BARONESS de LAROCHE 1886-1919 AKA Baronne de La Roche & Elise Raymonde Deroche

ACTRESS

AVIATRIX

Collection of Dave Lam

SHORT HISTORY OF BARONNE DE LA ROCHE by Dave Lam      The first woman to win her fixed wing pilot's license was the self-styled Baroness de la Roche (real name Elise Raymonde Deroche). She is described in contemporary reports as a "young and pretty" comedienne (which probably means she was an actress, in the jargon of the time, though she is also described as a "lyrical artist", or singer).      Previously a balloonist, She won license # 36 of the International Aeronautics Federation (F.A.I.) on 8 March 1910, at the age of 24. She participated in the aviation meetings at Heliopolis, Budapest, Rouen, and Saint Petersburg (at the latter of which the Tsar himself praised her for her bravery and audacity.

SEMAINE D'AVIATION DE TOURAINE (30 avril - 5 mai 1910 Edition officielle. (ND Phot.) 46 -- Madame DE LAROCHE, pilota d'un biplan Voisin. Collection of Dave Lam, 10-7-05

On 8 July 1910 she competed for the Women's prize at Reims in a Voisin biplane, and suffered a crash from altitude. After nearly dying following this crash, she regained her health and interest in flying, and returned to the air. Soon thereafter, she set new women's records, including distance (323 km) and altitude (4500 m). She was a temporary holder of the Coupe Femina in 1913, with a flight on 25 November of 323 km, ending only through mechanical trouble. World War I put an end to her career only temporarily. Soon after the end of the war, she returned again to the air, and in 1919 at Crotoy (flying a Caudron), she suffered another crash, this time a fatal one.

 

Baroness de Laroche Collection of Dave Lam

The Deroche crash was in fact her first big one, at Reims in July 1910 Photo and Text Courtesy of David Lam

On 8 July 1910 she competed for the Women's prize at Reims in a Voisin biplane, and suffered a crash from altitude. After nearly dying following this crash, she regained her health and interest in flying, and returned to the air.      Soon thereafter, she set new women's records, including distance (323 km) and altitude (4500 m). She was a temporary holder of the Coupe Femina in 1913, with a flight on 25 November of 323 km, ending only through mechanical trouble. World War I put an end to her career only temporarily.      Soon after the end of the war, she returned again to the air, and in 1919 at Crotoy (flying a Caudron), she suffered another crash, this time a fatal one

 

FLYING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CZAR by Baroness de Laroche from Colliers Magazine 30 September 1911 Transcribed by Dave Lam, 1-9-04      After practicing at Moumelon, and breaking my arm in a fall, I went to Helipolis, where I obtained by pilot's certificate. I had hardly recovered from my accident, but I felt no apprehension on mounting my machine one more. What can I tell you of this first meeting, except that as soon as we took the air we were all seized by treacherous currents which flopped us about at the wind's pleasure, although the atmosphere seemed perfectly calm. From there I went to Saint Petersburg.      The aviation ground was small. None of us was willing to fly, and yet we all decided to do so. On the occasion of one of my flights I mounted to a height of 150 meters, being enveloped by the smoke from the factory chimneys which surrounded the ground. I flew over houses, then above forests, and turned three times. In order to reach the ground at the end of the fourth turn I made a little curve, tacked, and stopped my motor at a height of 100 meters. It was my first volplane, so I was somewhat excited. To my great astonishment nothing broke. The Czar, who was present at this meeting, wished to congratulate me. He asked what my feelings had been, and I was able to assure him that his presence in the first place, and the houses and the landing ground, which was only 30 meters wide, in the second, had brought my heart into my mouth.      Then I set out for Budapest, where I successfully achieved a flight of 37 minutes. There again the factory chimneys, which served as pylons, so to speak, caused very disagreeable currents with their smoke. It was that flight which has left me with one of my most striking impressions. Nevertheless, in my opinion, the record for currents was broken at Rouen. There, being caught in a kind of tempest when I was in the air, I had to lower my equilabrator immediately and came to earth by the barriers that surrounded the aerodrome, where my biplane stood on end. If I had stopped my motor I should without doubt have fallen on the crowd. Happily, I had a little presence of mind left.

 

The Heliopolis Committee of Aviation by Dave Lam, 2-17-05      The Heliopolis Committee of Aviation, with the assistance and concurrence of the Aeroclub of France, of which it was a foreign "section", planned the "Grand Semaine de L'Aviation" in Egypt, 6-13 February 1910. Many famous pilots took part: Latham, Rougier, DelaRoche, Jacques Balsan, Le Blon, Hauvette-Michelin, Mortimer-Singer, Metrot, Duray, J. Gobron, de Bray, Hans Grade (German), and de Riensdyk (American). There were actually 13 aviators competing, flying 5 monoplanes and 7 biplanes. A giant lottery was established to draw a crowd— the prize was a Bleriot airplane!!      To read the rest of this story, click on the title above.

 

BARONESS DE LA ROCHE Hi Ralph,      I've been given a pile of old lantern slides mostly naval but a bit of aviation too. Included is a slide of Baroness de Laroche and I noted that you requested any information and wondered if it was any value to you. I've scanned it best I could and attached to this email. You would be most welcome to it, it would only rot in a cupboard somewhere if I held on to it. Kind regards, Dennis Sarson..Perth, Western Australia. 4-20-04

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      Using the Google search engine on Baroness de Laroche, (10-15-05), you will find about 553 links! You may want to use other forms of her name to find all the links.

 

This website has one of the most complete stories on Baronne de la Roche that I have found. It also presents a wealth of information on most of the other aviation pioneers. I heartily recommend that you become familiar with its offerings. To access the entry on Baronne de la Roche, click on: Baronne de la Roche      The site offers many photographs of this pioneer flyer and has many links to other sources of information. You are well advised to go back to the homepage and take advantage of the many other outstanding offerings. Home The Site is Researched and Created by Dr. Russell Naughton and Dr. John Bird

 

French Aviatress is Killed in Fall Journal and Tribune, Knoxville, Tennessee: Saturday, July 19, 1919, Transcribed by Bob Davis - 9-4-03 Paris, July 18. - Baroness de La Roche, the French aviatress, was killed in an airplane accident at the aerodrome at Crotoy this afternoon. The baroness was flying with a passenger when the accident occurred.

 

CORRECTION TO NEWS REPORT via email from Dave Lam, 3-2-05      Actually, she was a passenger on this flight, which was for the purpose of testing a new aircraft. She had expressed interest in becoming a test pilot, and was being shown the ropes.

 

Editor's Note: If you have any information on this pioneer aviator please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper

 

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