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Title: Pau Aviation |
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Description: Pau-Aviation -- Paris - Pau Trophy This poster depicts an eagle in flight with a dirigible, a Bleriot and an Antoinette monoplane; it announces the Paris - Pau Trophy competition, a 20,000 franc prize for the first aviator to fly from Paris to Pau, France. According to the regulations for the competition, announced in March 1911, the winning pilot had to start from the Issy airfield in Paris and fly into Pau within three days. He could make as many stops as necessary , but each landing had to be recorded and signed by witnesses. After one unsuccessful attempt, Jules Vedrines, a famous cross country flier, won the trophy on April 24, flying his Morane monoplane into Pau on the second day of his 480 mile journey. Located in the resort area of southwestern France, Pau was an important and active city in the early history of French aviation. The Wright brothers established the world’s first flying school here in January 1909. The Bleriot and Antoinette companies soon followed the Wright’s lead, and Pau became a major training center where hundreds of students earned their flying certificates. In addition, the Astra Company, a significant French dirigible manufacturer and the European distributor of the Wright biplane, operated an airship factory in this city. |
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