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Biography of Jorge Chavez

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Jorge Chavez is considered in Peru, the country where I was born, a hero for being the first man who attempted to fly across the Alps. Although he didn’t manage to meet his objective because his Blériot XI crashed upon landing, the bravery and courage he exhibited while he was alive were determinants to his career success. Therefore, in the present paper, I intend to highlight Chavez aeronautical achievements and, likewise, explain how he became fascinated in aviation.

Jorge Chavez, a Peruvian Born in Paris

Jorge Chavez Dartnell was born on June 13, 1887 in Paris, France. His parents, Don Manuel Chavez and Maria Rosa Moreyra Dartnell y Guisse, were forced to migrate to Europe due to the war fought in 1879 between Chile and Peru. Chavez …show more content…

Paulhan immediately recognized that the young engineer had the ideal characteristics to become an aviator, but before he had the opportunity to invite him to join his team, Chavez requested to become a member. Naturally, Louis Paulhan accepted his proposal, which allowed Jorge Chavez to participate in multiple competitions as an observer. Later, when Paulhan entered into partnership with Henri Farman, a French aviator and aircraft designer, Chavez also took part in the association. As a result, the Peruvian airman was admitted in the prestigious “Farman Flight School” as a student pilot. Nevertheless, he first had to sign a contract in which he agreed to purchase an airplane built by the Farman Company, as well as to participate in air competitions.

Obtaining His First World Record

According to Hard Matthews, the writer of “Pioneer Aviators of the World”, “Chavez had been a formidable soccer player and was already well known when he took up flying in December, 1909.” He managed to obtain his license N°32, issued by the “Aéro-Club de France”, five days after his solo flight in February 1910. In order to test his skills, the last day of February, he took his Farman biplane aloft for nearly two hours, flying until he finally ran out of fuel.
By early April, Chavez had won his first prizes flying at an aviation meeting in Nice. After that, the

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