Aircraft Books - France - History, Types and Construction

French Aeroplanes Before the Great War

A catalog of the aeroplanes of the nearly 700 French builders who worked before the onset of World War I. Most of these aeroplanes flew - some did not - some were never even finished - but all of them reflect the extraordinary vitality and sense of optimism that powered the aeronautical world before the future of the aeroplane began to become clearer in wartime.

If the Wrights had not flown in 1903, one of the early French builders would very quickly have won the laurels for the first flight. Some of the machines appear in these pages probably for the first time in print; others are rarely seen.

This collection serves as a kind of super Exposition Internationale de Locomotion Aérienne; readers are invited to enter the Grand Palais, as they might have in 1908 or 1909, to enjoy these marvelous aircraft.

Early French Aviation, 1905-1930 (Images of Aviation)

France has been called the cradle of aviation by many - a fact that cannot be disputed, although some have tried. By the end of the 19th century, she led the world in lighter-than-air flight. Any concern about heavier-than-air flight was dismissed as inevitable, and France would achieve it in due course.
By the time Blériot bravely enquired 'Which way is England?' the country was ready to redress any perceived shortfall. Besides leading European aviation, France was the nation that named all the parts of an aeroplane with words many of which we still use everywhere today.

France was also the first nation to stage air exhibitions. Unlike their counterparts in Britain, Germany and America, French designers were thoroughly entrepreneurial and tried a wide variety of adventurous styles from pusher to canard and monoplane to multiplane.
In 1909 the first Air Show was held at the Grand Palais. The 'Exposition Internationale de locomotion aérienne' ushered in what was to become an enduring tradition. Every year, the aircraft exhibitions were a massive success.

It is not surprising that all this derring-do, all these technological achievements and all this innovation drew reporters and photographers like moths to a flame. The men, the machines, the places and the events all were recorded, reported, reproduced and then were filed away.
Hundreds of images appeared in print, but thousands were printed up only as contact prints from large-format glass negatives and then disappeared into albums to be forgotten about.

In the mid-1990s the author came across one such treasure-trove; a number of dust-covered albums containing around five hundred images of aircraft, airships and expositions - it is doubtful if most have appeared in print before, so this will probably be the first time the events of these French pioneers have ever been showcased.

From the Voisin to the Mirage : 100 Years of French Aeronautic Presence in Peru

From the very beginning of aviation in South America, French aircraft and aviators played a major part in the development of military flying in Peru.

This book covers the use of French aircraft and the involvement of French designers, instructors and military thinking in the development of the Peruvian air force. From 'stick and string' biplanes through to supersonic jets, many of the most significant French types saw service in Peru and were involved in local conflicts, as detailed in this book.

Profusely illustrated with many rare photographs and colour profiles of selected aircraft in Peruvian markings.

Lorraine-Dietrich - De la voiture de grand luxe au géant de l'aéronautique (Collection Prestige)

Créateur de voitures de grand luxe et animateur des Grands Prix à la Belle Epoque, motoriste aéronautique de renom international et double vainqueur des 24 Heures du Mans dans les Années Folles, à l'origine d'un consortium géant de l'aviation et constructeur de vedettes lance-torpilles dans les années 1930...
Voici quelques-unes des multiples facettes de la société Lorraine-Dietrich, dont cet ouvrage raconte l'histoire pour la première fois de façon exhaustive.

Le récit couvre ainsi toutes les productions ayant porté la croix de Lorraine, et il fait la part belle aux principaux protagonistes, Adrien de Turckheim, Léon Turcat, Charles Nicaise, Marius Barbarou, Claude Bonnier, sans oublier les implications méconnues des ingénieurs Giustino Cattaneo, Louis de Groulart, Lucien Sabathier, Giulio Cesare Cappa, Lucien Fabre, Charles Picker et Albert Lory.

Pour être complet, le portrait de Lorraine-Dietrich est enrichi par celui de ses filiales : Isotta Fraschini, Lorraine-Dietrich Ltd., Clément-Bayard, Industria Aeronautica Romana (IAR), l'ambitieuse Société Générale Aéronautique (SGA), et enfin Aero-Marine Engines Ltd.

La période finale retrace la nationalisation avec la Société Nationale de Construction de Moteurs (SNCM), l'occupation de l'usine par BMW pendant la guerre, puis la reconversion avec la SNECMA avant la disparition de l'entreprise en 1951.