Famous French Aviators

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 1 
Roland Garros
(French Aviation Pioneer and Fighter Pilot)
Roland Garros
3
Birthdate: October 6, 1888
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Saint-Denis, Réunion, France
Died: October 5, 1918
 2 
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier
(Aviator)
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier
3
Birthdate: August 26, 1740
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Annonay, France
Died: June 26, 1810

Joseph-Michel Montgolfier was a French aviation pioneer and balloonist. Along with his brother Jacques-Étienne, he invented the Montgolfière-style hot air balloon and launched the first confirmed piloted ascent by man in 1783. The first ascent carried Jacques-Étienne. The innovative brothers also invented a process to manufacture transparent paper. Joseph invented the self-acting hydraulic ram as well. 

 3 
Louis Blériot
(Aviator, Engineer, Inventor, Aerospace engineer)
Louis Blériot
2
Birthdate: July 1, 1872
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cambrai
Died: August 2, 1936

Louis Blériot was a French aviator, engineer, and inventor. He is credited with developing the first workable headlamp for cars. He is also credited with making the first working, piloted monoplane. Blériot achieved worldwide fame in 1909 when he became the first person to fly across the English Channel. Louis Blériot also founded the successful aircraft manufacturing company, Blériot Aéronautique.

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 4 
Georges Guynemer
(Iconic French Fighter Pilot of World War I)
Georges Guynemer
2
Birthdate: December 24, 1894
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: September 11, 1917

One of the best-known French fighter pilots of World War I, Georges Guynemer reportedly shot 54 enemy planes. Awarded with honors such as the Légion d'honneur and the Médaille militaire, he was a national hero. He went MIA and was later declared dead after he failed to return from a combat mission in 1917.

 5 
René Fonck
(French Aviator Who Shot Down 75 Planes during World War I)
René Fonck
4
Birthdate: March 27, 1894
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Saulcy-sur-Meurthe, France
Died: June 18, 1953

French aviator René Fonck is remembered for shooting down 75 planes during World War I and was considered one of the Allied Ace of Aces. He not only received the Médaille Militaire but was also made Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur. He later became a demonstration and racing pilot and a military aviation inspector.

 6 
Charles Nungesser
(Legendary French Ace Pilot in World War I)
Charles Nungesser
1
Birthdate: March 15, 1892
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: May 8, 1927

French ace pilot Charles Nungesser scored 43 combat victories during World War I. Starting his career as a mechanic in Argentina, he soon became a racer and then stepped into aviation. Nicknamed the Knight of Death, he disappeared while trying to complete the world’s first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York.

 7 
Olivier Chandon de Brailles
(French Race Car Driver and Champagne Tycoon Who Died in a Car Crash)
Olivier Chandon de Brailles
0
Birthdate: September 17, 1955
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: France
Died: March 2, 1983

French race car driver Olivier Chandon de Brailles and Moët et Chandon Champagne heir. Apart from race car driving, he also excelled in sky diving and martial arts. He died by drowning in a canal after a horrific car crash during a practice race at age 27.

 8 
Marie Marvingt
(French Athlete Who Was the First Female Fighter Pilot and Held Countless Sports Records)
Marie Marvingt
1
Birthdate: February 20, 1875
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Aurillac, in Cantal, France
Died: December 14, 1963

Refused entry in the Tour de France because she was a woman, French athlete Marie Marvingt finished the course by herself. An aviator and mountaineer, too, she later made many sporting records. She was the first female fighter pilot. She had also been a journalist, a medical officer, and a ski school instructor.

 9 
Robert Esnault-Pelterie
(French Aircraft Designer Known for His Contributions to the Beginnings of Heavier-Than-Air Flight in Europe)
Robert Esnault-Pelterie
1
Birthdate: November 8, 1881
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 6, 1957
French aircraft designer Robert Esnault-Pelterie was the first to build ailerons for maintaining lateral control. He also coined the term astronautics. He pioneered several designs of monoplanes and was named to the International Space Hall of Fame. There is a crater on the Moon that bears his name.
 10 
Leo Valentin
(French Adventurer Who Made the First Attempt to Fly Using Wooden Wings)
Leo Valentin
0
Birthdate: March 22, 1919
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Épinal, France
Died: May 20, 1956

Birdman Leo Valentin was a French adventurer who became the first person to fly with wooden wings attached to his arms, back in the 1950s. He began his career as a parachute instructor with the French army. He died due to a failed flying stunt during an air show in Liverpool.

 11 
Gabriel Voisin
(French Aviation Pioneer and the Creator of Europe’s First Manned, Engine-Powered, Heavier-Than-Air Aircraft)
Gabriel Voisin
0
Birthdate: February 5, 1880
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Belleville-sur-Saone, France
Died: December 25, 1973
French aviation pioneer Gabriel Voisin was the creator of Europe's first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft. His company became a major producer of military aircraft, notably the Voisin III during World War I. Subsequently, he switched to the design and production of luxury automobiles under the name Avions Voisin. The French aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer was inspired by Clément Ader.
 12 
Paul Cornu
(French Engineer Known for Designing the World’s First Successful Manned 'Rotary Wing Aircraft')
Paul Cornu
1
Birthdate: June 15, 1881
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Glos-la-Ferrière, La Ferté-en-Ouche, France
Died: June 6, 1944
French engineer Paul Cornu designed and built the first helicopter to perform a manned free flight. His twin-rotor craft, powered by a 24-horsepower engine, flew briefly at Coquainvilliers in 1907.  Cornu's performance was a considerable progress as his aircraft flew without additional support. Even though his name was written in aviation history, Cornu’s design proved impractical and soon was abandoned.
 13 
Henri Farman
(British-French Aviator Who Popularized the Use of Ailerons to Control the Ascent or Descent of Aircraft)
Henri Farman
0
Birthdate: May 26, 1874
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: July 17, 1958

Henri Farman was an Anglo-French aviator and aircraft designer. Along with his brothers Maurice Farman and Richard, he also manufactured aircraft. As a young man, he was very passionate about cycle racing and motor racing. He eventually ventured into aviation and used his aircraft to set many official records. He later opened a flying school. 

 14 
Maurice Farman
(British-French Aviation Pioneer, Motor Racer, Cyclist, and Aircraft Manufacturer)
Maurice Farman
2
Birthdate: March 21, 1877
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: February 25, 1964

British-French motor racer, aviator, and aircraft manufacturer Maurice Farman was also a champion in tandem cycling. He and his brother, Henri, completed the world’s first circular flight of over 1km. He also made pioneering studies in aerial radiotelephony, while his company introduced the world’s first long-distance passenger plane, Goliath.

 15 
Edith Clark
(The First Woman to be Employed as an Electrical Engineer in the US)
Edith Clark
2
Birthdate: June 15, 1904
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: France
Died: March 16, 1937

Initially a math teacher at a private school, US academic, engineer, and inventor Edith Clark later became the US’s first professional female electrical engineer and first female professor of electrical engineering. In 1926, she became the world’s first woman to present a paper at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.