Aircraft manufacturers - France: books - history and models

Flying Flea - Henri Mignet's Pou-du-Ciel

With more than a little nostalgia for the days when flying was still an adventure that anyone could participate in and the sky was not restricted and controlled as it is today, the author presents to us one of the original participants in that adventure.

Frenchman Henri Mignet's creation, the Flying Flea provided the enthusiast of the era with a viable machine for a mere £25 (£65 with a decent engine). He took on the UK aviation bureaucracy and won, allowing ordinary folk to build and fly his soon-to-be-famous little machine.
His story is the stuff of Boy's Own heroics and in the telling of it the author allows us to re-live his own youthful enthusiasms in the early years of flying.

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Avions Jodel - du D1 de 1936 au DR 400 de 1996

With Jodel aircraft, French light aviation was born. These models are the most widespread in France and Europe.
They are the fruit of two characters, Messrs. Delemontez and Joly, who since 1947 have been drawing plans and building new aircraft. The Jodel company and Mr. Delemontez refounded the Robin house where they still live.
This book traces the history of Jodel and its aircraft, from the D1 of 1936 to the DR 400 of 1996.

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Clément Bayard, pionnier industriel

Adolphe Clément (1855-1928), orphaned at a young age, was a self-made man. By age 45, he was France's leading bicycle manufacturer, then turned to the automobile industry. He built modern factories in Mézières and Levallois, considered the largest in Europe at the time. In 1908, he entered aviation. His "A.C." monogram stood over his factory gates.

World War I ruined him, but he recovered. He passed his factories to a young engineer, André Citroën, who aimed to produce affordable cars. Clément became his banker and sold him the plants - remarking the initials didn't even need changing.

Based on years of research in public, institutional (including Aéro-Club de France), and family archives, this book traces the life of Clément and the history of his company.

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Lorraine-Dietrich - De la voiture de grand luxe au géant de l'aéronautique (Collection Prestige)

This book presents, for the first time, a complete history of Lorraine-Dietrich, a major French manufacturer in both the automotive and aviation sectors during the early 20th century.
The company was known for its luxury cars and Grand Prix victories during the Belle Époque, then for its internationally recognized aircraft engines. It won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in the 1920s, built torpedo boats in the 1930s, and played a key role in forming a major aviation consortium.

All products bearing the Lorraine cross are covered, along with key figures in the company's development: Adrien de Turckheim, Léon Turcat, Charles Nicaise, Marius Barbarou, Claude Bonnier, and lesser-known engineers such as Giustino Cattaneo, Louis de Groulart, Lucien Sabathier, Giulio Cesare Cappa, Lucien Fabre, Charles Picker, and Albert Lory.

The book also explores Lorraine-Dietrich's subsidiaries: Isotta Fraschini, Clément-Bayard, IAR, SGA, and Lorraine-Dietrich Ltd. The final chapters describe nationalisation, wartime occupation by BMW, post-war transition under SNECMA, and the company's closure in 1951.

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Avions Mudry : Du CP 100 de 1966 au CAP 232 de 1998

This book tells the story of the company Avions Mudry & Cie and its aircraft: from the CP 100 prototype of 1966 to the CAP 232 of 1998.

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Avions Robin - du Jodel-Robin de 1957 au DR.500 de 2000

This aeronautical work relates the relatively rich history of Robin aircraft which, from the beginning of the sixties to the present day, constitute the vast majority of the fleet of French aero-clubs.
The name Robin was successively associated with the names of engineers who were at least prestigious such as Délémontez, Heintz, Brandt, Muller and recently Colomban.
The DR.400 has evolved over time and still remains today the aircraft with the best compromise between performance/safety/operating cost.

The ultimate evolution of this machine, which appeared in 1972, is called the DR.400/500. High-performance and modern, this aircraft is promised a bright future in the segment of fast and comfortable "grand-tourisme" aircraft.
In 2000, it would seem that the continuity of the Robin story is ensured by the 45, an aircraft resulting from the work of two engineers. The first is Christophe Robin, son of the creator of Robin aircraft, and the second, Michel Colomban, father of the smallest twin-engine aircraft in the world...
The author, an aviation enthusiast, has endeavored to produce a work that will not be too succinct without being off-putting. This aeronautical file is to be enjoyed without moderation.

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Fournier-Flugzeuge: Alpavia, Sportavia-Pützer, Avions Fournier, Slingsby, Aeromot

Between 1955 and 1995, Rene Fournier designed ten sports aircraft models, as well as numerous derivatives that are still highly regarded in sports aviation circles today. More than 1000 Fournier aircraft were built by various licensed manufacturers up to 2009.
The German aircraft designer Alfons Puetzer had a significant influence on Rene Fournier's developments. Fournier and Puetzer worked together for almost 15 years. Sportavia-Puetzer KG at Dahlemer Binz specialized in the exclusive construction of Fournier aircraft. More than 400 of the 1000 Fournier aircraft built were built at Dahlemer Binz up to the mid-1970s.
Among the numerous other licensed manufacturers, Slingsby Aviation in England and Aeronaves e Motores in Brazil were successful in the market with a further 500 aircraft.

This book is about the aircraft developments of Rene Fournier and the companies and businesses that were involved in the licensed construction of Fournier aircraft. Some of these companies acquired the rights to further development and, based on Fournier's developments, created further new aircraft models, which are also discussed in this book.
The book concludes with a complete list of the individual histories of all 1000 Fournier aircraft built, published for the first time.

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