George Valentin Bibescu

G. V. Bibescu
Bibescu on a 2004 Romanian stamp

George Valentin, Prince Bibescu (22 March 1880, Bucharest – 2 July 1941, Bucharest) was a Romanian early aviation pioneer and automobile enthusiast.

Prince George III Valentin Bibescu (Bibesco), grandson of Gheorghe Bibescu, domnitor (ruler) of Wallachia and son of George Bibescu and Valentine de Riquet de Caraman,[1] was born in Bucharest. In 1902, he married Marthe Lucie Lahovary, who took the name Marthe Bibesco. They had one daughter, Valentina, born 27 August 1903. In 1912, he gave his wife as a present the Mogoşoaia Palace.


Bibescu had an early interest in aviation; he flew a balloon named "Romania" brought from France 1905. Later he tried to teach himself how to fly a Voisin airplane, also brought from France, but without success. After Louis Blériot's demonstration flights in Bucharest on 18 October 1909 (organized at the invitation of Romanian Automobile Club, of which he was president [2]), Bibescu went to France and enrolled in Blériot's school in Pau. On 6 January 1910 he was awarded Aéro-Club de France pilot's license number 20.[3] After returning from France, Bibescu organized the Cotroceni Piloting School in Bucharest where Mircea Zorileanu and Nicolae Capşa were licensed. On 5 May 1912, he founded the Romanian National Aeronautic League.

He was instrumental in founding the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Between 1927 and 1930, he was vice-president, and between 1930 and 1941 president of the FAI.

He was co-founder of the Romanian Automobile Club (1901), and of the Romanian Olympic Committee (1914). Romania was among the first 6 nations in the world to organize car races. In 1904, he won the Bucharest-Giurgiu-Bucharest auto race, with an average hourly speed of 66 km/h. In 1905, motorists George Valentin Bibescu, Leon Leonida, and Mihai Ferekide, accompanied by Marthe Bibesco, Maria Ferekide, and Claude Anet, made the first automobile trip to Persia, leaving from Galaţi and reaching Ispahan. The trip is described by the French writer Claude Anet in his book, "La Perse en automobile à travers la Russie et le Caucase (Les Roses d'Ispahan)".

Prince George Bibesco is buried in the small, white 1688 church on the grounds of Mogosoaia Palace in Romania

References

  1. ↑ George Valentin Bibescu. Rodovid family tree portal. En.rodovid.org. Retrieved on 28 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Bleriot la Bucureşti. Stelian-tanase.ro (16 June 2012). Retrieved on 28 July 2014.
  3. ↑ 354 Aero-Club de France Pilot Aviators Flight, 4 February 1911, p.88.

External links

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