History of aviation – October 9, 1908. It is in the sky of the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux, in the Paris region, that the very first flight of the airplane known as Antoinette n° 4 will take place, the latter from the company called Antoinette, first name of the daughter of Jules Gastambide who is one of the founders of the company with Léon Levavasseur.
The aircraft in question which is making its maiden flight is a monoplane, with a wingspan of 11.30 meters and a bearing surface of 27 square metres, with central wings with ventral and dorsal curvature and movable ailerons, which on the scale displays 480 kilograms. Its engine is provided by an eight-cylinder Antoinette engine capable of providing a power of 50 horsepower, manufactured in Puteaux. Its cruising speed being 75 kilometers per hour.
Based on the Gastambide-Mangin monoplane, it was with this Antoinette No. 4 airplane that the French pilot Hubert Latham took part in the Daily Mail prize in 1909, which consisted of crossing the Channel, but his attempt ended in defeat. a failure.
