Bleriot Week at Seville

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Nick Forder
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:58 pm

Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Nick Forder » Thu Nov 05, 2015 4:10 pm

Hi Anders
I found your piece on Semana de Aviacion de Sevilla, while researching this :

“A Bleriot Week for Seville. A WEEK of flying on Bleriot machines has been arranged by M. Borel to take place at Seville from May 1st to 8th, when the performers will be M. Bleriot, J. de Lesseps, Mr. Claude Grahame-White, and M. Barrier.” Flight 16.4.1910

Presumably, this was an attempt by Gabriel Borel to eek out a little more from his financial commitment to Spain ?

Given what I've rad about the Semana de Aviacion de Sevilla , I do wonder if this event ever took place, especially with Bleriot & Grahame White.

Any thoughts ?
Nick

Anders
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Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 1:35 pm

Re: Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Anders » Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:35 am

Hi Nick and welcome to the forum!
As can be seen from our Seville pages the event did really take place.

Grahame-White backed out at a very late stage, after the first posters and programs had been printed. The reasons given in the Spanish press were unclear, but some hinted at a crash. During his first failed effort for the "Daily Mail" London-Manchester Prize his Farman was indeed wrecked on the ground by wind, only one week before the start of the Seville meeting. The true reason was probably that having got so close he decided to stay in Britain to try again for the very lucrative prize (£ 10,000), rather than leaving for Spain. During the second try April 27th - 28th he was famously beaten by Louis Paulhan.

Blériot was never in Seville. Many meeting organizers published impressive lists of famous pilots "under contract negociations" that eventually never turned up.

Borel was indeed deeply involved in organizing the meeting, like the similar meeting in Barcelona one month later, where Blériot actually did partcipate.

Anders

Nick Forder
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:58 pm

Re: Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Nick Forder » Mon Nov 09, 2015 2:19 pm

So, the Seville meeting did not take place on 1-10 April, but on 1-8 May, and the 16.4.1910 Flight report was actually to promote the Seville meeting ?

The changing of dates for meetings must have caused all sorts of problems, but does explain the slightly odd combination of aviators who appeared at the St Petersburg event, for instance.

I assume, as a Bleriot agent, Borel would have had great hopes of Louis Bleriot attending the meeting at Saville, if only to give a demonstration flight, as he did at Bournemouth ?

Nick Forder
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:58 pm

Re: Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Nick Forder » Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:30 pm

Did Borel organize further events in Spain, after Seville and Barcelona, as this report appears:

"Morane Tries for the Michelin a Grand Prix. Fresh from his triumphs in Spain, Morane, after spending a few days at Etampes testing a new two-seated Bleriot fitted with a 100-h.p. Gnome engine, flew over to Issy to try for the Michelin Grand Prix of £4,000." Flight, October 8, 1910

Nick Forder
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:58 pm

Re: Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Nick Forder » Tue Nov 10, 2015 12:25 pm

Found the answer :
"The San Sebastian Meeting. At the three days flying meeting which opened at San Sebastian on September 27th, Morane was the star performer. On the opening day before the King of Spain, he made several flights of a total duration of 25 minutes, and afterwards had the honour of explaining his Bleriot monoplane to King Alfonso. On the following day he made four flights of a little over half an hour's duration when the proceedings were enlivened by the arrival of Tabuteau from Biarritz. After landing and adjusting his machine he made two other flights of a total duration of 17 minutes. On the 29th, Morane made three flights as also did Tabuteau, while Loygorry, a Spanish aviator, made two trips, each of these aviators being in the air for about 25 minutes. Competing for the height prize, which he easily won, Morane reached an altitude of 800 metres. Subsequently King Alfonso conferred on both Morane and Tabuteau the Cross of the Order of Carlos III." Flight October 8, 1910

Anders
Posts: 130
Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 1:35 pm

Re: Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Anders » Sun Nov 15, 2015 1:11 pm

Hi Nick and please forgive me for the late approval of your posts!

My only explanation for the 16.4.1910 "Flight" article is that they mixed up the Seville meeting with the Barcelona meeting, which actually took place on 1-8 May. The list of participants fits better with Barcelona. I was mixed up too in my previous reply - Grahame-White was announced for both meetings, and backed out of both, but the explanation I gave was the one for the Barcelona meeting!

According to his biography (by Graham Wallace, 1960), Grahame-White was at Mourmelon and made his first flight on his new Farman on 27 March. It then records that he went to London on 15 April, the Farman following shortly. Inbetween he probably practised at Mourmelon. On 10 April he flew at Chalons, according to Flight. He would have had little time for Barcelona.

Anders

Nick Forder
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:58 pm

Re: Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Nick Forder » Sun Nov 15, 2015 1:59 pm

Thanks for this. I'll check through Wallace for the details.

Can you confirm that Mourmelon-le-Grand and Camp Chalons, though geographically close, are not the same aerodrome ?
Thanks
Nick

Anders
Posts: 130
Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 1:35 pm

Re: Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Anders » Sun Nov 15, 2015 3:30 pm

I can't say I know, but I believe it was a matter of which side of the field you were on - Camp de Châlons was the military establishment and Mourmelon-le-Grand the address of Farman and the other aviation companies there.

Anders

Nick Forder
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:58 pm

Re: Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Nick Forder » Mon Nov 16, 2015 4:22 pm

Interesting.

Mourmelon is where Farman made his 1 km flight, and the use of Chalons seems to be a bit later than this.

Gabriel Borel leased out hangars at Mourmelon, so he must have owned/controlled the site.

Supposedly he had a flying school there (associated with his Bleriot & Sommer agencies), yet the Bleriot school is at Chalons, and I have read that you had to take your brevet at Chalons, initially, as you couldn't do this at Mourmelon !

Anders
Posts: 130
Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 1:35 pm

Re: Bleriot Week at Seville

Postby Anders » Mon Nov 16, 2015 6:23 pm

Nick Forder wrote:Mourmelon is where Farman made his 1 km flight

No, that was at Issy-les-Moulineaux!
Anders


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