Dufaux 4

The Dufaux 4 is a single-seat aircraft in the French-Swiss aviation pioneers Henri and Armand Dufaux.

Design and development

The Dufaux 4 was designed by the brothers Henri and Armand Dufaux as a biplane, had room for the pilot and differed only slightly from comparable structures - two wings, triangular fuselage cross-section - from the pioneering years of aviation engine. It was an experimental aircraft and a further development of the remaining nameless model 2 with eight wings and a built by the brothers triplane (Model 3 ).

The biplane was constructed from mid- September 1909 within a few weeks - the brothers hoped their design to win the the Automobile Club of Switzerland (ACS ) units awarded cash prize of 1,000 Swiss francs for the first in Switzerland built airplane, the closed one circle could fly one kilometer in diameter.

The appointed on October 5, 1909 three-cylinder Anzani aircraft engine of type " traversée de la Manche " was delivered in November - too late to participate in the competition of the ACS. In early December, the brothers began around Corsier in Geneva with the test flights. The plane took quite short off the ground, but flew only a few meters. The Dufaux ' suspected that the take-off distance was too short and moved their flight tests on a larger meadow at Viry. On December 16, 1909, she continued the test flights, and get them on the afternoon of the same day the first successful flights. The next day brought repeated problems when lifting: After Henri Dufaux the start was successful, he brought the plane in about 15 meters altitude for coating and touched with the left wing of the ground. The crash he survived, although unharmed, but the wings and the propellers were severely damaged; the engine, however, could still be used. The brothers put the machine repaired immediately, to show them the occasion of the air shows in Colombier from 9 to 11 January 1910. They could start because of bad weather is not, but received the first orders for the double-decker now known as Dufaux 4. In June and July 1910 Armand and Henri Dufaux reach successful flights over eight, on July 10 about 23 km, topped by a 31minütigen flight on 12 July 1910.

Use

End of 1909, the automotive pioneers Perrot Duval had announced a prize of his time stately 5,000 Swiss francs for the promotion of aviation development.

On August 28, 1910 Armand started by 5 clock of 45 for Noville / St. Gingolph and flew near the south shore in about 50 meters altitude above the Lake of Geneva to Geneva - the approximately 66 -kilometer flight Stretched he mastered in 56 minutes and 5 seconds. Armand Dufaux had ventured with this pioneering achievement to date the world's longest flight over open water and won the units awarded prize money of Perrot Duval price for the crossing of Lake Geneva over its entire length.

In the months after the record flight of 28 August 1910, the brothers Dufaux made ​​numerous additional flights and participated with other flight pioneers - including Pierre Emile Taddéoli ( 1879-1920 ), flying boat pioneer and until 1920, chief pilot of the later Ad Astra Aero - at air shows, which brought them to the United States.

The Swiss military had the use of the Dufaux 4 rejected in May 1910 as they appeared to the person responsible for military use unsuitable. The improved Dufaux 5 biplane led Failloubaz Ernest ( 1892-1919 ) - 19 years old at the time the youngest pilot in Switzerland - from 4 to 6 September 1911, the Swiss army before by the with his friend Gustave Lecoultre as observers in the maneuvers 1st Army Corps flew reconnaissance missions. Despite a crash landing on the last day of the three day mission mark these flights the beginning of the Swiss military aviation.

Specifications

Variants

Also took place on Lake Geneva in December 1910, the testing of a Dufaux 4 (M) as a seaplane with a central, transverse to the flight direction swimmers. The Dufaux 4 was due to the Anzani engine equipped with aircraft engines Gnôme et Rhône and the 8- cylinder V- engine Antoinette ENV; latter version is on display in the Museum of Transport in Lucerne Switzerland. The total number of produced machines needs to be clarified, but is likely to have at least 15 aircraft along with the Dufaux 5.

The Dufaux 4 today

On 28 August 2010, the aeronautical pioneer of Armand Dufaux repeated and the Lake Geneva by Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier along the historic route of 1910 should be overflown. The working group " Faux Dufaux " built for the 100th anniversary of the flight of Transport issued the Dufaux 4, the oldest Swiss aircraft, after. Individuals, lecturers, trainees and students - - At the project with a budget of 4.7 million Swiss francs, a total of about 3,000 workers involved ETH Lausanne, western Switzerland vocational and technical high schools.

However, the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation ( FOCA) previously refused admission to the replica and demanded the redesign of essential parts. Nicollier stated in September 2011, she intends to use his good relations with the FOCA to still to help the Dufaux replica to start.