indeed I was right, the exhibited plane was found in a factory during the 1920’s. It is believed to be a prototype of the original design for a production run, which did not take place because of the First World War. After the war, aviation advanced so much that it was of no interest to build this plane. At the same time, he insisted that it is the only original that exists in the world. I agree that it is an authentic reproduction of the period but it remains an interpretation of the Demoiselle, not the one that Santos designed or built, let alone flew. Being a prototype for a production run justified the removal of a number of refined features of the Santos original design. A couple of weeks after receiving the
Prince Michael of Kent was intrigued by the Demoiselle.
tubes, a central control column instead of one on the right-hand side for the elevator and one behind the pilot’s seat for the wing warping mechanism. The wings had profiled ribs made out of wood instead of simply bent bamboos. The fuselage was longer than the original and the strut designs differed from the original. King posts with landing wires were added, something the Demoiselle didn’t need nor had, among other significant differences. While at the library of the museum,
the more I read the more convinced I was the information provided appeared to be tailored to mislead visitors who did not know much about the Demoiselle. At one point, I saw a photo of Santos in the Demoiselle displayed at the museum in flight. After close examination of the photo, it was clear that the plane was hanging from a wire.
Disappointed by my experience in Paris, I decided to contact John Bagley, the curator of the Science Museum in South Kensington, London. I explained what happened and that I thought we ought to write a letter to the French museum. I felt strongly that it was wrong to tell the general public something that was not right. John said there are many exhibits that may not be exactly right and gave me the example of the Apollo Spacecraft at the Science Museum. On that basis, he felt it was wrong to intervene.
A bigger challenge
Faithful to my principles, I decided to write a letter to the Director of the French museum. In the letter, I asked if he could confirm whether or not the plane was the original. A number of details explaining why I was questioning its authenticity were outlined. A couple of weeks later, I received a reply from the Vice-Director, stating that
first letter, a second one arrived. This time from the Director of the Musee de l’Air et de l’Espace in Paris. In his letter, he stated the aeroplane displayed is the original and only one in the world. He also sent a small booklet explaining the history of the Demoiselle and Santos Dumont, in case I wanted to learn something about the plane. This letter incentivised me to write another letter enclosing the response of the Vice-Director including an explanation as to why the answer of the Vice-Director was consistent with my research. It goes without saying that a reply was never received.
Over time, I came to the conclusion that neither the original Demoiselle nor a reproduction of the period existed. Remember, Santos didn’t patent his designs and encouraged others to build his designs. To some extent, this made me question
my project. On the one hand, it made it a bigger and more interesting challenge than I originally thought but on the other I didn’t have any reference to see exactly how it was designed and built. When the Demoiselle was made, photography was
Fabric work starts, mother and daughter collaborating on the task
24
Caroline Winter happily working on the covering of the tail section. BROOKLANDS BULLETIN | MARCH - APRIL 2020
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