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Les faucheurs de marguerites title screen.

TV Series (1974)
German title : Pioniere der Fliegerei
Italian title : I falciatori di margherite

Starring:
Bruno Pradal (Édouard Dabert)
Christine Wodetzky (Jeanne Dabert)
Philippe Rouleau (Louis Blériot)
Clément Michu (Jules Joly, the camera operator)

Through the life of the fictionous aviation enthusiast Édouard Dabert, the story of aviation from the very beginning until the eve of the World War One.
Nota : most of the aircrafts seen are replicas built for the TV series. Sometimes, the director used aircraft modified to act as the historical aircraft; it's the basic airframe which is here identified (with the suggested model between parenthesis).

Episode 1

Otto Lilienthal Segelflugzeug N°13

Otto Lilienthal Segelflugzeug N°3

This replica is used after the Segelflugzeug N°11 for screenplay purpose but is chronologically false.

Otto Lilienthal Segelflugzeug N°11

Replica built for the Series.

Episode 2

Ader Avion III

Voisin-Dabert (fictional)

Ferber Aéroplane No.6

Ferber Aéroplane No.8

Or maybe the next aircraft, the Ferber IX ?

Voisin Planeur

Episode 3

Wright Flyer (replica)

This replica was built for the Series and was used several times with slight changes to act as various aircrafts of the Wright Brothers. At first, it's the 1903 Wright Flyer layout (but once on the air, the pilot is seated, no more lying like on the second screenshot.

Hydravion Voisin Archdeacon (replica)

A floatplane glider tow by a fast canot powered by a 150 hp Panhard engine.
Same aircraft seen in other movies - IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

Episode 4

The Albatross

Several times, the series refers to Jules Verne's books. In this episode, Julien, the son of Edouard Dabert, is playing with a wood model of the Albatross, the flying ship of Robur the Conqueror. This book is too the basis of the screenplay of Master of the World.

Ferber Aéroplane No.6 (model)

Santos Dumont 14-bis (replica)

Designed to fly, the 14 bis was tested step by step, first between two pylons then hung under the soft airship N° 14. The series just shows these first trials. Eventually, the type succeeded to perform several flights at the end of 1906.

Seen later for the first successful flight on 23 October 1906. The most known flight of 220 meters occured on 12 November 1906.

Ferber 'Aéroplane' No.8 (or N° 9 ?)

Vuia I

Aircraft of the Romanian inventor and aviation pioneer who designed, built and tested this first aircraft in 1905.

Blériot IV

Former Blériot III was modified and renamed Blériot IV. First flight on October 1906, still with the floats, its trials failed too.

Later, on November 1906, the floats were replaced by wheels but the plane hit an obstacle during a ground run and was damaged beyond repair.
Probably the same replica (modified) used on episode 3.

Voisin Delagrange I

First a model.

Flying Replica.

End of the flight with a very warm welcome from Dabert driving a car (some other examples on the discussion tab).

Episode 5

Santos Dumont 14-bis (replica)

Various Models

Several balloons (only their gondolas are visible on this medium shot) and behind Édouard Dabert we guess the model of the spaceship from From the Earth to the Moon, the famous Jules Verne's book. It's the secret greenhouse where the young Julien Daber builts these models.

Unidentified Zeppelin

Perhaps LZ-5 ?

Replica Made For Movie (no gas).

Archive footage.

Zeppelin LZ 17 Sachsen

To illustrate the Zeppelin LZ 3 subject of the trials of Count von Zeppelin.

Dabert 2

Fictionous aircraft "Made for Movie" based on the Voisin-Delagrange aircraft. This airframe is now in Belgium after a deep work to change into the replica of the belgian pioneer De Caters's Voisin aircraft.

Santos-Dumont No. 19 Demoiselle

Seen again in Le temps des as Episodes 1 and 2.
Same aircraft in other movies at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Civil Fixed-Wing).

Antoinette IV (Replica ?)

In fact, this aircraft is the merge of the fuselage of the real Antoinette VII with brand new wings. It acts as the Antoinette IV of July 1909. This aircraft is now part of the Le Bourget Air and Space Museum collection, as seen in Roland Garros : l'embrasseur de nuages.

Episode 6

Dabert is in America to witness Wright Brothers trials. As they refuse, he shows them several european progress to stimulate their pride.

Ferber Aéroplane No.8 (or N° 9 ?)

Farman HF.3

Aerial Experiment Association (Curtiss) June Bug

Well ... this flight didn't occured in Europe, of course !

Hydravion Voisin Archdeacon

Voisin Farman I

Wright Flyer A (replica)

This replica (see above Episode 3) is acting this time as the Flyer A used during first flight demonstration in August 1908 in France.

Of course, the pilot is no more lying down but is seated.

Takeoff ! For security reason (?), the replica has now wheels !

Once in flight, the Flyer has still these wheels like the Flyer B. We are still in August 1908 but the screenplay refers in fact to the flight record of September 1908 in France.

Episode 7

Blériot XI

Reg. F-PERV (later F-AZBA) built in 1919.
Same aircraft in other movies at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Civil Fixed-Wing).

Antoinette IV (Replica ?)

Reputedly the fuselage and engine of a real one with rebuilt wings. As only five Antoinette have been built, this example did not flew. Probably the one seen nowadays at Le Bourget (Paris) Air and Space Museum.

The trial to cross the Channel (La Manche) failed and we look an archive footage of the real wrecked Antoinette IV.

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Les faucheurs de marguerites