Dieudonné Costes facts for kids
Dieudonné Costes (born November 14, 1892 – died May 18, 1973) was a famous French pilot. He was known for setting amazing flight distance records. During World War I, he was also a skilled fighter pilot who shot down many enemy planes.
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Early Life and Becoming a Pilot
Costes was born in a town called Septfonds, in France. He earned his pilot's license on September 26, 1912. When World War I started, he joined the French Air Service. He flew in different squadrons, like MF55 and MF85 Farman squadrons, and later in N506, N507, and N531 Nieuport fighter squadrons. He mostly flew on the Balkan front.
He was a very successful fighter pilot, achieving 9 victories (meaning he shot down 9 enemy aircraft, with 6 of them officially confirmed). His first victory was in April 1917, and the rest happened between January and September 1918. By the end of the war, he was a 2nd Lieutenant.
After the war, Costes started flying for regular airlines. In 1920, he flew mail for Latecoere from Toulouse to Casablanca. Then, in 1921, he flew the Bordeaux-Paris route, and by 1923, he was flying for Air Union on the Paris-London route. From 1925, he became a test pilot for Breguet Aviation, trying out new airplanes. This is when he started making long-distance flights and breaking records with the Breguet 19 aircraft.
Amazing Long-Distance Flights
Dieudonné Costes became famous for his incredible long-distance flights.
Setting New World Records
On September 26, 1926, he flew 4,100 kilometers (about 2,546 miles) from Paris to Assuan, trying to break a world distance record. He succeeded on October 28, 1926, when he flew 5,396 kilometers (about 3,351 miles) from Paris all the way to Jask, in Persia. He did this with J. Rignot as part of a longer trip from Paris to India and back, which was 19,625 kilometers (about 12,187 miles) in total.
Flying Around the World
Between October 10, 1927, and April 14, 1928, Costes and Joseph Le Brix flew an amazing 57,410 kilometers (about 35,652 miles) around the world! They flew a Breguet 19GR plane named Nungesser-Coli. Their journey started in Paris and took them through countries like Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Japan, India, and Greece.
During this trip, they made the first non-stop flight across the South Atlantic Ocean. This happened on October 14–15, 1927, when they flew from Saint-Louis, Senegal, to Natal, Brazil. While they were in South America, they made sure to fly through every country on the continent. They did not fly the entire way around the world, though. They crossed the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco, California, to Tokyo, Japan, by ship.
Later, on December 15–17, 1928, Costes, along with Paul Codos, set another world distance record. They flew 8,029 kilometers (about 4,986 miles) in a closed circle.
Crossing the Atlantic to New York
On July 13, 1929, Costes and Maurice Bellonte tried to fly across the North Atlantic Ocean from Villacoublay (near Paris) to New York. They were flying their special plane, the Breguet 19 Super Bidon called "?" (which means "Question Mark"). However, they had to turn back after 17 hours because of bad weather.
But they didn't give up! On September 27–29, 1929, they set a new world distance record. They flew 7,905 kilometers (about 4,909 miles) from Paris all the way to Qiqihar, China.
Their biggest achievement came on September 1–2, 1930. Costes and Maurice Bellonte flew the "Point d'Interrogation" from Paris to New York. They were the first airplane to reach New York by flying the harder westbound route from Europe to North America. They covered about 5,850 kilometers (3,633 miles) or 6,200 kilometers (3,850 miles), depending on the source, in 37 hours and 18 minutes.
While flying over Portsmouth, New Hampshire, they accidentally lost their navigation map out of an open window. Two children, Louise Stef and her brother John, saw the map fall while watching the plane fly over their farm. They returned the map to Costes, who had asked for its return through the news.
During World War II, Costes worked as a flight instructor at a pilot's school in Versailles, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel. He passed away on May 18, 1973, in Paris and is buried in Passy Cemetery.
Awards and Honors
Dieudonné Costes received many important awards for his bravery and achievements in aviation. He was given the Legion of Honour, which is France's highest award. He also received the Croix de guerre with seven palms and a gold star, and the Médaille militaire.
In 1929, he was awarded the Gold Medal from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and the 1929 Harmon Trophy, both for his outstanding flights.
On May 2, 1928, the United States Congress gave him the Distinguished Flying Cross. This was to recognize his historic flight around the world.
