Year: 1909
Engine: Dutheil Chalmers
Horsepower: 35
Wingspan: 18 ' 6"
Top Speed: 56 mph (90 km/hr)
Gr. Weight: 315 lbs (143 kg)
Original/Reproduction: Reproduction
Perhaps the first “ultralight” aircraft, Alberto Santos-Dumont’s “Demoiselle” was a sensation in 1909 Paris as he flew the diminutive machine about the city. Built largely of bamboo, the Demoiselle achieved international recognition when plans for it were made public. Cole Palen built our reproduction around 1957 and it was restored in 1998. Jeweler Louis Cartier developed the wristwatch so that Santo-Dumont could time his flights around the City of Lights.