Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés

Société de Production of Aéroplanes Deperdussin ( SPAD) was a French aircraft manufacturer.

The beginning - The era Deperdussin

The company was founded in 1909 by Armand SPAD Deperdussin, a silk manufacturer. Under his leadership, SPAD was an acronym for " Société pour Avions Deperdussin ". The company's headquarters was located in Bétheny at Reims.

Under chief engineer Louis BECHEREAU presented SPAD during the era Deperdussin some sensational racing aircraft ago:

• Deperdussin Type A
• Deperdussin Type B
• Deperdussin Monocoque Racer

The era Blériot

As Deperdussin was in 1913 arrested for embezzlement, was forced to declare bankruptcy and SPAD was then bought in 1914 by the aircraft pioneer Louis Blériot. Since Blériot one hand, wanted to give the company a different name, but on the other hand, wanted to keep the well-known initials of the work, they received from him the name " Société Pour L' Aviation et ses Dérives ". BECHEREAU worked closely with Swiss chief engineer of the company Hispano- Suiza Marc Birkigt.

Under the direction Blériot the team BECHEREAU / Birkigt presented at SPAD following known patterns here:

• SPAD A 1
• SPAD A 2

• SPAD A 3
• SPAD A 4
• SPAD A 5
• SPAD S.VI
• SPAD S.VII
• SPAD S.VIII
• SPAD S.IX
• SPAD s.XI
• SPAD S.XII
• SPAD S.XIII
• SPAD s.XIV
• SPAD S.XV
• SPAD S.XVI
• SPAD S.XVII
• SPAD S.XVIII
• SPAD S.XX
• SPAD S.XXI
• SPAD S.XXII
• SPAD S.XXIV
• SPAD S.26
• SPAD S.31

The end of the company

The highlight of the SPAD aircraft was the time of the First World War. After that, the reputation of the company took off, not least because Louis Blériot had founded after the war a new operation for the production of commercial aircraft, the Blériot Aéronautique had, and thus called a competitor of his own company in our life. In 1921, the previously autonomous SPAD was integrated into the Blériot Aéronautique; 1936 Bleriot airplane company, like other French aircraft manufacturer was also nationalized.