Alphonse (Gaston) (1882-1915)
and
René Caudron (1884-1959)
Born in a farmers family in Somme (France), the Caudron brothers were quickly fascinated by the growing aviation. Pioneers of flight, they successfully flew in 1910 the 2 miles separating the family farm in Romiotte (Ponthoile - France) from the village of Forest-Montiers. They soon became famous aviators, reaching the same level of celebrity that people like Marcel Dassault or Henry Potez had acquired before them.
In Crotoy, they created the first aviation school that soon became famous, the War Ministry sending there about 30 student pilots in 1913.
Designers of many aircraft like the two-seater Caudron G3 that successfully landed on the 'Mont Blanc' in 1921, they are the designers of airplanes in which thousands of pilots got their first flying licence. The Caudron factory of Lyon produced close to 4.000 airplanes during World War 1, before being acquired by Renault in 1933.
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