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Title: 1st Grand Prix of Aviation |
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Description: 1st Grand Prix of Aviation of the Aero-Club of France. Anjou Circuit -- Angers, Cholet, Saumur, Angers -- June 16-17, 1912, Angers This 1912 poster for a circuit race sponsored by the Aero-Club of France shows an Antoinette taking off towards the town of Angers under the watchful eyes of the military judges. The Aero Club of France’s "First Grand Prix" in June 1912, was not a great success from the spectators point of view. Due to very windy, rainy weather which was too dangerous for most of the pilots in their open, lightweight aircraft with weak engines, the competition quickly developed into a one-man race. The winner, Roland Garros, was already a well known aviator who became famous for his 1913 flight across the Mediterranean Sea. His willingness to fly in the bad weather proved to contemporary observers that with enough courage it was possible to fly an airplane on a regular schedule under even the most unfavorable circumstances. Garros also showed the French military that the airplane was a reliable machine when given the right pilot. |
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