Description: Up for auction a RARE! "Aviation Legend" François Dufour Hand Signed 4X5 B&W Photo. ES-4457E Francois Durafour was born in Switzerland on November 11, 1888. In July, 1910, he made his first flight in René Vidart's Hanriot airplane in Rheims, France, without authorization. He had only been mechanic for Vidart. He earned his pilots license on November 11, 1910, (Swiss Licence no.3). He worked for Deperdussin (late 1910). In June, 1911, he was chief-pilot at the Avenches aviation school in Switzerland. In a two seater Dufaux airplane, he performed various aerial feats in the area setting some altitude and duration records. He was the first to fly over the city of Geneva. He established the airfield at Collex-Bossy near Geneva. He won several local prizes and took part in several aviation meetings. Beginning in 1912, during a flying tour of Central America, Durafour was the first to fly in Guatemala and San Salvador, using a Deperdussin. Returning from Central America, Durafour flew over New York. On August 14, 1912, over Times Square, exactly at the intersection of Broadway and 44th street, the motor of his Borel-Morane stopped, the fuel line having broken. He soon located an ideal landing field, but when he came closer, he discovered it was an amusement park named "The Palisades". It had many power lines which fed the many lights and which made it impossible to land. He quickly chose the limited space between two nearby streets. The event has been reported in New York newspapers. Near Lyon, France, Durafour worked on Burlat airplanes & motors in 1913. With great difficulty, he tried to perfect an automatic flight stabilizer in 1914. In August of 1914, he served as a pilot with the twenty first Swiss Air Force, a unit created the first month of World War I. He was in Berlin on July 31, one day before the war erupted, with the objective of bringing back a Schneider 100 HP airplane paid for by Switzerland. He arrived back home on August 1, with the Schneider. It was the only Swiss airplane to fly over Germany during the war ! During 1916-18, Durafour was a test pilot, first for Bleriot (SPAD), then for Hanriot, in France. He was responsible for delivering the aeroplanes to the units in the war. (1000 airplanes were delivered with only one accident). In May 1919, he made the first commercial flight from Paris to Geneva in a Caudron G3 (mail). He made numerous other flights in Switzerland. He held Commercial Flight transport licence no.509. In June, 1920, he made the first commercial flight with a passenger from Paris to Geneva, in a Sopwith. On July 1921, in a Caudron G-3, he made the first landing and take-off on snow. This was on Mont-Blanc, at an altitude of 4,000 meters, a record which stood for some 30 years. Upon leaving aviation full time, (1922-1930), Durafour operated an automobile repair garage and was involved in automobile racing. (In 1934, he flew a Swiss round trip without stop over in Switzerland.) He remained active in aviation, was occasionally seen at air meets and retained his pilot's license until his death. He attended the inauguration of the Annemasse airfield (France) near Geneva (1947). His last position was with the Geneva international airport. François Durafour died on March 15, 1967 at 80 years of age. He was a gentleman, an aviation pioneer and held numerous decorations such as the Légion d'Honneur, Militar medal and Guatemalan medal. A street in Geneva is named in his honor.
Price: 499.99 USD
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
End Time: 2024-08-14T16:44:05.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money back or replacement (buyer's choice)
