Fabre was born in 1882 in a shipping family in Marseille. Education he received at the Jesuit college, where he was interested in studying hydrodynamics. Then extensively examined and propeller aircraft structures. In 1909 he started building the first prototype seaplane. Much time devoted to the construction of floats. Because he had a prototype engine but only a weak engine power 25 hp, the machine does not operate.

Fabre later built a new machine is powered by a rotary engine sedmivalcovym Gnome Omega with the performance of 50 horses, three floats, a pusher propeller. Machine called Hydravion.

In his twenty-eight years, so his first start from the water with his duck (tail in front) Hydravionem. Boldly lifted from Lake Berre near Martigues near the Mediterranean Sea, although by then the aircraft still did not.

That day took place four years ago, the first measuring 457 meters, the longest of them was more than 600 meters long. In the following days and flew a distance of about six kilometers.

From experiments on normal operation

Fabra soon after the first contact between Glenn Curtiss and Gabriel Voisin, who used his design and engineering to develop their own seaplane. The first truly usable water tested Curtiss aircraft in 1911, when his seaplane Curtiss-Ellyson started from the bay at San Diego, California.

Another victory achieved in 1912, the Curtiss flying boat designs – airplanes, which consisted of water in the shape of a ship hull instead of floats.

Manufacturers on both sides of the Atlantic will soon join with their own water planes in 1912 in Monaco effect a first meeting of aquatic aircraft. At that time, and even after several decades had seaplanes and flying boats several advantages over ground planes. Water to provide unlimited space for takeoffs and landings at a time when Earth was still low.

And Henri Fabre? During World War II, he founded and led the company, which specializes in the manufacture of seaplanes. He died in 1984 at the age of 101, when was already one of the last living pioneers of aviation.

Photo: profimedia.cz