B202 Flying Machines
News of the Wright Brothers Flyer spread rapidly,
and soon many other aviation pioneers were building
their own flying machines.
In August 1909, twenty-two of them met at a racetrack
outside Reims, France, to compete in the first
organized international air meet. They brought 38
aircraft, but only 23 actually flew in the meet. The pilots
completed 87 flights. The Reims Air Meet proved
the viability of flying. David Lloyd George, the future
prime minister of Great Britain, remarked, “Flying
machines are no longer toys and dreams. They are
an established fact.”
The Reims Air Meet was one of the most important
events in aviation history. It dramatically legitimized
the importance and significance of flight. It prompted
rapid innovation, civil aviation, air mail service, and
motivated many nations to establish an air force.
Only five years later, pilots were dogfighting in the
skies over Europe during World War I.
This poster shows all of the planes that flew at the
meet. A few important contemporary flying machines
did not participate. These included Edwin Roe’s
triplane that incorporated the first aircraft control
column, and Hans Grade’s monoplane, the first German
aircraft. These are also shown so that the poster
provides a comprehensive overview of aviation in its
infancy.
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SAMPLE IMAGES |
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| Bell Silver
Dart |
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| Dunne D4 |
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| Wright Flyer |
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