Capitaine Vengeur 263 Posted September 23, 2013 On 23 September 1913, Roland Garros became the first pilot ever to cross the Mediterranean Sea by air, 730 kms non-stop from Southern France to Bizerte (Tunisia), in 7 hours 53 minutes, on a Morane-Saulnier monoplane with a Gnome 60hp engine. He landed with just 5 litres of fuel out of the 245 litres he carried. One step more for the aviation, hats off. Five years and two weeks later, Garros, as a military pilot in the 'Storks' fighter group, was reported MIA during the last hot weeks of the Great War. He is buried just next to the place where his body was recovered, in the cemetary of the small town of Vouziers (Ardennes) - just 10 kms from my parents' place. Meanwhile, he had become the first actual fighter pilot using a fixed forward-firing MG aiming through the propeller, had been just short of one kill to become the first 5-kills ace ever before his capture in 1915, escaped in 1918 after several attempts, had to learn how much aviation had evolved while he was a POW, just to be shot down after a handful of missions with the 'Storks' and 2 more kills. His name has been given to the tennis stadium where the French Open takes place. So an amazing proportion of French people believe he was a tennis player !! Illiteracy is a scourge... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stratos 3,192 Posted September 23, 2013 Thanks for the info mate, is always cool to learn new things about aviation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Stary 2,428 Posted September 23, 2013 +1 you learn something new every day as they say Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+pcpilot 181 Posted September 23, 2013 Love history. VERY cool. Thanks Capitaine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
