(1869 - 1921, French licence No. 17)
Alfred Leblanc was born in Paris on April 13th,
1869. He studied metallurgical engineering and from 1888
worked as a manager in the metal-working industry. He was
a sportsman and active in a Paris gymnastic society. In
1904 he became interested in ballooning and came to make
hundreds of flights. He participated successfully in
several balloon races, the most spectacular perhaps the
1912 Gordon Bennett Trophy, where his balloon lifted off
in Stuttgart and landed south of Moscow after a world
record beating flight of more than 2,000 kilometres, but
only good enough for second place.
He became a friend and customer of Louis Blériot and a
trusted partner of the famous pilot. He was an excellent
organizer and administrator and it was much thanks to him
that Blériot's successful flights and industrial
efforts were possible.
However, he was also an active pilot and participated in
many meetings, starting with the 1909 Reims meeting. He
would probably easily have won the 1910 Gordon Bennett
Trophy race for Blériot if he hadn't run out of fuel
and crashed into a telegraph pole, and he won the 1910
Circuit de l'Est, the first great cross country race.
In 1911 he set an absolute world speed record at 125 km/h
in a Blériot XXIII.
After brief service as an instructor for privates during
WW1 he returned to the direction of the Blériot/SPAD
industries, becoming general manager of the Blériot
factory at Suresnes. After the war he became responsible
for winding down and liquidating most of the Blériot/SPAD
operations. In 1919 he became manager of the airline
"Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes", set up
by a conglomerate of airplane manufacturers, and of the
"Société des Stocks", which was formed to
dispose of surplus aviation materiel from the war.
Alfred Leblanc died of heart failure on November 22nd,
1921, according to his employees worn out by his
relentless work during and after the war.
He qualified for French "Brevet de Pilote" No.
17 on December 16th, 1909, He was the first to be granted
the license after an observed examination, rather than an
evaluation of past achievements.
Alfred Leblanc participated in the following 1909-1910
air race meetings:
- Reims 1909
- Brescia 1909
- Berlin 1909
- Biarritz 1910
- Reims 1910
- Circuit de l'Est 1910
- Baie de Seine 1910
- Belmont Park, 1910