Henri Brégi (4 December 1888 – 12 January 1917) was a French pioneer aviator. He was the first person to fly an aeroplane in Argentina.

Henri Brégi (1888-1917), French pioneer aviator, besides a plane Voisin in 1909
Henri Brégi in 1912

Argentinian flights

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Brégi was invited by Jorge Newbery to come to Argentina to make the first flight in that country as part of the centenary celebrations of Argentine Independence.[1] On 6 February 1910, Brégi piloted the first aeroplane flight in Argentina. He had sailed on the steamship Parana from France, arriving on 8 Jan 1910. He brought with him two aeroplanes: both Voisin Biplanes, one with an ENV 60 hp engine and the other with a 50 hp air cooled rotary Gnôme (Octavie III).[2]

Wartime service and death

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Henri Brégi was mobilized during the First World War. A pilot of the French Army, he was seconded to the Toulon Maritime Aviation Centre. On 12 January 1917, he volunteered to neutralize a German submarine operating off the harbour. A ditching in the bay of Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer during the mission overturned the seaplane that Brégi was piloting; he drowned.

References

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  1. ^ "Le 6 février 1910 dans le ciel : 1er vol officiel en Argentine". Air Journal. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  2. ^ Ficke, George. "Biography Henri Bregi". Early Aviators. George Ficke. Retrieved 30 September 2016.