MICHEL EFFIMOFF 1881- AKA Michael Effimoff

Michael Effimoff Collection of Library of Congress, 4-4-07

 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES - 1 By email from Dave Lam, 1-25-03      Ralph, I think you will find that Michel Effimoff was Russian, not French. He did get a French License (# 31 on February 15, 1910 in a H-Farman). He was born November 1, 1881 at Smolensk. He participated in the "All Russian Aviation Exhibition" of 1910. Sorry, no other information.      Interestingly, he is only one of many "foreigners" who got French pilots' licenses. I have found a list of all those up to January 4, 1911 which is most interesting-- of the 354 pilots licensed by the Aero-club of France to that time, there were 4 women (all French), plus the following non-Frenchmen---- Russians-- 27 English-- 19 Dutch--7 Americans-- 4 Germans--4 Italians--3 Peruvians--3 Poles--2 Swiss-- 2      Plus one each from Brazil, Belgium, Sweden, Alsace, Luxemburg, Romania, Turkey, Chile, Uruguay, Australia, and Japan---

 

NICE AVIATION MEET APRIL 23, 1910 Collection of Jean-Pierre Lauwers

MICHEL EFFIMOFF Collection of Dave Lam, 1-6-04

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES - 2 from Flight Magazine, 23 November 1912, page 1091. By email from Dave Lam, 4-25-05      "One of the most exciting incidents of the present war in the Balkans is the one in which Effimoff was the chief actor. Before the advance of the Bulgarians from Mustafa Pasha to Adrianople, Effimoff flew on an old Bleriot over the distance, and distributed a large number of proclamations, printed in the Turkish language, and calling on the people of Adrianople to surrender. The machine was fired at by the Turks, and, although it was 4000 feet high, the wings were hit in several places, but not so badly as to prevent Effimoff from flying back 22 miles to the Bulgarian lines. Burri on a Sommer also made a reconnaissance over Adrianople for the besieging Bulgarians. Last Saturday one of the Bulgarian aeroplanes caught fire in mid-air, and the machine fell from a considerable height, both the pilot and the observing officer being, of course, killed."

 

ONLINE RESOURCES Using the Google search engine on "Effimoff +aviation", (4-5-07) you will find about 34 links. Most of them are very helpful. The one immediately below has disappeared from the net, but luckily I had preserved a relevant portion of it. The original document is written entirely in French. If you can read the language, you will find it to be a treasure house of information. Even if you can't, and I can't, you will be able to understand the relevant selection.

La société des moteurs Gnôme 23 avril 1910: Nice.      "Disputé sur le champ de course de la Californie par treize concurrents, presque tous nouveaux dans les meeting aériens, trois sur monoplans et dix sur biplans, le meeting de Nice est une sportive populaire. Les résidants de la côte d'azur tel le roide Suède Gustave V en villégiature assistant à un spectacle qui les ravit. Le pilote Michel Effimoff sur Farman à moteur Gnôme Oméga vole sur 458 kilomètres et Van den Born, sur le même type de matériel, parcourt 266 kilomètres, dont 87 d'une traite. Henri Rougier pilote un Voisin à moteur Gnôme Oméga."        I used the BabelFish translation program to change it into English, more or less. The result is as follows. 23 April 1910:Nice      "Competing on the California racecourse were thirteen aviators, almost all of them new to air meetings, three on monoplanes and ten on biplanes. The meeting at Nice is a popular sporting vraie réussite. Residents of the côte d'azure, including King Gustave V of Sweden who was on holiday, attended the spectacle which ravit them. Effimoff, the pilot of a Farman with a Gnôme Oméga engine, flew 458 kilometers and Van den Born, in the same kind of plane, traveled 266 kilometers, including 87 of a draft. Henri Rougier piloted a Voisin with a Gnôme Oméga engine ."

 

NICE AVIATION MEET APRIL 23, 1910 from L'ÃGE HÉROIQUE DE L'AVIATION L'èpopée des as du ciel Robert Saundby; 1971 Collection of Giovanni Giorgetti, 3-30-07

23 avril 1910: Nice.      "Disputé sur le champ de course de la Californie par treize concurrents, presque tous nouveaux dans les meeting aériens, trois sur monoplans et dix sur biplans, le meeting de Nice est une sportive populaire. Les résidants de la côte d'azur tel le roide Suède Gustave V en villégiature assistant à un spectacle qui les ravit. Le pilote Michel Effimoff sur Farman à moteur Gnôme Oméga vole sur 458 kilomètres et Van den Born, sur le même type de matériel, parcourt 266 kilomètres, dont 87 d'une traite. Henri Rougier pilote un Voisin à moteur Gnôme Oméga."   I used the AltaVista translation program to change it into English, more or less..   23 April 1910:Nice      "Competing on the California racecourse were thirteen aviators, almost all of them new to air meetings, three on monoplanes and ten on biplanes. The meeting at Nice is a popular sporting vraie réussite. Residents of the côte d'azure, including King Gustave V of Sweden who was on holiday, attended the spectacle which ravit them. Michel Effimoff, the pilot of a Farman with a Gnôme Oméga engine, flew 458 kilometers and Van den Born, in the same kind of plane, traveled 266 kilometers, including 87 of a draft. Henri Rougier piloted a Voisin with a Gnôme Oméga engine ."

 

L'ÃGE HÉROIQUE DE L'AVIATION L'èpopée des as du ciel   Robert Saundby   Product Details Cloth: 130 pages; 140x225 Publisher: French Edition: Editions Rencontre Lausanne 1971 Translator: F. Didier-Lauber

Description: Courtesy of Giovanni Giorgetti, 3-31-07 The book exists also in English original edition of Macdonald Unit 75 London.

I have no information as to the date of his death.

 

Editor's Note: If you have any information on this pioneer aviator please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper

 

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