Eugene Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Sous Lieutenant Eugene Gilbert (July 19, 1889 - May 17, 1918) was a World War I
flying ace
credited with five aerial victories. He had also been a famous pioneer Pre-war
racing pilot flying to many countries throughout Europe.
Gilbert was born in 1889 in Riom France. He became interested in flight in his teens and actually built his own version of a flying machine around 1909. The machine appears to have been unsuccessful but Gilbert took on more conventional fixed wing flying machines. By 1911 he was flying the famous Bleriot XI
, an single wing aircraft in which it's designer had famously crossed the English Channel in 1909. In the Paris-to-Madrid flying race Gilbert flew across the Pyrenees Mountains and was attacked by an angry mother eagle defending her young and nest. To ward off the large bird he simply fired pistol shots at her rather than kill her.
In 1915 WW1 was was raging and Gilbert was in uniform as a combat pilot. Like fellow French pre-war pilot Adolphe Pegoud, Gilbert was one of the first pilots to become an ace, an aviator who has shot down five or more enemy planes. In April 1915 Gilbert was captured by the Germans after landing his Morane-Saulnier fighter plane behind enemy lines. He later made a daring escape from his captors which was later recounted by a friend.
Gilbert was killed in May 1918 when test piloting a new plane at Villacoublay.
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World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
credited with five aerial victories. He had also been a famous pioneer Pre-war
Pre-war
The term pre-war or prewar is usually applied to the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.Antebellum is most often used to denote the period before the American Civil War while pre-war typically refers to the period before WWII.In real estate the term refers to buildings from the...
racing pilot flying to many countries throughout Europe.
Gilbert was born in 1889 in Riom France. He became interested in flight in his teens and actually built his own version of a flying machine around 1909. The machine appears to have been unsuccessful but Gilbert took on more conventional fixed wing flying machines. By 1911 he was flying the famous Bleriot XI
Blériot XI
The Blériot XI is the aircraft in which, on 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel made in a heavier-than-air aircraft . This achievement is one of the most famous accomplishments of the early years of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in...
, an single wing aircraft in which it's designer had famously crossed the English Channel in 1909. In the Paris-to-Madrid flying race Gilbert flew across the Pyrenees Mountains and was attacked by an angry mother eagle defending her young and nest. To ward off the large bird he simply fired pistol shots at her rather than kill her.
In 1915 WW1 was was raging and Gilbert was in uniform as a combat pilot. Like fellow French pre-war pilot Adolphe Pegoud, Gilbert was one of the first pilots to become an ace, an aviator who has shot down five or more enemy planes. In April 1915 Gilbert was captured by the Germans after landing his Morane-Saulnier fighter plane behind enemy lines. He later made a daring escape from his captors which was later recounted by a friend.
Gilbert was killed in May 1918 when test piloting a new plane at Villacoublay.
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External Links
- Eugene Gilbert at FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...