The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

Paris Le Bourget Airfield – The Home of the Paris Air-show and one of the Best Aviation Museums on this Planet!

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

The Musée de l'Air is home to Concorde s/n. 001

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

The European Space Agencies first Airianne Rocket

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

Dassault Mirage, s/n. 01

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

SE-210 Caravelle which is the World’s 2nd Jet Airliner; the DH 106 Comet having been the First

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

Dassault ‘Mystere’ Falcon 20, s/n. 001 is here in safe keeping

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

There is some great stuff here in the General Aviation Hall!

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

This museum has one of the World’s finest collections of pre 1920 Aircraft

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

Deperdussin - Blériot - Antoinette

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

Early construction techniques are both practical and in some cases beautiful

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

The fittings, attachments and connections all tell the real story here

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

And now the ‘Star’ of this evenings get-together: Mons. Alberto Santos Dumont’s Demoiselle

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

First, please let me introduce the Demoiselle’s creator…

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The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

The child of a coffee plantation baron in Palmira, Minas Gerais in S.E. Brasil, Alberto Santos Dumont studied at a technical school in Paris. There he began experimenting with gas balloons and then airships. In 1906 he was the first to fly a ‘heavier than air’ powered aeroplane in Europe, slightly less than three years after the Wright Brothers made history at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

The Demoiselle (‘young lady’ in French) is named after the delicate but powerful ‘Demoiselle Dragonfly.’

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

The first Demoiselle, the model 19, was powered by a 20 hp horizontally opposed Dutheil-Chalmers engine which was mounted between the wheels and linked to the propeller by a drive chain. A single bamboo pole supported tail surfaces, which pivoted on a universal joint to act as both elevator and rudder. There was an auxiliary rudder either side of the pilot and an auxiliary elevator between the front wheels. There initially was no lateral (roll) control, until the auxiliary rudders were removed and wing-warping control was added in the model 20. The warping was controlled by wires connected directly to a harness that the pilot would wear. Also a 24 hp Antoinette engine was installed for more speed and power. In 1909 he exhibited the first version of his No. 20 "Demoiselle. " Bamboo, wood and linen were the main components of what was at that time, the smallest and lightest aircraft in the world. "Le Petit," as the Parisians called the Brazilian, intended his creation to be a kind of "Everyman's Aeroplane," available for the modest sum of 7,500 French francs.

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

Powered by a 24 HP horizontally opposed, water-cooled Antoinette engine, the 235 Lb model 20 Demoiselle aircraft would cruise at 56 MPH.

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

Original 20 HP Model 19 Re-engine’ed 24 HP Model 19

30 HP Control stick Model 20 Sling-seat Model 20

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

Many versions of the Demoiselle have been constructed, since Alberto Santos Dumont retired with Multiple Sclerosis in 1910. Many are R/C models.

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

Our Museum is extremely proud to have a Demoiselle Replica in the collection.

All we need now is money to refurbish and rebuild it.

$ $

The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

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The Musée de l'Air and the Demoiselle

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