Other names "Flying Fool" Occupation aviator | Name Rene Simon Role Aviator | |
Born December 8, 1885 Paris, France | ||
René Simon (December 8, 1885 – April 21, 1947) was a French aviator.
Biography
He was born in Paris and earned French license #177 from the Aero Club De France. He toured the United States in 1911-12 with the Moisant International Aviators. He became known for daring tactics and was called the Flying-Fool by the public. The first airplane rescue at sea by another airplane was made when on 14 August 1911 Simon had been flying over Lake Michigan in a monoplane and accidentally dived too low. Pilot Hugh Robinson in a Curtiss hydroplane spotted him and sent boats to his rescue.
In February 1911 the Mexican government engaged Simon to reconnoiter rebel positions near Juarez, Mexico. During World War I he commanded a squadron that taught acrobatic tactics to fighter pilots. Simon was married by the time of World War I and had a commission as a Capitaine(Captain). He and his wife often dined with high-ranking military officials.
René Simon died in Cannes on 21 April 1947.