How It Flies; or, The Conquest of the Air / The Story of Man's Endeavors to Fly and of the Inventions by Which He Has Succeeded

by Richard Ferris

LEON DELAGRANGE.

Leon Delagrange was born at Orleans, France, in 1873. He entered the School of Arts as a student in sculpture, about the same time that Henri Farman went there to study painting, and Gabriel Voisin, architecture. He exhibited at the Salon, and won several medals. In 1905, he took up aeronautics, assisted at the experiments of M. Archdeacon. His first aeroplane was built by Voisin, and he made his first flight at Issy, March 14, 1907. Less than a month later—on April 11—he made a new record for duration of flight, remaining in the air for 9 minutes and 15 seconds—twice as long as the previous record made by Farman.

Leblanc, Bleriot, and Delagrange, (from left to right) in aviation dress, standing in front of the Bleriot machine which crossed the English Channel.

At Rheims, in 1909, he appeared with a Bleriot monoplane, and continued to fly with that type of machine until his death. At Doncaster, England, he made the world record for speed up to that time, travelling at the rate of 49.9 miles per hour. He was killed at Bordeaux, France, in January, 1910, by the fall of his machine.