History of aviation – September 29, 1929. In this year 1929, the 18th edition of the Gordon Bennett Cup took place, an aeronautical event which pits balloonists against each other. The latter on board their airship having to cover the longest distance to display this trophy on their list of achievements. A competition which started on September 29, 1929, with the pilots taking off in the afternoon.
It was not yet 5 p.m. on September 29, 1929, when the balloonists took off from the United States, more precisely from Saint-Louis. No less than six Nations are involved in this cup: the United States with three crews, Germany which has two balloons, and with a single aircraft, France, Argentina, Denmark and Belgium.
The French representatives will not reach the podium: with their device called “Lafayette”, Georges Blanchet and A. Scholle will finish sixth, having only managed to cover 322 kilometers, compared to 548.94 kilometers for the Americans Orman and McCracken, winners of the event with their “Goodyear VIII”.
