Armand Deperdussin

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Armand Jean Auguste Deperdussin (born July 8, 1864 in Paris ; † June 11, 1924 there ) was a French entrepreneur . He is considered one of the most famous aircraft manufacturers before the First World War .

Life

Armand Deperdussin spent some time in Belgium as a chansonnier and made his fortune in the silk trade. He sold imported silk to large department stores, fashion houses and textile manufacturers in Europe. Through his worldwide travels and the increasing demand for aircraft silk, he came into contact with well-known aviation pioneers from the early days. He supported the plans of the then young engineer Louis Béchereau .

At the beginning of 1909 he founded the Société de Production des Aéroplanes Deperdussin (short: SPAD) in Bétheny , around five kilometers northeast of Reims . Louis Béchereau became the technical director. In November 1909 the first patent was published Nº 409.715. In 1912 he bought the area of ​​the airfield in Reims-Betheny and built another aircraft production facility there.

The SPAD company quickly became known worldwide through the success of its designer Louis Béchereau. In 1912, Béchereau introduced the monocoque construction method for aircraft, which became a brand design for Deperdussin Flugzeugwerke SPAD. The fuselages of other manufacturers consisted of a frame covered with painted fabric. The Deperdussin monocoque raceplane, however, had a streamlined fuselage made from a wooden shell. The so-called Deperdussin control (DEP) was also new, with a steering wheel attached for pitching and rolling. The aircraft's engine was a special aircraft engine , an internal combustion engine designed by Gnôme as a rotary engine in which the crankcase and the cylinders rotate around the crankshaft. The Deperdussin Monocoques were the fastest aircraft of their time.

With committed employees and technical, revolutionary decisions at Deperdussin, SPAD also won many prizes, such as: the international aviation speed record at the Gordon Bennett Cup in 1912, with the works pilot Jules Védrines and the Gordon Bennett Cup that year In 1913 in Reims, which Maurice Prévost won with a Deperdussin Monocoque Racer at 203 kilometers per hour . The SPAD fighter planes were well known and successful during the First World War.

In mid-August 1913, the SPAD hit the headlines due to fraudulent practices by its founder. Deperdussin was sentenced to five years in prison in 1917. As a result of the story, Deperdussin ran into funding problems. Not only did he have to sell the bankrupt SPAD company, he also lost his residence at Château des Barilliers, in Chambray-lès-Tours . The SPAD aircraft works were taken over by the French company Blériot Aéronautique in 1921 .

Deperdussin died on June 11, 1924 in the Lariboisière hospital in Paris as a result of a suicide attempt.

literature

  • Günter Schmitt, Werner Schwipps: Pioneers of early aviation. Special edition. Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 1995, ISBN 3-8112-1189-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Birth certificate (Acte de naissance) No. 1199/1864 of the parish of Paris ( 9th arrondissement ), available for a fee at filae.com (French)
  2. ^ Entry on "Armand Jean Auguste Deperdussin". In: Léonore database . Ministry of Culture and Communication , accessed August 6, 2019 (French).
  3. ↑ Harcrave biography Armand Deperdussin, with numerous pictures (English)
  4. ^ Patent application November 1909
  5. ↑ Photo: Béchereau Monocoque type Deperdussin A
  6. ↑ Drawing of the DEP control online, page 57
  7. ↑ Photo: Deperdussin control (DEP)
  8. ↑ Photo: Deperdussin Monocoque Racer
  9. ↑ Article in the Air Journal (French)
personal data
SURNAME Deperdussin, Armand
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Deperdussin, Armand Jean Auguste (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH July 8, 1864
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris , France
DATE OF DEATH June 11, 1924
Place of death Paris , France