René Simon (aviator)
René Simon | |
|---|---|
 René Simon, ca 1911 | |
| Born | December 8, 1885 |
| Other names | "Flying Fool" |
| Occupation | aviator |
René Simon (December 8, 1885 – April 21, 1947) was a French aviator.[1]
Biography
He was born in Paris and earned French license #177 from the Aero Club De France. He toured the United States in 1911–12 with the Moisant International Aviators. He became known for daring tactics and was called the Flying-Fool by the public.[2] The first airplane rescue at sea by another airplane was made when on 14 August 1911 Simon had been flying over Lake Michigan in a monoplane and accidentally dived too low. Pilot Hugh Robinson in a Curtiss hydroplane spotted him and sent boats to his rescue.[3]
In February 1911 the Mexican government engaged Simon to reconnoiter rebel positions near Juarez, Mexico.[4][5] During World War I he commanded a squadron that taught acrobatic tactics to fighter pilots. Simon was married by the time of World War I and had a commission as a Capitaine(Captain). He and his wife often dined with high-ranking military officials.
René Simon died in Cannes on 21 April 1947.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Rene Simon, Earlyaviators.com
- ^ "René Simon". THE EARLY BIRDS OF AVIATION. George Ficke. 2005. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
- ^ Kane 1997, p. 37.
- ^ Kenneth Baxter Ragsdale Wings over the Mexican Border 1984 "In February 1911, the Mexican government engaged René Simon, a member of an aerial circus touring the southwestern United States, to reconnoiter rebel positions near Juarez, Mexico."
- ^ Gavin Mortimer Chasing Icarus: The Seventeen Days in 1910 That Forever Changed American Aviation 2010 Page 263 "René Simon and René Barrier had ."
- ^ "Les écoles militaires de pilotage de 1911 à 1918".
Sources
- Kane, Joseph Nathan (1997). Famous First Facts, Fifth Edition. The H. W. Wilson Company. ISBN 0-8242-0930-3.
The first airplane rescue at sea by another airplane was made by Hugh Robinson on August 14, 1911. Pilot Rene Simon had been flying over Lake Michigan in a monoplane and dived down to wave to some motorboats. Unable to rise, he crashed into the lake. Robinson, in a Curtiss hydroplane, flew over to Simon and found him in his floating plane smoking a cigar. Robinson hailed several people in motorboats, and they towed Simon and his monoplane to the shore.
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