Louis Paulhan
Louis Paulhan (* 1883 in Pezenas, † February 10, 1963 in Saint -Jean -de -Luz ) was a French pilot.
Life and work
Paulhan was an airship designer, who showed interest in the model. He won a model competition in which the first prize would have been a construction of the best model in full size. Since the model was, however, made very complex, he was offered instead a plane cell. Paulhan procured for the cell a matching engine, learned to fly and earned a pilot license # 10 in France. Paulhan attracted attention, for example in Douai in 1909, where he won several competitions at air shows. He completed his first record flight in which he 134 km in 2 h 43 min 24 s lay back. In 1910 he succeeded more records:
- On the Dominguez International Air Meet in Los Angeles on 10 - 20th January 1910 he became the great flight star. His maneuvers enthusiastic spectators. He sat with a Farman III a new altitude record of 1269 meters and a flight duration record with 1 hour and 49 minutes.
- On April 19, 1910 he set a new cross-country flight record. With a Farman III, he flew 186 km from Orleans to near Trois.
- On 27 and 28 April of the same year he won the 300 km air race of the Daily Mail between London and Manchester. He needed for 296.1 km approximately 12 hours ( were allowed 24 hours) at an effective flight time of 4 hours 12 minutes and thus received the prize money of 10,000 pounds sterling.
In 1911 he developed with the aviation theorist Victor Tatin monoplane the Aero Torpille with pusher propeller.
In the first World War, he participated as a fighter pilot. After the fighting ended, he worked as a designer of seaplanes.
In 1927 he founded together with the aviation experts Robert Dete, Enea Bossi and Pierre Prier Société Continentale Parker, which aim at introducing modern methods of surface engineering in the French aviation industry. Thanks to good relations succeeded a license from the Parker Rust Proof Inc to get Detroit for phosphating, after which followed a distribution agreement with the Udylite Corporation for electroplating. The Company has gained dominant market positions, which continue in the successor organizations Chemetall GmbH and Coventya GmbH.