Perhaps you have pondered who Louis Ferber was as you stand here on Quai Louis Ferber. Let me tell you his story. Quai Louis Ferber is named after a French Army officer. This officer played an important role in early aviation development.
Louis Ferdinand Ferber was born in Lyon in 1862. He studied at the Ecole Polytechnique. Ferber then joined the French Army. Eventually he became an instructor at the School of Applied Artillery. This school was in Fontainbleau in 1897. Here, he discovered Otto Lilienthal’s work. He read about it in an article.
Ferber experimented with models. He constructed his first full-size glider. It had a lozenge-shaped wing. It was about 8 meters across. He unsuccessfully tried to fly it. This attempt was from a tower at his family’s estate in Switzerland in 1898. He then built a similar second machine. He tried to fly it as a kite. He also towed it behind a horse. These attempts also failed.
In 1901, Ferber moved from Fontainbleu to Nice. He commanded the 17th Alpine Battery of the 19th Regiment. He continued his experiments here. His third attempt was like Lillienthal’s gliders. It was Ferber’s first attempt at a man-carrying glider. Trials happened at Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée. The wing area was too small. He constructed a fourth, larger glider.
In 1901, Ferber learned about Octave Chanute’s aeronautical experiments. He read an article in the Revue Scientifique. Ferber wrote to Chanute. He learned of the Wright Brothers’ experiments. He received Wilbur Wright’s paper. It was titled “Some Aeronautical Experiments”. It had been published in the Journal of the Western Society of Engineers. Ferber then built his fifth aircraft. It was based on photos of the Wrights’ 1901 glider.
It resembled the Wright glider. It was a two-bay biplane with a forward elevator. However, the construction was crude. The wings had a simple bamboo framework. They lacked the ribs that gave the Wright’s glider lift. There was no lateral control attempt. The Wright Brothers discovered the link between lateral and directional control. Ferber’s experiments were encouraging. An account of his work was published. Ferber used the pseudonym “de Rue.” It was in the February 1903 issue of l’Aérophile.
Ferber did not attend Chanute’s lecture. It was to the Aero Club de France in April 1903. He wrote to Ernest Archdeacon afterward. He asked Archdeacon to get the Aero Club to announce a prize for a glider flight. He said, “The aeroplane must not be allowed to reach successful achievement in America”. Archdeacon endorsed his suggestion. He included an extract from Ferber’s letter in his account. The letter was also published in L’Aerophile.
Ferber built another similar aircraft. It had triangular rudders. These were on the aft outboard interplane struts. This aircraft was fitted with a 6 hp Buchet engine. It drove coaxially mounted propellers. It was called the Type V-bis. He tried to fly it between September 1903 and October 1904. He also built a tall tower. It supported a revolving arm. The aircraft was suspended from it. Ferber wrote that these trials “were completely useless, but drew public attention to aviation.”
In April 1904, Ferber helped Ernest Archdeacon. It was with trials of his Wright-derived glider. This happened at Berck-sur-Mer. Charles Renard invited Ferber to join the French Army balloon school. This was at Chalais-Meudon. He took up this post in May 1904. He also built another aircraft. It was the Type VI. It used a rear-mounted horizontal stabilizer. It also featured dihedral for lateral stability.
In June 1905, Ferber offered to buy one of their machines. The Wrights refused. Their reply detailed their recent flights. Ferber was the first European to learn of these achievements.
Ferber founded the Ligue Nationale Aérienne in 1908. He was killed on September 22, 1909. This happened at a flying meeting in Boulogne. He attempted a turn at low altitude in a Voisin biplane. One wing struck the ground. He was the third victim of an aeroplane accident.
So now you know about Louis Ferdinand Ferber. A pioneer of flight. This is why this quai bears his name.