Hubert Le Blon | |
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Born | |
Died | 2 April 1910 San Sebastián, Spain | (aged 36)
Cause of death | Plane crash during exhibition |
Nationality | French |
Occupation(s) | Car-racer and Aviator |
Known for | Grand Prix racing Vanderbilt Cup racing Pioneering aviator Air speed record for 5 km |
Hubert Le Blon (21 March 1874 – 2 April 1910) was a French automobilist and pioneer aviator. He drove a steam-powered Gardner-Serpollet motorcar in the early 1900s, and then switched to Hotchkiss for both the world's first Grand Prix at Le Mans in France and the inaugural Targa Florio in Sicily. At the Vanderbilt Cup races on Long Island he competed for the US driving a Thomas.[1][2]
Within weeks of setting a new aviation speed record in Egypt, he died during an exhibition flight at San Sebastián, Spain. His first aircraft design, the "Humber monoplane (Le Blon type)", was displayed at the Olympia Aero Exhibition in 1910.[1][2]