][36]
1909–10
For the first year, the flight was to be around a closed circuit made up of two or more markers, and a minimum distance of 5 miles (8.0km) was specified. The closing date for the first competition was 31 March 1910.[37]
The rules for the 1910 competition, for which the closing date was 31 December 1910, were as before except that the minimum qualifying distance was raised to 38mi (61km).[39]
S F Cody shortly after winning his first Michelin Trophy in 1910
Announcement of a second prize, to be competed for during the following three years, with a trophy and a cash prize of £400 for 1911, £600 for 1912 and £800 for 1913, for the fastest time over a cross-country circuit.[41]
On 29 October 1911, the Michelin Cup No.1 was again won by Samuel Cody, flying his Circuit of Britain biplane261.5 miles (420.8km) in 5hr 15min at Laffan's Plain, also setting a new British duration record.[42]
The No.2 cup was also won by Cody, with a flight made on 11 September 1911 of a circuit starting at Laffan's Plain, Farnborough—Andover—Hendon—Brooklands—Farnborough, taking 3 hr 6 min 30 sec to complete the 125 miles (201km) course.[42]
1912
The rules were redefined for the 1912 competition: the No.1 cup and cash prize of £5,000 was purely for endurance, all flying to be done between sunrise and sunset. The No.2 cup and prize of £600 was for distance covered over a cross-country course of about 186mi (299km) of the competitor's choosing.[43]
The No.2 cup was won by Samuel Cody flying the Cody V, with a flight of 186 miles in 3hr 26m.[45]
1913
Michelin Cup No.1 for the longest distance flight round the course Brooklands–Hendon–Farnborough, with a minimum distance of 300 miles. Competitors had to make periodical stops of not less than five minutes, with engine stopped, on completing an entire circuit of the course plus one section: e.g., starting from Brooklands the competitor would pass Hendon, Farnborough, Brooklands, and alight at Hendon.[46] The prize had not been won by the closing date of 31 October 1913, so the closing date was extended to 14 November 1913.
The No.2 cup, for the fastest time round a circuit of the competitor's choice of about 450km, was not awarded. Although the prize was carried over to the next year, competition was terminated by the outbreak of World War I.[48]
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1912:
Gustav Wilhelm Hamel was a pioneer British aviator. He was prominent in the early history of aviation in Britain, and in particular that of Hendon airfield, where Claude Graham-White was energetically developing and promoting flying.
SPAD was a French aircraft manufacturer active between 1911 and 1921. Its SPAD S.XIII biplane was the most produced French fighter airplane of the First World War.
Isidore Auguste Marie Louis Paulhan, was a French aviator. He is known for winning the first Daily Mail aviation prize for the first flight between London and Manchester in 1910.
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 Farman III, also known as the Henry Farman 1909 biplane, was an early French aircraft designed and built by Henry Farman in 1909. Its design was widely imitated, so much so that aircraft of similar layout were generally referred to as being of the "Farman" type.
The Daily Mail Circuit of Britain air race was a British cross-country air race that took place from 1911 until 1914, with prizes donated by the Daily Mail newspaper on the initiative of its proprietor, Lord Northcliffe. It was one of several races and awards offered by the paper between 1906 and 1925.
Commandant Maurice Albert Alfred Jean Arnoux was a French World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. After the end of the First World War, he continued his aviation career during the 1930s as an air racer and aviation record setter until the Second World War. He returned to flying fighter planes during the early days of World War II, but was killed in action in 1940.
Ludovic Arrachart was a French aviator.
The Cody V was a single-engined biplane built by the British-based American aviation pioneer Samuel Franklin Cody in 1912. It was built from the remains of two of Cody's earlier aircraft, and won the 1912 British Military Aeroplane Competition, with two aircraft being purchased for the Royal Flying Corps. It was abandoned after the mid air disintegration of one of the aircraft in April 1913.
The Cody IV monoplane was a single-engined monoplane designed and built by the American-born but British-based aviation pioneer Samuel Franklin Cody in 1912. It was intended for entry into the 1912 British Military Aeroplane Competition, but was wrecked in a crash before the start of the competition.
The Cody Michelin Cup Biplane was an experimental aircraft designed and built in Britain during 1910 by Samuel Franklin Cody, a prominent showman and aviation pioneer. Cody had worked with the British Army on experiments with man-lifting kites and in October 1908 had successfully built and flown the British Army Aeroplane No 1, making the first officially verified powered flight in the United Kingdom. Cody broke the existing endurance record twice in the aircraft, the second flight, made on 31 December 1910, winning him the Michelin Cup for the longest-lasting flight made over a closed circuit in the United Kingdom before the end of the year.
The Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne was an 8-day aviation meeting held near Reims 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.
The Cody Circuit of Britain biplane, also known as the Cody III, was the third powered aircraft built by Samuel Franklin Cody. It was flown by him in various competitions during 1911, including the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain competition in which Cody was the only British contestant to complete the course. On 29 October Cody set a new British endurance record in the aircraft, flying for five hours and fifteen minutes.
The Aerial Derby was an air race in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Daily Mail in which the competitors flew a circuit around London. It was first held in 1912, with subsequent races in 1913 and 1914. Suspended during the First World War, the event was revived in 1919 with a "Victory Aerial Derby". Further races were held in 1920, 1921,1922 and 1923. Although a race was scheduled for 1924 there were insufficient entries, and the event was cancelled and not held again.
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.
Graham Gilmour was a British pioneer aviator, known for his impromptu public displays of flying. He was killed on 17 February 1912 when his Martin-Handasyde monoplane suffered a structural failure and crashed in the Old Deer Park in Richmond, London.
Léon Letort, 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. In 1913 he set the world record for the greatest distance travelled non-stop, flying 950 kilometres (590 mi) 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.
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 Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe was an international aeronautical speed competition instituted on 25 August 1909 by the French oil magnate Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe. The race was reinstated three times through the years at the initiative of the Aéro-Club de France, and later by Deutsch de la Meurthe's daughter Suzanne.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
