Aéro-Club de France facts for kids

The Aéro-Club de France is one of the oldest and most important clubs for aviation in the world. It was started in France way back in 1898. Its main goal was to help people learn about and enjoy flying.

The Aéro-Club de France at the Exposition maritime internationale de 1907.

The club was founded by a group of famous people who loved new ideas. These included Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, and even the famous writer Jules Verne. They wanted to encourage "aerial locomotion," which means anything that flies! In 1909, the club changed its name to Aéro-Club de France.

What the Club Does

In its early days, the Aéro-Club de France helped create many of the rules for flying in France. It also set the standards for many "firsts" in aviation history. For example, it recognized the first time an airplane flew a full circle of over one kilometer. It also certified the very first helicopter flight!

The club organized exciting competitions too:

• The Prix Deutsch de la Meurthe: This was a challenge for dirigibles (like blimps or airships) starting in 1901.
• The Gordon Bennett Cup: This was a race for airplanes in 1909.

The Aéro-Club de France also published a magazine called L'Aérophile for many years. Today, it publishes Aérofrance.

In 1905, the Aéro-Club de France helped create the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI). This is a big group that sets rules and records for aviation all over the world.

After 1945, other groups took over some of the club's rule-making jobs. Now, the Aéro-Club de France mainly focuses on promoting aviation and giving out special flying certificates.

Images for kids

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  Balloon pilot's licence issued by the Aéro-Club de France to Mr. Tissandier in 1904.

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  Aero Club festivities, air and automobile rally, June 16, 1904.

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  St. Cloud, 1910

Medal

Logo of the Aéro-Club de France

The Aéro-Club de France gives out a special award called the Great Medal. This medal honors people who have done amazing things to help aviation move forward. Many famous pilots, astronauts, and engineers have received this award.

Here are some of the people and teams who have won the Great Medal:

• 2006 - The flight test teams for the Airbus A380 and the Dassault Falcon 7X airplanes.
• 2004 - The leaders of the companies involved with the Concorde airplane when it retired.
• 2003 - Steve Fossett, a famous adventurer and pilot.
• 2002 - The astronauts from the Andromeda space mission.
• 1998 - Bertrand Piccard, who flew around the world in the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon.
• 1969 - Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, the first astronauts to land on the Moon.
• 1963 - Jacqueline Auriol, a famous French test pilot.
• 1927 - Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
• 1909 - Louis Blériot, the first person to fly across the English Channel.
• 1908 - Henri Farman, Wilbur Wright, and Orville Wright, pioneers of aviation.

See also

In Spanish: Aéro-Club de France para niños

• List of pilots awarded an Aviator's Certificate by the Aéro-Club de France in 1909
• List of pilots awarded an Aviator's Certificate by the Aéro-Club de France in 1911
• Fédération française de parachutisme