Henri Fabre
| Henri Fabre | |
|---|---|
 Henri Fabre on Hydroplane on 28 March 1910 |
|
| Born | November 29, 1882 France |
| Died | June 30, 1984 (aged 101) France |
Biography [edit]
Henri Fabre (November 29, 1882 – June 30, 1984) was a French aviator and the inventor of Le Canard, the first seaplane in history.[1]
Henri Fabre was born into a prominent family of shipowners in the city of Marseilles. He was educated in the Jesuit College of Marseilles where he undertook advanced studies in sciences. He then studied intensively aeroplane and propeller designs. He patented a system of flotation devices which he used when he succeeded in taking off from the surface of the Etang de Berre on March 28, 1910. On that day, he completed four consecutive flights, the longest about 600 meters. "Le Canard" has survived and is displayed in the airport at Marseilles. Henri Fabre was soon contacted by Glenn Curtiss and Gabriel Voisin who used his invention to develop their own seaplanes.
As late as 1971, the aged Fabre could still be seen sailing his own boat single handedly in Marseille harbor. He died at the age of 101 as one of the last living pioneers of human flight.
References [edit]
- ^ Naughton, Russell (May 15, 2002). "Henri Fabre (1882-1984)". Monash University Centre for Telecommunications and Information Engineering. Monash University. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
External links [edit]
|
 |
This biographical article related to aviation is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  |
This French engineer or inventor biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
