Demoiselle “Gazelle”

Santos Dumont’s Demoiselle No. 20 of 1909 was a clever, light, high-wing monoplane. It was powered with a choice of 24 or 30 horsepower engines mounted to the leading edge of the wing. A special vertical sleeve was sown into the back of an aviator’s jacket so that he or she, when seated below the wing, had the control stick fitted into the jacket’s sleeve. The aviator would simply rock side to side to actuate the control stick of the cable-driven wing-warping system to bank the aircraft in one direction or the other. The fuselage consisted of three bamboo booms running to a universal joint at the tail where the one-piece elevator/stabilizer was hinged. Several were built with plans made available by Santos Dumont for free. Its erstwhile and energetic take offs earned it the moniker of an “infuriated grasshopper.”

The Aerodrome’s Gazelle was built by Ray Honey in 1968 and was likely inspired by the Demoiselle replica that appeared in the popular 1965 film, “Those Magnificent Men and their Flying Machines.” It is a loose interpretation of a Demoiselle and has a modernized steel tube fuselage with Aeronca Defender wings with a modern airfoil. The Gazelle utilizes ailerons to control bank instead of wing-warping and is powered by a 65 hp Continental engine. Although not a thoroughly accurate replica, it retains the same basic configuration as the original Demoiselle with wire bracing and a full-flying tail. At Old Rhinebeck, it was flown regularly by Dave Fox in the 1970s during the weekend air shows. Once in the air, the illusion of seeing this authentic pioneer overhead delivering a daring, “seat-of-the-pants” flying experience was the same once seen and felt by aero-event spectators during the first decade of the 20^th century.

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